Five Ways To Turn Your Extra Space Into A Home Office
Whether you’ve been working from home for years, or you’ve decided to use your free time out of the office to earn extra income, turning your extra space into a home office could substantially improve your productivity. After all, just because you want to work from home, doesn’t mean you need to subject yourself to an environment that inhibits your productivity.
Instead of dashing away to a co-working space, here are five tips every accountant should know about turning your spare space into a home office.
- Pick the right location
If you’re going to work from home, being in the right place is the first step in creating your home office. If you’re a renter, keep in mind that you can deduct $5 per square foot of your home office, up to 300 square feet, for a maximum deduction of $1,500. If there will be nobody else at home while you’re working, park yourself wherever you feel you’ll be most productive. That means it’ll be likely that you shouldn’t place yourself near your TV or any other common distractions that could get in the way of completing your work.
If you’re not alone, find some space you can call your own, ideally one with a door and access to natural sunlight. The latter can boost your mood and productivity while the former is nice to keep yourself secure from unwanted distractions.
- Get a desk, cabinets, and a comfortable chair
Once you have your space figured out, it’s time to start building the foundation for your home office. If you want a more formal place to work, it might be a good idea to visit your local IKEA or office supply store to get the necessary ingredients for your home office; that is a desk, chair, and some cabinets to store your files. The goal here is to have something that makes your environment look and feel professional so that when you bring clients into your office, it serves as a reflection of yourself and your work as a tax professional.
When you’re picking a chair, be mindful of the fact that you’ll likely be sitting in it for hours. Form over function is not the ideal tradeoff in this situation, as you’ll want something that you can make sure your back will be comfortable with for hours on end. When you’re shopping, take your time to test out each chair available to pick the right one for you.
- Upgrade your internet
Take a look at your internet router and modem. Is it covered in cobwebs? Do you remember the last time you bought a new one? Is it fast and is your connection reliable? It might be time to consider an upgrade in this department. Having a fast, reliable connection to the internet is absolutely essential for running your accounting business from home. After all, this is the way you’ll stay connected to your work online. Netgear makes superb modem/router combinations that won’t burn through your wallet.
- Make sure you have the right computer
Just like with your internet connection, it’s time to make sure your computer is modern. You don’t need the fastest or best-performing desktop to run your accounting business from home successfully, but you do need to make sure you have something that can stay up to speed with your demands. In fact, a laptop may be all you need, particularly because of how easy it is to take it with you if you need to leave your office but still get work done.
When purchasing laptops for accountants, there are a few specifications that you should always check for. The most significant specifications to consider are listed below.
- CPU
One of the most significant components of a laptop is the CPU. It indicates the brainpower of your gadget and dictates how quickly it can execute tasks.
You'll want to acquire an accountancy-specific model with enough processing capacity so you don't experience any slowdowns while dealing with accounting software or crunching numbers in general.
- RAM
Memory capacity is another critical factor for accountants since more RAM means programs will launch faster and perform more smoothly without stalling in the middle of a task.
Look at DDR speed (DDR stands for "double data rate") while deciding what type of memory to buy for accountants.which denotes the clock speed at which DRAM operates on each pin - Higher numbers are preferable in this case.
- Storage
Accountants require a considerable amount of storage capacity to retain all of their information, hence a laptop with a large hard drive is required.
You should also opt for an SSD (solid-state drive) rather than a standard HDD (hard disk drive). An SSD can provide substantially quicker loading speeds for your programs and data, which might be useful while working under tight deadlines.
- Operating System
Windows or Mac as an operating system? When looking for a new laptop, many accountants ask themselves this question.
While certain accounting software packages are only available on one platform or another, the majority of accounting software products are available on all platforms. If you're undecided about what system to choose, it might be helpful to go with the one that most of your accountancy software is available on.
- Get a nice coffee maker
There will be moments when you find yourself waking up earlier than usual and working late into the night. To manage that, a nice coffee maker makes all the difference. After all, you need to stay awake and alert to make sure all the work you’re completing is up to your standards. Don’t make your situation more difficult than it needs to be. Getting a good coffee maker can help you push through any walls and increase your ability to remain productive all day and night.
How can Taxfyle help
Getting an accounting business off the ground is difficult. If you’re considering working from home, but don’t know where to start, look to Taxfyle. We connect talented accounting professionals like yourself with individuals, small businesses, and firms looking for help with their tax work. Whether it’s the busy season or not, there will always be opportunities for you to make money as a freelance accountant. Starting is easy.
