Getting stuff done from the comfort of your own home office is a coveted dream for many. For small business owners, this scenario is much more likely, since many of you are already operating your business with the freedom of being your own boss. That said, working from a home office requires significant discipline, planning, and an openness to change in order to maximize productivity. Despite the obvious, some of these home office tips might not be well-known or properly implemented by small business owners to help them take hold of their day. Ready to find out ways to organize your home office? Here’s what you need to know to get your ideal home office set-up going. Create a Filing System Whether it’s a filing cabinet with tabs to categorize your business files or digital folder structures on your desktop, creating a system to track and organize files is essential to maximize productivity. If you can’t find the files you need in a timely manner, how much time are you really wasting? While working from home, take the time to create a system to organize your paperwork based on subject, function, or importance. Productivity Tip: During a less busy time, go through your recent files to see if documents and files are where they should belong. Create an empty File Structure folder as the Master File Structure that you want to use. Your folder structure should, at a minimum, include: A Folder Category Sub-Category Folders See here a folder structure example by Coschedule. Once you’re happy with it, simply copy and paste the folder structure into the location where you plan to work from. From there, you can start saving the files where they belong. This way, all folders moving forward will be completed in the exact structure that you planned for, making items much easier to navigate and find. Eliminate Hardcopy Clutter & Go Digital Running any type of business generally means that paperwork comes with it. The importance of document management cannot be understated. The ability to digitize and store important paperwork—like invoices, receipts, and tax documents—on the cloud gives small business owners options to eliminate hardcopy clutter. Productivity Tip: Opt for online accounting software where you can move these business-critical documents to the cloud for storage. There are numerous free scanning apps available, such as CamScanner, Adobe Scan, and Scanbot that can quickly read and transfer your hardcopy documents to a digital file. From there, small business owners can easily save their documents on their document storage location of choice. For financial documents, TrulySmall Accounting features an easy drag & drop feature to upload and match any receipts and invoices to their respective transaction. Consider Natural Lighting Natural lighting is a key consideration when setting up for productivity within a home office. This may mean moving your desk next to a window to maximize exposure to natural light, or it could simply mean making the effort to take breaks outside. According to a Make Great Light study, there are numerous health benefits to working near natural lighting, including increased productivity, reading ability of your eyes, as well as triggering of critical signals in your endocrine system to help manage sleep, your mood, and your immune system. Productivity Tip: If working next to a window isn’t an option, be sure to schedule a 15-minute break outside throughout your day or simply eat lunch outside. You’ll return to the office feeling refreshed—both mentally and physically. Set the Right Mood Setting yourself up for a productive mood is key to defining your workspace. Ever wondered why your heartbeat races (or slows down) based on the tunes you’re jamming to? Using specific tunes for different types of work can have substantial benefits to your home office productivity. Listening to music while working and studying can also help boost productivity, creativity, and even memory retention. Productivity Tip: Get some high-quality speakers attached to your home office desktop and prepare specific playlists dedicated to the time of day or work task. If you know your early mornings are dedicated to writing, then consider slow-paced, lyric-less songs to keep you fully concentrated. In contrast, you might want to make an up-beat playlist for cleaning out your inbox. Ready to get financially organized in minutes? The average TrulySmall Accounting small business owner only needs up to 5 minutes to sort through an entire year’s worth of transactions! Just set up your bank feed, review your transactions in our smart inbox, and voila! No more manual entry and wasting time. Check out our 14-day free trial to see just how easy it is.
