If you’re looking into starting a business or working from home, one thing you’ll definitely need is a place in which you can get things done. Unless you’ve magically happened across a calm office space in the back of a long-locked wardrobe, getting that stress-free and productive environment sorted will take a little work. We’ve put together a list of just some of the things you need to consider when creating your perfect working environment.

Office Space

You could be forgiven for thinking you can simply cram a desk into a corner of the living room and be done with it. Whilst this is possible, other people walking through, turning the TV on, listening to music and having conversations nearby will almost definitely prove distracting, and unlikely to aid you in getting your work done. Not to mention that, in most houses, a set-up like this will inevitably put you very close to the kitchen, and the temptation towards stress-snacking is not to be overlooked.

Ideally, then, you need your own distraction-free office. This doesn’t have to be a very large room – though cramped working conditions have been linked with workplace stress, so it won’t do to be sat in a matchbox-sized space amid piles of paperwork and equipment. You need to be able to fit your desk and chair and any equipment you need for working, and still have space to move around in. Many people will be able to set up in a spare bedroom, or even in a corner of their own bedroom.).

If you don’t have a spacious enough room in the house, though, you might consider converting your loft or garage for the purpose. These rooms tend to make exceptional office spaces, being both a good size for working in and usually isolated from the rest of the house.

Unless the conversion is going to significantly alter the character of your house – or your house is going to become primarily a place of work rather than a home – you shouldn’t need planning permission to make such a change (although it’s always worth asking your local planning office if you’re unsure) What’s more, if you’re converting your garage for the purpose of working freelance or running your own company, the cost of the conversion can be offset against the tax on your profits for the year, potentially saving you thousands of pounds.

Power

Having enough power sockets for the equipment you’ll be using may sound obvious – but, particularly in older houses, having sufficient power is by no means guaranteed. When powering the equipment you need, try not to rely too heavily on cheap power adaptors and extension cables – whilst these can be useful for powering an array of small devices such as mobile phone chargers, you should keep important equipment like your computer plugged into a wall socket, if possible. Even better is to use power adapters which include surge protection, which will prevent power irregularities from damaging your equipment.

If power is a critical requirement and you’re worried about losing important data if you should suffer a power cut, it may be worth investing in a small Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). These can be purchased for around £50-100 and as well as providing surge protection, they will provide to power equipment plugged into them for a short time, even if the mains supply is cut. Typically, this will not be a very long period of time, but should be enough to save your work and shut down your computer safely, should the power go out elsewhere.

Lighting

You need your working space to be well-lit, preferably with as much natural light as possible. If you’re in a bedroom this shouldn’t be too difficult, as usually these have relatively good sized windows, but if you’re converting a loft or garage it’s time to think about adding a few well-placed skylights or bay windows.

As well as natural lighting, make sure you have some decent room lighting.

If you you are working from home and likely to use video conferencing software to keep in touch with your work or clients, remember that you need decent lighting for this. Web cameras rarely give an exceptionally high quality picture, and are particularly poor in inadequate lighting, giving a grainy, blurred and often entirely indistinguishable image. If all the light comes from behind your head, you run the risk of becoming a silhouette – but too little light from behind will make you appear ghostly. Even in a well-lit room, it’s often worth placing a free-standing lamp around or behind your computer screen if you want a picture the person on the other end can recognise as human.

Seating

The benefits of a good chair cannot easily be overstated. Poor seating and bad posture over a long period of time will cause or contribute to cramps, backache, repetitive strain injuries, stress and even headaches and nausea, none of which will aid your productivity or increase your business prospects. Invest in a good, cushioned, adjustable chair with lumber support.

And the rest…

As you can see, setting up your home office won’t normally take all that much effort, depending on your line of business. Working from home can have significant advantages, such as being able to set your own business hours, but you need to have a space in which you can be productive and get your work completed. It’s easy to get distracted or to lose motivation from home, particularly if you don’t have an adequate space.

Thankfully, most homes have a spare bedroom or tucked away space, and if not you should definitely consider turning your garage into new office space.

Of course, if all else fails, you could always just head down to the coffee shop every day instead.