You have decided to make a break form office life and cut down on commuting and opt to work from home. Now you need to get set up at home office so that you can work from home efficiently. There is so much to consider it can be overwhelming so, follow this guide and you will up and running in no time at all.

Equipment

If you are able to do all your work from home and will not require to take content to external meeting then a desktop computer is going to be best. If you think you may need to travel with your work then get a laptop. Desktops offer a larger screen, better performance and often a little cheaper too.

Printer, for most people you a cheap all in one printer scanner and copier will be sufficient. In fact you may be able to get way with not having one as going paperless is a viable option. This will also enable you to store your spare stationary/ paper etc.

Phone, a dedicated line for your business is a must, unless you want to start annoying the rest of the house. I would suggest using a Skype type set up as this means you can just connect it to your PC, rather getting a dedicated phone box installed.

Internet Connection

Similar to the phone line, in best practice you should really have a separate connection. I would also state that going fibre optic is really useful. Older style broadband can suffer dreadfully from poor connection speeds and if you are trying to download files or use facilities like video conferences then you want to ensure your connection speed is able to cope.

Office furniture

At a basic level you are going to need somewhere to sit and a desk. The size of desk is going to depend on the space available. In an ideal world you want to be able to have enough room for your laptop / desktop computer, a clear space for paperwork, and an area for your printer & phone. So if you have a dedicated room for your office then get your tape measure out and decide the best spot. Ensure you have enough room, and consider the ergonomic benefits of an L-shaped desk.

Office chair, if you are able to then consider something along the lines of an Aeron Chair as these will offer you the full ergonomic package and ensure that you seating in the correct position.

Storage, you will need to keep have storage space, inevitably files will collect that you need to store somewhere. A small set to drawers or bookcase should cover most needs. Also consider how your electronic storage you can either opt for the 'cloud' storage solution or physical hard drive.