Working from home:

Nowadays there are so many reasons to work from home..people are just realising the importance of working from home specially here in India-the regular costs of travel, traffic congestion and demand for outsourcing.

Hence the idea of having a small home office is gradually coming into concept in India. Let us discuss now with the procedures and requirements that are to be kept in mind while developing the idea of a small office at home.

• First and foremost we will have to consider what profession is the person in who wants to work from home office?whether he is an architect, or lawyer or doctor or IT professional?
• Second, comes the point-how many persons want to work from the same place?whether the person will be the sole user or there is a small group working with him?depending on that the seating and layout of the space is to be worked upon.
• If you are the single user of your own office then it is your discretion which room to convert into a home office.But if there are a number of users to the space then a separate entry and the room or rooms adjacent to a toilet space is very much needed. Consider these issues and develop the idea of a small office at home.
• Third, is the issue that what will normally be the working hours for this personal office?Is it daytime in general or you might have to work at night as well? depending on that the lighting plans etc are to be designed properly.

• Fourth, comes the layout of the office space. Depending on the user this is to be designed. proper partition with work stations and storage units are to be designed to make the office area an effective one. Number of workers who will be using the area is important here.
• If it is a studio space you can furnish it with modular furniture with plenty of phone lines, 15amps and 5amps points.
• Fifth, is to design the space so that you can separate yourself from the home once you leave for your office even if it is at home. Try to distance yourself from rest of the home activities during your normal office hours.This can be either by some physical barriers-the main house may be cut off from your vision and easy reach even though you are at home. This will ensure that you are not distracted by any activities in the house even though you are at home !
• Sixth, colourful atmosphere in the office space will give you a sense of excitement.You can also use subdued subtle colours which is sober and with your own personality depicted on the colour schemes.
• Lastly, regarding furniture, fabric and lighting remember that in a small office the concept is less is more. Do not overdo the space. With minimum artifacts, sober fabrics, modern furniture you can create a soft inviting look.

All of the above points if kept in mind will definitely help you work from your home effectively and efficiently. But one last point I want to add here is- Do not stay in your small office once your family is at home..Keep your work timings fixed. This should not happen that because you are working from home you are over-working!
Then you will realise that the whole concept of this small home office is a superflop decision because your spouse will be shouting at you and you will be having real tough times !! ;)