Creating a Home Office

by: Carol Fraser Boles

Writers spend a great deal time in their home offices.
Creating a comfortable, productive and inspirational office space should be the goal of every writer or business person who works from home. Arranging and organizing such an office can be easy.
Consider including the following aspects when setting up your home office:


Dedicate a specific room. You need to define your home office space as where you work and not mix it with where you sleep and relax. Devote a room for your home office. This is where you go to work every morning.

Create a comfortable home office: Buy a comfortable chair that rolls and make sure your keyboard is at the correct height. make sure you have adequate lighting and include a radio, if you work better with music and a coffee pot if you work best early in the morning.

Organize your home office: Have everything you need to write and execute projects in your home business efficiently. Place paper near the printer, maintain a rolodex to make call quickly, get a desk caddy for your pens, pencil, stapler, tape and notepads.
Set up an alphabetized list (using an address book) of your user and passwords for your computer.
Organize your bookshelves according subject for easy reference.

Create a space that’s inspirational: If you can, set up your home office in a room that has a window. Allow sunshine and contact with the outside world to come in. Sometimes this can be a distaction, but for most bringing the outdoors in increases their level of productivity and creativity.

Devote wall space to show your accomplishments. Hang your diplomas, awards and letters of recognition on the wall. Many people hang a picture of someone they admire. This motivates them to achieve their goals.

Create a warm and inviting space. Don’t dread going to your home office. Make it pleasing to the eye. Place family pictures on your desk, or on the wall. Tack up children’s art projects. Bring the garden inside with fresh flowers and green plants.


You will see your writing career or home business take off, when you decide to create professional workspace.