Telecommuting offers the at-home worker many benefits – less traffic, lower gas costs, longer work days. Even if your home office’s main function is allowing you to surf the Web and pay bills, it’s important to maximize its potential through good design and most importantly, organization. Here are some ideas, some requiring a bit of home renovation and others do it yourself, that can help you get the most of out of your home office.

• Built – ins are a great way for homeowners to conceal the papery mess of a home office when it isn’t in use. Some people are comfortable simply sliding a desk and computer into a closet, but others prefer more space. Small room additions or expanded walk – ins make great locations for home offices, and they can be closed off easily from the rest of the house.
• Filing is an important part of keeping obligations in order. Add inexpensive casters to filing cabinets to make your storage system mobile. Or consider a custom built wall unit that utilizes racks, cabinets and drawers to keep everything in order.
• Saving space is helpful in both large and small home offices. Get a shredder to avoid the piling up of paid bills and confidential papers. Designate an area where you’ll keep your printer hub, shredder, fax machine and modem. If possible, put them on a raised piece of furniture that has drawers or shelves for additional storage.
• Cords, cords and cords – the annoying mass that tangles around your feet while you work. Connect a basket or cup hooks to the underside of your desk, making sure not to attach them to a drawer bottom. Then you can run the individual cords through them using labels or masking tape to designate which cord belongs to which machine.
• Lighting in an important design aspect of any room, but it’s especially important in offices where you’ll be staring at a screen or working with fine print. Natural light is best. Have a reputable contractor install large bay windows or skylights.
• Use the walls in your home office. Turn walls into pegboards, magnetic surfaces or chalk boards. You can then hang cups and bins for storage of small office items, write out your schedule, put important reminders in plain view or jot down phone messages.
• Cellular devices are the modern worker’s go to for everything from the calendar to calling the babysitter. Consider purchasing a valet – a simple box that has outlets on the inside where you can store, recharge and hide away your phone, iPod, Blackberry and all the cords. Stainless steel bread boxes, small baskets with lids or a designated drawer in your desk can serve the same purpose, sans the nifty outlets.

Whether your home office is a nook in the extra bedroom or a full, functional home addition, you want to be sure it’s designed around the way your work, that you’re comfortable, the space is well lit and you always know where things are.