How to Set up a Home Office

Tips for Creating an Excellent Home Office

By now you’ve figured out some of the basics for working at home: don’t Zoom in pajamas, put barking dogs in the other room, and keep toddlers away from your laptop.

But beyond that, have you put much thought into setting up your home office, or did you just clear off the kitchen table and go to work? It’s worth the time and effort to do the former.

“Much of the success of your work-from-home endeavors depends on you setting up your home office the right way,” according to this Clio blogpost.

Following are some Clio tips on maximizing your remote workspace.

Stay effective – whether you’re working at home or in your regular office – by being insured with Lawyers Mutual. We’ll do our best to keep you up-to-date, safe and successful during the pandemic. We stand with North Carolina lawyers. It’s what we’ve been doing since 1977.

A threshold question: How adaptable is your practice to a home office? If you do mostly transactions, you might not miss a beat. If you’re a family lawyer, on the other hand, you’ll need to stay connected with your clients by all available means, including telephone, email and video conferencing. 

Here are some top takeaways from the Clio post, written by Melanie Leonard (all quotes are hers, from the article).

• Create a healthy space. “Having a dedicated workspace within your home can help you focus on work while you’re there but feeling like you’re always working can be draining. And, taking care of your mental health and wellness when working from a home office is of the utmost importance. Make sure your lawyer home office has a door that you can close, a curtain that you can pull shut, or a room that you can walk out of when you need your distance from legal work to preserve your sanity.”

• Create a happy space. “Make sure that your home law office is in a place that you enjoy spending time. According to the University of Southern California’s Applied Psychology Department, lighting, decor, and layout can all effect how you feel when you walk into the room and in turn, how productive you’ll be in the room. Are you energized when you walk into your lawyer home office space, or do the piles of dirty laundry in the corner distract you from getting things done?”

• Furnish it wisely. “Don’t save the comfortable chair for the office while you’re tolerating the hand me down chair at home. Buying a second ergonomic chair for your home office will save your back while getting more done. Here are a few recommended options.”

• Make it work for your staff too. “Other team members may not have the same ability to dedicate space within their home to a home office. Or they may not have the same resources at home as they do at your law firm, such as faster Internet speeds and office supplies such as toner, paper, etc. Where possible, consider supplementing these resources for your team. Paying for faster Internet will make your team more productive and still costs less than paying rent for office space.”

• Get the right equipment. “If you’re looking at buying a laptop for your home office for the first time, here are a few options. Computer accessories can make you more productive. Some examples: a good scanner (or scanner app on your phone), a good pair of headphones with a microphone, and identifiable charging cords.”

• Use the cloud. “The more cloud-based software you are using, the easier it will be to share info with your team members from your respective home offices.”

What tips do you have for making your remote office comfortable, efficient and private?

Lawyers Mutual is the only legal professional liability insurance company that has been protecting North Carolina lawyers continuously since 1977. Our motto, “Here Today, Here Tomorrow,” is more than a tagline. It’s our commitment to the lawyers in this state.

Jay Reeves practiced law in North Carolina and South Carolina and is author of The Most Powerful Attorney in the World. He helps lawyers and firms improve their well-being and create a saner, more successful Law Life. He is available for talks, presentations and confidential consultations. Contact jay@yourlawlife.com or 919-619-2441.