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A
CHILDPROOF AND WORKABLE HOME OFFICE
by
Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
If
you have young children, then deciding how to design your home office has
probably given you a headache. There have been times of chaos in my own
home when my young children have ripped up or colored on important papers,
stuck objects into disk drives, and jammed the printers with toys. With
this under my belt, I can give you some good advice on how to prevent this
happening in your home office.
First
of all, if you have young kids, separating work from family is going to
be nearly impossible. In addition, you are going to need to be very innovative
at times in order to get any work done. When designing your home office,
envision what layout would work best for you when you are working and taking
care of the kids at the same time.
LAYOUT
SUGGESTIONS
1. Locate
Office Near Kitchen - If your kids are anything like mine, locating
your office near the kitchen is essential. My kids are always thirsty and
it makes them happy to get a full sippy cup. My first office was located
on the second floor, and was quickly moved downstairs for this reason.
2.
Buy
a Cheap TV / VCR - In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with
letting your children watch TV, especially if you have to finish your work.
We bought a very cheap TV and VCR ($200) and placed it in my office. When
the kids have become bored of all of their toys, I pop in their favorite
tape.
3.
Small
Table / Desk - A good idea is to find a small table or desk for your
children. You can give them a toy phone, paper, pencils, a Rolodex, folders,
and other office materials so that they can pretend to be you. In addition,
they will love it if you ask them to help you with your work.
4.
Bookshelf
or Drawer - Fill a bookshelf or drawer with toys or knickknacks that
the kids can play with. You should change these toys weekly so they won't
get bored of these playthings.
5.
Old
Keyboard - If you have an old keyboard lying around somewhere, by all
means give it to your children. Kids love to imitate their parents.
CHILDPROOFING
About
2 million kids are injured or killed in their own homes every year by hazards.
This is why childproofing your home and office is so important. Here are
some important childproofing suggestions to follow:
1.
Doorstops
- Use door stops to prevent your kids' fingers and hands from being pinched
or crushed in your office door.
2.
Window
Blinds - I am sure that you have heard of all of the injuries and deaths
caused by blinds and cords. For this reason, make sure that your blinds
are safe. On older miniblinds cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and
put safety tassels on the cord. Make sure that this cord remains tight,
if not, you will need new blinds.
3.
Outlet
Covers - Purchase outlet protectors for all of your free electrical
sockets. Make sure that they aren't easily removed or they might become
a choking hazard.
4.
Safety
Locks - If you have drawers in your office that contain dangerous items,
you should invest in safety locks. Safety locks can prevent poisoning,
choking, and other injuries.
5.
Safety
Gates - Use safety gates wherever you foresee danger for your kids.
I use safety gates everywhere, including my home office. I put a gate from
my desk to the wall to prevent the kids from touching the computer equipment.
It works great.
6.
Corner
Cushions - If there are sharp corners on any furniture in your office,
invest in corner cushions to prevent injuries from falls.
7.
Tie
up Cords - Tie up and hide electronic cords. Try running the cords
under rugs or behind furniture.
8.
Surge
Protector Covers - I have two surge protectors in my office. I invested
in covers for them so the kids cannot play with them.
9.
Put
Away Small Items - Keep staples, paper clips, rubber bands, and other
small items away from the reach of your children.
As
a work at home parent you will need to make many adjustments in your life,
this includes your home office. You home office will grow as your children
do. Moving things around and adding new features will probably be something
you do regularly to keep your kids and work life balanced. Remember to
always keep safety guidelines in check and enjoy working at home with your
kids.
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Equipping
Your Home Office - Part 1
by: Vishal P. Rao
Having an adequately equipped home
office is essential to being productive. It is not necessary that everything
be brand new, nor is it necessary that you spend a lot of money. What is
important is that you select your items carefully and that they are functional
and safe for use in a home office environment.
Check your telephone directory for
used office furniture stores. Many time you can find very nice furniture
available at a fraction of the cost. Don't forget to also check the resale
store and thrift shops in your area, as well as the local classified ads.
1. The Desk
Bigger is better when it comes to
desks. Try to choose one that has lots of room for your computer monitor,
keyboard, telephone, and space to spread out paperwork and anything else
that you may be working on at the moment. Pick a desk that has adequate
drawer space and a file drawer for short-term filing of active projects.
If you choose a desk that has a built-in
keyboard support shelf, make sure that the shelf it wide enough to hold
your keyboard and still have plenty of room to let you perform natural
mouse moment. Some of the new keyboard designs, such as the Microsoft "Natural",
are wider than standard keyboards.
2. The Chair
Proper back and neck support is essential
when you spend all day sitting down. Buy the best chair that you can afford.
Your chair must have solid upper and lower (or lumbar) back support. A
flimsy backrest puts stress on your spine while you're seated and causes
back pain. Look for a chair where the lower portion of a backrest is slightly
curved to follow the natural contour of your spine.
You chair's seat seat should feel
comfortable when you initially sit down, and should remain that way after
you've been seated for a significant period of time. If the seat becomes
uncomfortable then the foam padding may not be a high enough density, or
the contouring may not be right for your body.
Make sure you have plenty of room
around your hips and thighs. You should have at least one inch of space
on either side of your body. It is also important that your chair's seat
properly supports your thighs without the edge of the seat coming in contact
with the back of your legs while you are sitting.
3. File Cabinets
To keep your home office organized,
and avoid clutter, you are going to need filing cabinets. There essentially
two different files cabinets that are perfect for a home office. Here is
a quick summary:
a) Vertical file cabinets
This is the most common file cabinet.
Vertical cabinets are taller than they are wide so that they use a minimum
amount of wall space. They have anywhere from two to five drawers and are
the right size to hold hold letter and legal-size documents. They come
in a variety of colors and gauges of steel. If you can afford to buy one
that is fireproof, so much the better.
b) Lateral file cabinets
Lateral cabinets are wider than vertical
cabinets, but not as deep, and are designed for high-volume storage capacity.
They have anywhere from two to five drawers and can hold letter or legal-size
documents. Files are either placed in the cabinet from left to right, facing
the side of the drawer, or are arranged from front to back in multiple
rows.
Many two-drawer lateral models are
designed to fit underneath work surfaces and tables for additional storage
and are often paired with a desk to increase horizontal space. Again, if
you find one that is fireproof, and you can afford it, snap it up.
4. Bookshelves
Bookshelves should be made of wood
or metal. Avoid the fiberboard ones since they are flimsy and do not stand
up to repeated usage. Like file cabinets, bookshelves come in vertical
and lateral. Avoid vertical ones that stand too tall. There is a chance
of them becoming top-heavy and falling over. Pay particular attention to
this warning if you live in an earthquake area or if you have small children
which may delight in climbing to the top of your bookcase.
5. Work Tables
Worktables are great for spreading
out large projects that your desk is not big enough to accommodate. If
you have enough home office space for a permanent work table, that's great.
Otherwise consider buying a folding table that you can take out when you
need it and store away when you do not.
6. Storage
Closets, garages, attics and crawl
spaces make great places to store completed projects and home office paperwork
if the space is not damp or subject to high humidity. If storage is a real
problem then you might need to consider renting an off-premise storage
locker.
Think of your office furniture as
the foundation of your productivity center. It is likely that you will
have to live with your decisions for some time. Choose wisely. Your personal
comfort, and ability to remain organized, depend upon it. If you outgrow
your furniture later, or simply make enough money that you want to "kick
it up a notch", your investment will pay off because you will likely be
able to get a great deal of your money back when you sell your old office
furniture to make room for the new.
© Vishal P. Rao
About The Author
Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home
Based Business Opportunities - A web site dedicated to opportunities, ideas
and resources to help you start and run a home based business. Visit his
site at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
-
-
Equipping
Your Home Office - Part 2
by: Vishal P. Rao
In Part 1 of this article we discussed
how to select office furnishings and why making the right choices were
crucial to your comfort and ability to remain organized. In Part 2 we will
take a look at your basic home office equipment needs.
1. Computers
The type of computer that's best
for you depends upon the type of work that you do, and whether you spend
all of your time in your home office, or go out on the road to meet clients.
While there are a seemingly endless choice of makes and models, there are
essentially only three basic choices.
For most home office situations,
the desktop computer reigns supreme. However, if you are on the road a
lot then you can find notebook computers with nearly the same horsepower
as the best desktop. If you do choose a notebook, the consider one that
has an available docking station. That way, when you are in your home office,
you can easily use a standard keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
Even if you have a desktop or notebook,
you might have room in your life for a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
PDAs, such as those from Palm Computing, can be a very valuable personal
productivity tool especially if you need real-time access to your appointments,
to-do lists, and phone numbers. With the growing popularity of wireless
Internet access you can even use your PDA to connect to your home office
computer no matter where you are.
2. Printers
Your first decision is what type
of technology to go with --laser or ink jet. Laser printers use a toner
cartridge/drum assembly while ink jets accept ink tank cartridges. Lasers
are generally better for high-volume printing and have higher duty cycles--the
manufacturer's rating for the unit's recommended monthly workload. Lasers
also produce better-quality black text than most ink jets, though some
ink-jet models rival low-end lasers.
Lasers are also faster than ink jets,
but ink jets offer a lower cost model if you need to print in color. Color
laser printers are still very expensive. Since the prices for laser and
ink jets are so low, you could consider buying one of each.
Another important item to consider
is resolution. A printer's resolution determines the overall print quality
of your documents. Resolution means the number of dots per inch that appear
on the page as a horizontal and vertical measurement such as 600 x 600
dots-per-inch or dpi. A 600 x 600 dpi resolution produces adequate quality
for most projects.
Your final deciding factor is speed.
While printers rarely perform up to the manufacturer's claims, you should
still use the printer's posted performance specifications as a guideline.
An acceptable speed for personal laser printers is around 6 to 10 pages
per minute. An acceptable range for ink jet printers is 4 ppm or above.
There are printers that do double,
triple, or even quadruple duty as a fax, copier, and scanner as well. You
should consider buying one of these models if you have a need for all of
this equipment.
3. Internet access
Today you have a wide choice of Internet
access protocols. If you access the Internet only to check your email,
and browse the web a bit, then you might be able to get by with an inexpensive
dial-up account. This type of access generally runs around $9.95 per month
and up.
If constant, high-speed Internet
access is a requirement for your home office business, then you need to
step up to either Digital subscriber lines (DSL), or a cable modem. Both
provide sufficient speed for any type of business that you are likely to
run out of a home office.
DSL utilizes unused bandwidth on
your existing telephone lines to provide a constant connection, while cable
modems use your existing cable television network. DSL may not be available
in your area. It depends upon your telephone company's technology and how
far you are from a DSL access point.
Cable, on the other hand, is available
in all but the most remote markets. Still, if you can't get either, then
there is always the possibility of a satellite uplink. While this was considered
extravagant only a few years ago, it's affordable and no more trouble than
installing a small dish antenna on your home and signing up for the service.
4. Telephones
No matter how high-tech your home
office is, the telephone is still the most basic and essential of your
business tools. Available features are at an all-time high and prices are
at an all time low. Almost any home office phone on the market comes equipped
with programmable speed-dial numbers, multiple-line capability, speakerphone
operation, conference call capability, and headset jacks. In addition,
your local phone company offers a wide array of add-on services such as
called id, voice mail, flat-rate long distance and more.
If your work keeps you up and around
your home office, or if you like to take business calls while out on your
patio or while walking around your home, then a cordless phone is a joy
to have. There are so many makes and models to choose from that it almost
seems like you need a consultant to help you make the right choice. It's
not really that hard. Just keep the following in mind:
a) Choose the right technology
Avoid analog phones at all costs.
Analog phones are susceptible to interference from other devices and range
is very limited. Also, analog phones permit eavesdropping through baby
monitors and other cordless phones.
Digital phones have greater range
than analog phones plus they offer better call privacy through the use
of random codes that scramble communications between handset and base unit.
Digital Spread Spectrum (DSS) is
the best of breed for right now. The Spread Spectrum technology uses multiple
channels and frequency hopping to thoroughly scramble communicate between
the handset and base unit. You also get increased range due to decreased
electrical interference, plus DSS phones are permitted to use more powerful
transmitters.
b) Frequency
The range of your cordless phone
also depends upon its assigned radio frequency. Most home office phones
fall into three frequencies.
900 MHz: This is by far the worst
choice. This frequency is crowded with devices such as baby monitors, pagers,
and cell phones, and is subject to maximum interference. A 900-MHz phone
has a range of around 1,500 feet and prices start at $20.
2.4 GHz: While once the best choice
available, the 2.4-GHz spectrum is overrun with wireless networking, microwaves,
and other devices. A 2.4-GHz phone has a range of 2,200 feet and pricing
starts around $50.
5.8 GHz: This is the latest unlicensed
spectrum available for wireless devices. Very few devices operate in this
spectrum so there is a marked reduction in interference. A 5.8-GHz phone
also boasts a range of around 2,200 feet and start at about $150.
c) Other considerations
Make sure that any phone you select
has a headset jack, and then invest in a headset. There is nothing worse
than cradling your phone on your shoulder while you consult your files
or try to type something on your keyboard. A headset frees both hands while
you talk.
Don't forget to take a look at your
potential phone's battery life as well. Most cordless phones offer at least
four hours of talk time and seven days of standby. Make sure that your
phone uses replaceable battery packs, and that the battery packs are widely
available.
One last thought. Cordless phones
are useless without power, so always keep a regular corded phone handy
for blackout emergencies.
In Summary
There is a lot more to equipping
an efficient home office than first meets the eye. Hopefully this two-part
series gets you going in the right direction. Chances are everything that
you buy for your home office is tax deductible. Check with your accountant
to be sure.
© Vishal P. Rao
About The Author
Vishal P. Rao is the editor of Home
Based Business Opportunities - A web site dedicated to opportunities, ideas
and resources to help you start and run a home based business. Visit his
site at: http://www.home-based-business-opportunities.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
