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4 Simple Tests to Find Good Real Estate Investment Properties
You're driving along the road when you spot it. There in the middle of a shaggy lawn sits a disheveled property. It may need a good coat of paint, or a shutter straightened out, but it's easy to see that with a little work it could be a little gem...
eBay Thieves Make Auctions Tougher
The online auction world was shocked by the biggest eBay fraud in its seven year history. What made it even more astonishing is the fact that the crooked seller has a five history of successful sales on eBay, accompanied by thousands of glowing...
How about making 500% in profits ? Discover how to make money with Mexican Handcrafts
Would You Like to Resell Mexican Products for Great Profits ? Would You like to feel what's it like to have excellent profit margins as a retail merchant or wholesale distributor ? Mexican products have become big sellers in every country of the...
Run the numbers before buying an investment property
People talk about running the numbers before buying an
investment property, but what are the numbers and how do you get
accurate numbers? Running the wrong numbers can make the
difference of making $500 or losing $1000 per month. In this
article...
whats a 3d, whats 3dgraphics, 3D computer graphics
3d is nothing but an depth, some ways like example an paper
which has a thin depth with a width and a length (a box which
had length and width along with depth value, when talking
regarding axis, its an object having x-axis y-axis and...
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Your Home Office--Get a Room Already!"
So you're finally following your dreams. You're self-employed. You set your own hours. You pick your paychecks up at the mail box. No more long commutes for you. You even get to "wheel-and-deal" in the quiet and solitude of your own home office. You . . .
What's that? You don't have a home office?
You work, instead, on the kitchen table or the computer station in the family room or--much to your spouse's dismay--on the cluttered desk in the corner of the bedroom (clickety-clackity, clickety-clackity go the keys until the wee hours of the morning).
Get a room already! Preferably one you can claim and make your own. Concentration, focus and productivity will improve--and so will your peace of mind.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
Being a home office, by definition, the space you choose as your own actually has to be in your home--so right away you're constrained to a certain, fixed location. Your "home office" can't be in the building down the street.
That said, here are five items that mattered most to me when I chose the location for my home office:
1. My office space needed to be physically practical while also being good for my psyche--no stark four walls, cramped space, or gloom for me.
2. I needed a space into which I could literally disappear for hours--away from the hubbub of family activity, noisy children, cooking smells, and errant pets.
3. The space needed to work for me in physical terms, with adequate room for a desk, work area, reading nook, printer stand, fax machine, storage of office supplies, etc.
4. I needed a room that afforded me a view of the outdoors--a room that provided me something to look at other than my computer screen.
5. The space could serve no dual purposes. This had to be my office with my "stuff" in it, from pictures on the walls to books on the shelves.
CREATING THE SPACE
Fortunately when we built our home over a decade ago, I imagined that I would someday want a home office. During construction I had a spare 10-foot by 13-foot bedroom on the top floor wired for an additional phone line and the electrical outlets in the room equipped with surge protection. I also placed sound deadening board in the walls, six inches of fiberglass insulation in the floor, and topped it off with a heavy six-panel solid wood door--complete with lock and key--making for a very cozy and quiet setting.
Granted, not everyone has the opportunity to plan their home office as I did, but you may be able to make some "after market" changes to your space to make it more functional . . . and desirable.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
* When I converted the spare
bedroom to office space a few years ago, I placed industrial shelving in the room's large 3-foot by 6-foot closet, creating an efficient storage area lined with office supplies, paper, envelopes, client files, books, computer references, print cartridges, and more--all easy to access, all readily available. No more down time hunting for paper clips!
* On the walls, I hung non-work related items such as photos of my wife and children, a painting of a doe and fawn lakeside, photos I've taken of places I've visited (and often would rather be)--all visual cues I can look to when I need to step back from a project and remind myself of what's really important.
* I recently added a semi-dry aquarium to the mix, full of shells, sea glass, and mementos of various excursions to sea shores both near and far. What's unique about this mostly-dry aquarium is that at its center in a traditional "gold fish" bowl resides--you guessed it--a gold fish. As I watch the fish swim about its watery home, "Flo" has become a companion of sorts, providing me with occasional and necessary mental "breaks" from lengthy stints at the computer or on the phone.
* I also have a doublewide window that overlooks my backyard and a strategically located birdfeeder that affords occasional glimpses of a flitting jay, chickadee or mourning dove--not to mention the sometimes-comical antics of several resident red and gray squirrels as they shinny up the steel post from which the feeder hangs.
BE "AT WORK" WHEN YOU NEED TO BE
By creating your own distinct space, you can truly "be at work" when you need to be. No more trying to mask the sounds of jovial children in the background as you speak to a client; no more apologizing for being up late with light on, rustling papers as you print the latest draft of that important proposal.
Once you get a room for your home office and once you make it your own, you will see a marked difference. With fewer distractions and an increased ability focus, you'll be more productive, more attentive, and that much further along the way to making your dreams of successful self-employment a reality.
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Copyright (c) 2004 by Matt McGovern--All rights reserved.
About the Author
Matt McGovern combines a rare blend of creative and technical know-how with years of experience and a balanced and purposeful approach to life. He has authored and edited numerous books, e-books and e-zines. Get "Know-How" his free e-newsletter at www.700acres.com/pages/ad_archive.html or explore life, death and beyond with his novel, "CURRENTS-Every Life Leaves an Imprint" at www.MattMcGovern.com/books.html.
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