What do you do when you don’t cook or eat at home, but you need to set up a home office? You may do exactly what entrepreneur and author Mandy Williams (aka Black of Red & Black) did, and convert your dining room into a home office.

Mandy isn’t your traditional author or business owner and doesn’t take a conventional approach in her personal and business life. Her approximately 15.8′ x 15.7′ home office is the perfect example. She could have converted a spare bedroom, corner of a family room, or a formal living room into her workspace, but how conventional would that be?

Mandy’s well-hidden home office is still disguised as a dining room, thanks to the wall of wood. Unless you opened the cabinets, you’d never know that behind the Wenge wood doors are several file drawers along the bottom, a slide-out printer stand, and open shelving for storing loose-leaf binders and  various office organizing boxes/sorters. She also has cubbyholes for paper, notepads and envelopes.

Her gorgeous custom-designed, glass-top table with a leather base looks like a dining table but can be used as a conference table or desk.  Not unlike many dining rooms, Mandy’s office is filled with natural light (often the best in the home).

Not eating or cooking at home seems to be a good trade-off for a stunning home office.

A guest room is ideal when family, friends and relatives stay with you, but what about the rest of the year when it sits empty?  Depending on how often you have overnight guests, a guest bedroom can be the perfect room to set up a home office.

The three home offices below are small, but have enough space for a desk, a file cabinet or rolling file cart and a twin bed or a double bed. Throughout the years that I’ve been designing and organizing home offices, I’ve learned that size doesn’t matter. A 20’ x 20’ home office is just as functional as a 10’ x 10’ office. It’s all in the way you use the space.

This guest room, complete with a full bath, leaves little room for a desk and file cabinet, but the small closet within the room is large enough to store supplies. With the bed so close to his desk, the owner can always grab a quick nap. Another way to save space in a home office is to do away with a traditional desk, and instead use an “office in a box” for storing equipment and supplies.

If your guest room is going to do double duty, you may want to invest in a day bed, a hideaway bed, or a Murphy bed. This day bed with a trundle below leaves enough room for a desk and a rolling file cart. A dresser opposite the window doubles as clothing storage for guests and office supply storage for the owner.

The double bed in this guest room takes up most of the space, but there’s enough room for a compact desk. The small closet in the room provides extra storage for supplies, product samples and files.

It doesn’t matter whether you use a guest room as a home office or a home office as a guest room. What matters is that you put a rarely-used room to work.

Is there a rarely-used room or space in your home that you’ve turned into a home office?

source: NatalieMaynor

A few days ago, my refrigerator stopped working.

When I opened the refrigerator door, the light turned on but everything felt a little warmer than it should. When I opened the freezer and squished an ice cream sandwich that should have been frozen solid, I knew I didn’t have much time to clear everything out.

While I cleared out my freezer, I tossed a few things I’d had a bit too long. I did the same thing with some of the food from my refrigerator. I was making a clean start (no pun intended).

My forced refrigerator and freezer purging and cleaning made me think about people who struggle to toss papers they don’t need. What if the papers scattered all over your home office were fruit, vegetables, or meat that had an expiration date? You’d be forced to deal with them within days instead of within weeks or months from when they hit your desk.

You may have stacks of papers on your desk that you want to get rid of, but don’t know how. There are a few ways to get started.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here. (I’ve closed comments on this post so you can post a comment on Success Your Way.)

Today I’m excited to announce that after spending way too much time at Starbucks, on planes, and locked in my home office working on Organize Your Home Office for Success, the new and improved 4th edition is now available.

This is the ideal e-book (it’s also available in paperback) for entrepreneurs, home-based corporate employees, telecommuters, and stay-at-home moms and dads who need a space to manage a business or run a busy household.

How it all started

Eighteen years ago, I wrote the first edition of this book because I started getting two types of phone calls: one from business owners who wanted individual home office consultations, and the other from people who wanted suggestions for books they could use to organize their home offices on their own.

When I looked for a home office book to recommend, I couldn’t find one. It didn’t exist. There were plenty of home organizing books, but nothing that focused specifically on home offices and the challenges of working from home.

Sometimes ignorance pays off

After at least a dozen calls from home-based business owners looking for a home office book, the light bulb went off (finally). I realized I needed to be the one who wrote that book. I also knew that I was going to need a literary agent to sell it for me.

A few days later, I read an article about a literary agent who worked from home (and would understand the audience for this book). I sent her my proposal, she agreed to represent me, and within three weeks she had bids from three major publishers. Everything happened so quickly and easily.

When I look back, I realize how naive I had been to think an agent would take an unknown writer’s book and sell it to a publisher. I later found out that publishing doesn’t work that way! I’m glad I didn’t know better because fear of rejection probably would have kept me from approaching the agent.

New and improved

From the time my first book was published until now, the book has been through three revisions. Considering how much technology has affected the way we work from home, along with new challenges that those of us who work from home face, I knew it was time to do one more update, especially since the last update was in 2002.

The goal of this book is to help you organize your home office (of course), but in a way that makes sense and fits your working style. Think of it this way: I could come in, change your office, tell you to come back in, and watch as you struggle to find the papers you need, search for the notes you wrote last week, and try to make sense of your new filing system. That would be a waste of your time and mine, and the bottom line is that your home office wouldn’t stay organized because you wouldn’t have played a part in the organizing process.

When you take the time to organize your home office using proven methods in this book (the same ones I recommend to my clients and audiences), not only will your office get organized…it will stay organized.

Without sounding too infomercial-like, here’s what others are saying:

“Lisa – where have you been all my home-office life? As a ‘not naturally organized’ person who loves working at home, I’ve been ‘surviving’ my workspaces for years! Chapter 3 alone is worth the price of the book. Honestly, this book is the next best thing to having you come over and ‘get me sorted!’ As a coach to thousands of work at home professionals, I will absolutely be recommending this resource to them! I am breathing easier already!”

—Carrie Wilkerson, Author, The Barefoot Executive: The Ultimate Guide for Being Your Own Boss and Achieving Financial Freedom

“Your office is a reflection of you. If it’s a mess, then so are you. Lisa’s no-nonsense approach to decluttering your home office, will in fact declutter your entire business.”

—Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

“Filled with real-life scenarios, tips and strategies, Organize Your Home Office for Success is more than just a book, it’s a complete guide to setting yourself up to achieve work-at-home success. Lisa not only shares the pros of working from home, but she discusses the cons, and offers up solutions to some of the most common challenges that home-based workers encounter. This book is a must-read for all telecommuters and home-based entrepreneurs alike.”

– Holly Reisem Hanna, Publisher of The Work at Home Woman

“I was thrilled to read Lisa Kanarek’s newest edition to Organize Your Home Office for Success: Expert Strategies That Can Work for You, that included a chapter specifically on clearing off your desk. What’s most helpful about the book is that Lisa recognizes that when it comes to organizing, one size does not fit all and she provides a variety of tips and tools so you can use strategies that work best for you. Lisa gives you the information you need to set up a home office designed for productivity and profitability. “

— Leslie Truex, Author of The Work-At-Home Success Bible and Jobs Online: How To Find and Get Hired to a Work-At-Home Job, and Founder of Work At Home Success

Without giving away too much of the book, it definitely has a tidy ending.

Click the link below to order Organize Your Home Office for Success!

Some people think that if you’re creative, you can’t be organized. Watercolor artist Laura Trevey proves them wrong.

Her perfectly organized yet creative art studio/home office includes a custom island designed by Laura, with shelves wide enough to store 26” x 40” watercolor paper. Most of the time the island is in the center of the room, but casters on the bottom of the island make it easy for Laura to move it anywhere.

It isn’t uncommon to create an inspiration board or wall, but one made from pegboard is ingenious. Laura installed a 5 ½’ x 8’ pegboard to showcase her inspiring watercolors, both framed and unframed. The pegboard, painted the same color as her walls, is framed with white trim.

On the wall across from her desk is a row of cabinets that she uses to store supplies. The floors of her art studio/home office are a light wood and are easy to clean, especially in the case of spilled paint.

Next to her Ikea desk, created by using two trestles and a glass, beveled edge top, is a rolling drawer unit that serves double-duty as a printer stand. Above her desk is one of her stunning, original watercolor paintings.

The next time you think creativity and organization don’t mix, consider Laura’s advice, “An organized office is a happy one.”

Have you ever noticed that filing a piece of paper is easy, but finding it later is a bit more challenging? If so, you’re not alone. Several of my clients tell me that they have no trouble tossing papers into files, but waste time trying to find the piece of paper again when they need it.

Does that sound familiar?

There’s always the option of having a completely paperless home office, but that may take time considering old habits are hard to break. Until you’re ready to go paperless, consider these common filing mistakes along with a few simple solutions:

Forgetting where you’ve filed something

Give your files names that you’ll remember by using word association. Whatever word will help you find a piece of paper when you need it is what you should name a file. Considering that you’re probably the only one in your home office handling your files, it doesn’t matter what you name a file. All that matters is whether or not the name will help you find a piece of paper quickly.

Using manila (interior) folders without hanging folders

Label hanging folders with a general category and use interior folders inside as subcategories. Otherwise, when you open a file drawer, you won’t be able to tell the difference between the files. Make sure you clearly label the files and when you have four or more interior folders within a hanging folder, start another hanging folder.

Creating too many categories for papers

Do you ever create a new file and than a few days later find another file with a slightly different name? Maybe you thought you had already created a file for certain papers but when you couldn’t find it, you labeled another file. Having multiple files is incredibly frustrating and a waste of time. Usually that happens when you don’t give your hanging folders and interior folders specific names. The more specific you are when you name your files, the better. Otherwise, you’ll create duplicate files.

Filing papers between hanging folders

When you’re in a hurry and you want to clear your desk or at least reduce the stacks of paper on your desk, it’s easy to misfile something. Hanging folders are invaluable to a good filing system but if you’re not paying attention, you can accidentally file papers between two hanging folders.

Shuffling through interior folders to find recent papers

When you file a piece of paper, put it in the front part of the interior folder instead of dropping it randomly into the back or the middle. You’ll save time flipping through an entire file because the papers you’ll use more often will be easier to find and not buried behind older papers.

Setting up an efficient filing system takes time, but if you label files correctly, use the right filing tools, and make it easy to find the papers you need, you’ll have a filing system that works for you.

What do you do to make your filing system work for you? Or what frustrates you about filing? Share your tips and comments below.

Most of us who are self-employed agree that we’re unemployable. How could we ever take orders from a boss again, after we’ve enjoyed the freedom of being our own boss?

Whether you free yourself from the corporate world by choice, or by your (former) employer’s choice, you need to figure out the best place to set up a home office. The F-R-E-E-D-O-M plan (as in freedom from the corporate world) will get you started on the right track.

F=Find a good place for your home office

My philosophy is that no matter what size home you have, there’s always room for a home office. Try to avoid setting up a home office in your kitchen, because it tends to be a high-traffic area. Your bedroom is also a bad choice since it should be a place to relax and get away from your business.

Instead, find a place that’s not in a high traffic area, but not too isolated. A dining room or a living room is a good option for a home office, especially if it is rarely used.

I have the privilege of being a contributor for Success…Your Way. To read the rest of this blog post, please click here.

Yesterday morning, I woke up drenched in sweat. Sometime during the night, my air conditioner quit working.  I called the same company that fixed it last month, and they moved me ahead on the schedule. (My desperate phone call probably had something to do with it!)

After I dropped off my younger son at football practice, I went straight to a coffee shop around the corner. It had been a while since I had spent time working at a coffee shop. Usually I meet friends and clients for coffee, but this time was different…I needed to work.

There were a few things I figured out about while I sipped my cup of decaf.

Silence is golden

Bring headphones. During the first hour, the place was busy, but not too loud. During my second hour, three guys sat down and apparently their moms never taught them about “inside voices.” I pulled my headphones out of my laptop bag, listened to music on my iPhone, and then kept working.

Power is everything

Sit by an outlet, make sure your laptop is fully charged, or both. Don’t forget to bring an extension cord. Without turning the place into a death trap with a cord that stretches across the entire shop, stay powered up so you don’t have to stop working when you’re on a roll.

Choose your seat wisely 

Sitting behind me was a guy who coughed on and off for an hour. I couldn’t take it anymore, and finally moved. His back was to me so he didn’t see me switch to another table.

Bring all the electronic files you need

If you don’t store documents on the cloud, bring an external hard drive or a flash drive to make sure you’re not missing the documents you need.

I’m sure I’ll work in a coffee shop again, when I’m tired of working in my home office or when I need to take my younger son somewhere too far away to make it home before I need to pick him up. Either way, this time I’ll be prepared.

An additional note: for every hour you’re in a coffee shop or restaurant, buy something. Thanks Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D. for that suggestion.

I’d love to know what you do to stay productive while you’re working from a coffee shop, bookstore or somewhere other than in your home office. Please share your comments below.  

Photo courtesy of Sligh

When I bought my first home office desk several years ago, it fell apart after I moved it three times. I definitely got what I paid for…almost nothing. I replaced it with a desk that cost a bit more, but it was reliable and functional.

As the number of home offices has continued to grow, so has the quality of home office furniture. Finally, there are plenty of home office furniture options available and the days of dealing with cheap, flimsy home office furniture are over.

Whether you’re setting up a home office for the first time, or you’ve decided it’s time to replace your existing furniture, you don’t have to spend a fortune. In fact, you may not have to spend any money at all.

Consider these four options for home office furniture:

High-end furniture

If clients visit your home office often, it makes sense to spend more on furniture. High-end or premium furniture looks expensive because, well, it is. Premium furniture comes in a variety of woods including oak, maple, pine and mahogany. Instead of gluing fronts directly on the drawer, high-end manufacturers use dovetail drawer construction. Other features include a latching keyboard pullout — you can use it instead as a drawer — and high-quality ball bearings.

A good place to find high-end furniture is through commercial furniture dealers. Some premium furniture manufacturers include Sligh, Paoli and Hooker Furniture, and you’ll find other options at Design Within Reach and Desk by Design.

Mid-range furniture

Mid-range furniture offers some of the same benefits of high-end pieces, but is more affordable. The drawers either have dovetail construction, or fronts nailed (rather than glued) to the drawer. They also have nice finishes and even come in a variety of colors. Mid-range furniture uses a combination of wood and MDF (medium density fiberboard).

A few retailers that carry mid-range furniture include Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Ballard Designs and Computer Furniture Direct. One of my favorite manufacturers is Aspen Home.

Economy furniture

Economy furniture, mostly RTA (ready-to-assemble), is designed to function at a low price and often is made from less expensive particleboard, or from MDF that’s rated lower than what’s used on mid-range furniture. On the surface of RTA furniture is laminate, melamine or some other type of veneer that changes the look of the furniture and gives the surface added protection. Sometimes plastic is used on metal glide systems to save money.

RTA lines are available at various office supply superstores and discount stores including Office Depot, Staples, Office Max, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco. Ikea is another good resource.

Inherited furniture

The last category includes home office furniture you’ve inherited from family members, picked up at antique shows, or even found online. This is the type of furniture whose value you can’t judge by how much you paid for it (if you even had to pay for it). A well-made traditional desk your grandma left you in her will, may have sentimental value which makes it even more priceless.

You may want to bite the bullet and buy high-end furniture to impress your clients, or stick to a mid-range budget and create a home office that’s functional and well-designed, just not outrageously expensive. Whatever direction you go, make sure your home office fits your budget and your style.

One last point: make sure your furniture fits through your home office door or up the stairs. If not, it doesn’t matter how nice it is.

(BTW, I don’t get paid to recommend any of the resources in this post. The truth is, I’m a furniture addict and I spend more time researching home office furniture than I care to admit.)

How have you furnished your home office? Share your comments below.

As much as I enjoy working from home — I’m the first person to try to convince anyone to keep his or her overhead low and set up shop at home — I realize that a home office doesn’t work for every business.

At some point, for whatever reason, it may be time for you to move out of your home office. Consider whether any of these reasons for leaving home apply to you.

Lack of room

As your home-based business grows, you’ll probably need more employees (unless you want to use freelancers and virtual assistants instead of an in-house staff). That means you’ll need more space for everyone to work.

Sure, your staff could spread out in the chairs and sofas in your family room and work on their laptops, but that’s not an ideal situation.

One of my clients ran an Internet consulting business with a staff that filled his home office, overflowed into his dining room and took over his family room. His family finally convinced him to rent outside space for himself and his staff.

Need for balance

It’s not easy to balance your personal and business life, especially when they’re in the same place. You may have in-home care, but if your kids don’t understand that you’re home but can’t spend time with them, it may be too much for everyone. (This does not apply to teenagers!)

Too many distractions

Working from home requires discipline, and with several distractions including the television, refrigerator and dirty laundry, being productive and staying focused can be challenging. If you’re having trouble blocking out those distractions, renting outside space may be your best option.

Human interaction

Working from home can be lonely, and not everyone enjoys spending each day alone. Talking on the phone or Skyping with others doesn’t count as having live, human interaction. If you rent outside space — co-working spaces are an affordable option — you won’t be lonely, especially when you’re surrounded by other business owners.

Client visits

Not every home office is conducive to meeting with clients. Ideally, your clients shouldn’t have to walk through your home to get to your home office — they’re not interested in seeing your personal life up close. If you have clients who don’t understand your work-from-home situation, an outside office is a better solution. If needing a place to meet with clients is the only reason you would rent outside space, you have a few options.

Before you make the decision to move out of your home office, carefully weigh your options. You may decide to take the plunge and leave your home office, but keep in mind you can go back home.