Equipping Your Home Office - Part 1

© 2004 Vishal P. Rao

Choosing Home Office Furniture

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.