Do you work from home? Is your home office a spare bedroom or are you using the kitchen table? For anyone who works from home, there will come a time when you start feeling like you need to move out. This has been something I’ve been struggling with lately. As most of you already know, I work from home. Or a café. Or the car. A few years ago, we converted a small room in our house into our study ie we put a desk and a chair and my laptop in there and voila! we had a home office.
The office is a mishmash of furniture and “make do” plastic shelving (that only shut when you use extreme force and when all the runners are lined up properly). It can also get quite cluttered and messy which is why I end up retreating to the couch or my local café. Anywhere but in my home office. Check it out:
It’s not conducive to getting any work done. In fact, whenever I go in there I just want to throw everything out and have an empty room.
I started wondering if it was time for me to hire an office or a co-workspace which got me researching and reading. According to her article Moving Beyond Your Home Office”, Lisa Kanarek lists interruptions, loneliness and growth as being the major reasons people move out of their home office.
- Interruptions. As one client’s family grew, his inability to work uninterrupted (as well as his growing responsibility to serve as the backup babysitter on a regular basis) affected his bottom line and his relationship with his family. What initially was an ideal working situation for his freelance writing business became his worst nightmare. He missed deadlines, alienated clients and reached his wit’s end on a daily basis. His choices were to continue a less-than-ideal work situation or relocate his office. The choice was obvious.
- Loneliness. Some people work better alone, while others need to be surrounded by people to stay motivated. These people thrive on the communal office energy that can’t be recreated at home. These “people persons” are more productive in an outside office than they’ll ever be at home. Instead of trying to overcompensate for being home alone by playing loud music, visiting neighbors or running an excessive amount of errands, move out.
- Growth. A successful business is a curse and a blessing rolled into one. A growing business requires more room, equipment and storage space. It may also require employees–and here’s where things really get crowded. It’s important for an office staff to be able to work well together, but asking them to work on top of one another is asking too much. At that point, you’ll need to rent outside space unless you’re willing to renovate your home to create more office space. Zoning laws may also restrict you from running a home-based business with more than one employee.
In another article, 4 Signs It’s Time To Move Out Of Your Home Office, Miranda Marquit counts client meetings becoming more frequent as another reason to move out.
- Client Meetings are Becoming Frequent. Let’s be honest: Meeting a client at your home office isn’t the most professional thing you can do. It’s true that you can meet elsewhere, such as in a restaurant for a business lunch. At some point, though, if you have a lot of client meetings, you need dedicated space. It might be time to get an office somewhere else.
One of the issues for me is loneliness. Being a very social person, I crave being around others, and whilst I get a lot of work done from my home office, it can feel quite isolating. If you’re at the stage where you’re outgrowing your home office, the options available to you include leasing your own commercial space, sharing an office with somebody, or becoming a member at your local co-work space. If you’re interested in a co-work space, The Fetch have written a great blog outlining some great spaces in Australia. If you know of any others that haven’t been included in their list, please let me know in the comments below.
However, the other issue for me is the messiness of the room and after much deliberation, I decided to do a small refurb of the home office. This is yet another option for you if you’re feeling a bit disgruntled with your workspace at home. Recently my husband and I got stuck into this study and gave it an overhaul. We got rid of the mishmash of furniture and boxes and invested in a proper desk, chair and credenza. It has totally transformed the room for me and now I can happily work away in here with a compromise of occasionally heading to my local cafe for some social life. Check out the finished result below:
What about you – are you just about to move out of your home office? Will you lease your own space or opt for a co-work situation? Whatever your choice, I wish your much productivity in your new venture! Until next time, stay engaged, be present and have fun.
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