If you’re planning to work at home, it’s important to prepare yourself and be familiar with some of the requirements of being an independent contractor.
First, decide where your work area is going to be located. I have toyed with the idea of setting up my “office” in my bedroom, but I decided against that because it can be very difficult for me to separate work life from home life, and my bedroom is the one place where I’m definitely NOT working. If you’re short on space, you may be limited in your choices, but try to locate your work area so that you aren’t constantly going to be distracted and interrupted by the other activities going on around you. You may want to invest in a jack for your telephone and internet.
Basic equipment of course includes your desk, computer, monitor, and printer, but you also may want to get a headset for your phone. The headset for my phone was probably the single best thing I got for my work–I was doing a telecommute job that required a lot of meetings, and it saved my neck!
A comfortable office chair is a must if you’re going to be spending a lot of time in it. You might want to get a scanner–if you’re doing contract work for a company, you may have to fill out forms and email them back. A fax isn’t necessary–if you have one, that’s great, but if you don’t, you can use one of the online services, or use a program on your computer, if you can run a phone line through it.
You should evaluate your internet connection, and if it tends to be sketchy, you may want to consider switching services or getting inexpensive dial-up as a backup. Decide where you want to keep papers–I have a small file cabinet on wheels that does double-duty for both personal and work paperwork.
If things are very cluttered and disorganized, it would probably be a good investment of time to get everything straightened out before you get started. Although you may feel under a great deal of pressure to get some money coming in, especially if you’re looking for work at home opportunities due to a job loss, the time you spend getting set up now will save you many headaches later. I’ve listed Julie Morgenstern’s “Organizing From the Inside Out” because it’s the first organizing book that ever actually got me organized. You can purchase it through this site, or see if you can get a copy from your local library.
Current home workers: What other things do you recommend?