Renting a small office either in town or near your home can be a great way of keeping your work and home life separate. It’s also quite fun putting together your own office. Somehow it feels very satisfying knowing you have your own personal office for your business. Here’s a look at the benefits and drawbacks, as well as some tips for working in an office:
Benefits:
• Looks and feels professional
Where working at home can look and feel very unprofessional, an office has the opposite effect. Having clients come to visit is not a problem and you will most definitely enjoy saying things like ‘my offices are located at ...’, ‘step into my office’ and ‘drop by my office tomorrow’.
• Separates home and work
Having your work take place outside your home goes a long way to keeping life and work separate. As a
business owner you will find work still has a way of worming itself into your thoughts more often than an employee, but at least when it does there won’t be a computer a few steps away from you.
• Forces you to switch off and go home
Strange as it sounds, the act of going home can be a good period to switch off from work. Whether you are walking, driving or commuting back, having a little time to debrief yourself isn’t always a bad thing.
Drawbacks
• Expensive
If you are just starting out, the added cost of office rent can be crippling. Unless you have plenty of cash reserves in the bank, moving to an office is probably a step to take after you’ve been working for a few months.
• Might bring back memories
Plenty of people become freelancers to escape the office, not to create a new one. If this is you, enjoy working from home before you hurry to recreate your past.
• You have to commute back and forth
Again if you are trying to escape commutes, then having an office you have to travel to could just be more of the same.
Tips:
• Start small
Tempting as it is to rent a giant workspace and deck out your new office in style, you should start small. Over time you’ll have a chance to build up a slick workplace and take the cost in small lumps instead of one big hit. And if your budget allows it you can always move up to a bigger office later.
• Get somewhere nice and light
Cheap offices can be like prison cells. Avoid a neon lit office with no windows at all costs. You want to be a freelancer to make your life better, not worse.
• Get a place nearby
Most built-up areas have offices for rent so you don’t necessarily need to rent a space right in the heart of the city. Rent somewhere close to your home so you can minimize the commute.
Elsewhere
Although at first glance it appears that your choice of workspace is limited to home or office, there are alternatives. Using a public library is a particularly good option as the quiet, the facilities, the internet access and the general hum of the place are all great for working and saving on office rent and ISP bills.Other options include coffee shops or working outdoors. You will require a laptop to make use of these different locations, but if you have one it can be well worth it to experiment, especially if you are finding yourself spending too much time at home.
Benefits:
• Looks and feels professional
Where working at home can look and feel very unprofessional, an office has the opposite effect. Having clients come to visit is not a problem and you will most definitely enjoy saying things like ‘my offices are located at ...’, ‘step into my office’ and ‘drop by my office tomorrow’.
• Separates home and work
Having your work take place outside your home goes a long way to keeping life and work separate. As a
business owner you will find work still has a way of worming itself into your thoughts more often than an employee, but at least when it does there won’t be a computer a few steps away from you.
• Forces you to switch off and go home
Strange as it sounds, the act of going home can be a good period to switch off from work. Whether you are walking, driving or commuting back, having a little time to debrief yourself isn’t always a bad thing.
Drawbacks
• Expensive
If you are just starting out, the added cost of office rent can be crippling. Unless you have plenty of cash reserves in the bank, moving to an office is probably a step to take after you’ve been working for a few months.
• Might bring back memories
Plenty of people become freelancers to escape the office, not to create a new one. If this is you, enjoy working from home before you hurry to recreate your past.
• You have to commute back and forth
Again if you are trying to escape commutes, then having an office you have to travel to could just be more of the same.
Tips:
• Start small
Tempting as it is to rent a giant workspace and deck out your new office in style, you should start small. Over time you’ll have a chance to build up a slick workplace and take the cost in small lumps instead of one big hit. And if your budget allows it you can always move up to a bigger office later.
• Get somewhere nice and light
Cheap offices can be like prison cells. Avoid a neon lit office with no windows at all costs. You want to be a freelancer to make your life better, not worse.
• Get a place nearby
Most built-up areas have offices for rent so you don’t necessarily need to rent a space right in the heart of the city. Rent somewhere close to your home so you can minimize the commute.
Elsewhere
Although at first glance it appears that your choice of workspace is limited to home or office, there are alternatives. Using a public library is a particularly good option as the quiet, the facilities, the internet access and the general hum of the place are all great for working and saving on office rent and ISP bills.Other options include coffee shops or working outdoors. You will require a laptop to make use of these different locations, but if you have one it can be well worth it to experiment, especially if you are finding yourself spending too much time at home.
