It is Nice to Share: Making Room for Two in Your Home Office

Community Manager — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:12:00 GMT

Millions of people in the U.S. work from home at least part time (check out some interesting work-at-home statistics here). Many making the in-home commute from one room to another do not make it alone. They are part of a growing population of home office co-workers.

Sharing Your Home Office Space

If you are thinking of creating a home office for two, you and your work-mate-to-be should consider the important questions posed in this article on home office life:

Do you have compatible working styles?
Are your internal clocks in sync?
Do you have the same tolerance for noise (or silence)?

Beyond addressing these basic questions, you have to be realistic about your physical space. A Helium article on sharing office space points up the importance of having separate desks that you can position "side by side, on opposite ends of the room or even back to back so you face your office partner over your computer." It also recommends that you maintain separate filing systems if you and your office mate are not in the same business or have distinct roles in a shared venture. Keeping your shared space clean and clutter-free is also a priority.

When you are ready to tackle your new set up, you can use these home office visualizing and planning tools. You can also gain some design inspiration from this HGTV article library and this take on 12 ways to pimp your office.

As important as it is to tend to your physical environment, according to this WebWorkerDaily post on A Home Office for Two, you also need to take care of your separate and joined psychic space by:

Being clear about your desires and expectations
Keeping the other informed if something is bugging you
Ensuring that you are both prepared to try new approaches and be flexible.

Do you share a home office? If so, we invite you to tell us about your experiences making room for two.

by Carly Fadako

Beyond Folders : workplace organization, sharing

It is Nice to Share: Making Room for Two in Your Home Office