Work It Out: Home Offices That Let You Get The Job Done (NAPSA)—The average commute in the U.S. now tops 30 miles, but for a growing numberof employees, the office is just steps away. They’ve joined the ranks of professionals working from home, a trend fueled by therising cost of gas. Indeed, CNNMoney.com now reports that 40 percent of U.S. jobs could be done from home offices, while MSNBC says working from home just one day a week could save employees 20 percent on their gas bills. If you plan to start working from home, the following tips could help: Pick A Space—lIt’s important to designate one room as a workspace. Doing so can help you be more productive and also maintain work-life balance. Channel your focus by purchasing a sturdy desk, comfy-enough chair, com- puter and any otheroffice supplies you might need. This is where you'll be working on everything from thank-you notes to homework from the office, so go ahead and makeit your own. * Create An Office—If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, visit an area homecenter for laminate and wire shelving and then plan a weekend to turn that extra reach-in closet into a full-functioning homeoffice. You can also check out products The “PII get to it later” pile can be more accessible than you think with the proper organizational solutions. such as ClosetMaid’s MasterSuite program to help you create an organized workstation for paying bills, looking up recipes or working from home. The custom-designed and professionally installed system includes shelving, desk space and extraordinary solutions to storage dilemmas. Stay In Touch—lIt’s important to stay in contact with your office when working remotely to keep you as productive at home as you were in the workplace. A landline may provide a more dependable connection for all those conferencecalls. Get Tech Savvy—Understanding a few points about computers and Internet connections can help you quickly deal with small technology problems as they arise. After all, when working remotely, the IT department isn’t down the hall. For more information, including an online tool such as the Visual Storage Planner, visit www.ClosetMaid.com or call (800) 874-0008 to find a ClosetMaid Authorized Dealer in your area.
