Your home office - Virtual Assistant Forums

vainparadise · #1 (**permalink**) 03-29-2008

How organized is it? Do you have any issues with it that you would like to share? Lets put our heads together and organize our offices!!

VBP · #2 (**permalink**) 03-29-2008

I used our spare bedroom as my office. It has a wall of closets so it is VERY nice to have all that space. One side has my work supplies and the other side is home to our personal files etc. I am in the process of getting a new file cabinet (from my sister=free!) which will help me with my active files. I also have a dresser in here (it looks more like a credenza) that houses my office supplies. On the other wall I have a rectangular table that I keep my daily files on. I love it in here actually!

Okay for ideas on organization, I would recommend keeping your active files at your finger tips. I used to be so anal about filing everything in a drawer that I got sick and tired of opening and closing all day. I have an active client set of files and then an active business set of files, which are files relating to marketing etc. It's way more efficient for me!

SpriteAbby · #3 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

This is a hot-button issue for me. I have a really lovely adjoining "den" to our master bedroom that I use solely as my office (we are fortunate to have another spare room for my husband's home office/ guest room).

For me, I prefer only my laptop, note pad, pen and cell phone to occupy the desk. However, I find myself cleaning back to this point at least twice a week as my son (AKA: the destructor) runs around like a crazy/dancing/giggling kiddo! The destruction does not even occur during business hours, it occurs when both my husband and I are getting dressed in the morning or checking/responding to email after dinner (there is no door to the den).

I am one of those people that needs complete silence and order to work. In fact, I remember hanging out in the most secluded part of the library at college for all of my studying.

For a recommendation? I recommend clearing off your desk and preparing notes for the next day; prior to signing off for the day. I think I might try that again....

Tess · #4 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

I don't have a home office, although we have the space for it I prefer to just sit with my laptop in the middle of the main room of the house near the glass door to the backyard...I don't have anything else, actually we are literally and completely paperless and virtual....my laptop is my office. And I keep it very well organized

(it's the ONE thing I actually do clean up on a regular basis)

tildavirtual · #5 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

This is my office.

I've since purchased another desk and put it beside mine underneath the window and that's where my two printers now sit. I also have a whiteboard and credenze housing my stationery stash.

Bette C · #6 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

Kylie,

Thanks for showing us your office. I do office organization for others and yet I'm never quite happy with mine. It's definately a work in progress.

Gems Virtual Office · #7 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

Mine at the moment is a corner in my bedroom until we get my daughter moved upstairs. Then I'll have her room which has one wall of build-in bookcases and a nice walk in closet. I'm patiently waiting

Tess · #8 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

Kylie, I love that post about and pic of your office (and how funny that you refer to your husband/biz partner as Code Monkey

As you know, mine is Codehead!)

I take it back that my 'office' is nothing more than my laptop, we do have a huge whiteboard - crucial to planning and development!

White Rose · #9 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

I have a large "office built-in" cabniet in a corner of my bedroom. You open the cabniet doors and you'd see a top table for printer, and underneath that is for my computer. Lots of shelves. On bottom of the cabniet I have a filing drawer and a pull out table to write on.

It's so nice to have, you can just close the doors and hide your mess

But the problem is - I don't like to be "cornered" so I always work in my living room where there's plenty of openess, air, light and warmth coming from my large windows.

All paperwork I have are basically on the computer.

vainparadise · #10 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

Kylie I love your office! When we had our construction company we had a similar set-up in a spare room. We have downsized considerably since moving to FL. We went from a 5 BR to a 3BR and about 1500 SF less. I sacraficed it all for my sun and warm year round weather

I have a desk next to my bed in my bedroom that houses my printer, stapler, paperclips, pens and a 3 tier letter tray. The top tray is labled to Read, 2nd is to Action Required and the 3rd is to File.

My laptop is usually all I use during the course of the workday though. I bring it all over the house, in the car everywhere. I work a lot outside in my lanai too. I have a filebox that I use that has a compartment for general supplies with hanging folders that I bring with me if I do need something.

tildavirtual · #11 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

When deciding the floor plan for our current house I tried to tell my code monkey that I would be happy with the spare room for an office. He put his foot down which is highly unusual, he's the type to go with the flow, lets me make the majority of the decisions... Personally, I couldn't see the sense in having a guest bedroom that would cost us $10,000AUD to build and then have empty. Halfway through construction we found out we were preggars with Tilly and he likes to remind me that he was right after all so my office is custom built, off the kitchen and in the middle of both living areas so I can hear the kids regardless of where they are. We actually have over 300 meters of cabling in the house from Lincoln networking everything together.

D_Victoria_Virtual_Assistance · #12 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

Kylie your office is great!

My office has been a work in progress since September. It started as a little desk on my sun porch between my laundry area and my sewing area. In January I rearranged and I now have a nice corner office in the farthest area of my sun porch. I blocked off my area from the rest of the porch utilizing a book case. I have a desk, the full book case, another book shelf, two shelves on the wall that house my office supplies, a table with my printer/fax/copier and a file cabinet. My sun porch has four large sliding windows and is glorious to be in during the Spring/Summer months. It is great to have my own little area away from the rest of the house in which I can focus on my work. Of course, when I want to work near my family (usually when I am re-designing my website), I sit on the couch with my laptop (as I am doing now) and work away.

virtual writing · #13 (**permalink**) 03-30-2008

I'm all excited cuz I recently ordered a new desk chair to replace the lovely but oh-so-uncomfortable antique I've been using. When it arrives, my sunny little office will be the perfect productive place. Feel so lucky to have it ... for me, environment is key.

My Office Zilla · #14 (**permalink**) 03-31-2008

Originally Posted by tildavirtual

This is my office.

Tee Hee! The fence is the kicker! I think 2 or 3 nice hanging baskets over flowing with flowers and greenery mounted on that wooden fence would be a nice touch! My office window view isn't a fence by isn't much better...right now it is a cluster of dead trees on our neighbor's property!

Every time I look out I remind myself NOT to complain...I could be window-less which would be much worse! Got to love that natural light!