You’ve made the transition from the commute each day to an office, to working from home. Instead of office casual, your look is now just casual, and you couldn’t be happier.
Image by markhillary, used under Creative Commons license.
So, what are the essentials that every self-employed worker should have in their home office? There are lots of things that will help you get your business off the ground, from creating a productive space, to anti-virus programs, to the external hard drive.
Here’s a quick guide to help you do just that.
Make Your Office a Place of Productivity, Not Distraction
Millions of people around the globe work from home. The secret is to find a space without distractions. That means a quiet room or corner where you can work without being interrupted.
Switch off the TV, open the curtains, and get into a good, healthy routine before you start your work day, such as having an adequate breakfast followed by a long walk to stay fit and inspire you.
Back Up All Your Work Every Day
For most people, saving their work on their computer’s hard drive is a quick, simple way to protect their work, but if you really want to make sure that you always have a copy of your work, buy an external hard drive.
External hard drives work much the same way as traditional hard drives, except that they can be moved from computer to computer, and have a lot more memory than a traditional USB. Backing up your work ensures that you’re protected should the worse happen to your home computer.
Invest in Protecting Your Data
Your data is your most important asset, especially now that you’re working from home. Protect it at all costs.
Make sure you invest in a reliable anti-virus for your work computer, and any other computers in your home. Viruses and other technological bugs can cause havoc by damaging your computer, and a worker without a computer is no worker at all.
Make sure you update the operating system on your computer when prompted, as this will help protect you from any online threats. Be wary of downloading any attachments from emails that you don’t recognize. Firewalls are also very useful for blocking malicious software, and many anti-virus packages come with them.
Be careful, too, about which websites you visit. Some can be infested with malicious software, so if your anti-virus program warns you about a particular site, don’t visit it.
Working from home is a privilege. Make sure that you make it work for you by investing in protecting your data, assets and other work, and buying an external hard drive to save your work on. These small investments now will pay off later!