We talk about productivity a lot here on Home Office Warrior. In fact, you will notice we have an entire category devoted to the very topic. And Kris is doing an outstanding job by providing some awesome post. Lord knows I need to listen to and read everything she talks about in my own home office.
What I want to talk about in this post may not be your typical GTD productivity tip or hint. However, I do think some of those working from a home office are truly missing a major part of being productive. You can have and use all of the best and greatest planners and graphs you can find. But if you are skimping on the actual tools in your home office you are not going to be productive.
The very first thing you have to have is good reliable technology in your office. Don’t skimp on your computer. Spend some money on this very important tool as it is without a doubt one of the most important ones you will use every single day. The excuses I hear are usually the same. “I can’t afford to get what I want.” “Oh, the one I have will get me by.” “This one works OK.” And on and on and on.
How productive can you really be if you are spending more time fighting a slow and sluggish computer? How productive can you really be if you are spending your time keeping that old computer working? I have had my MacBook now for right at 2 years. It still works and works well. It could “get me by.” And, it is paid for. But, I could be more productive with a new model MacBook Pro. Or better yet, a Mac Pro desktop. I am going to get the MacBook Pro because I like to take my office with me when I am out of the office.
And yes, the MacBook Pro is going to cost me some dough. Do I have the spare money just sitting around, most likely not. Do I have to have the tools that make me the most productive, yes and so do you.
I don’t know how many of you know anything about farming and the cost of machinery. I like to equate buying office technology to buying farm equipment. Productivity and being efficient is the key to modern day agriculture. If a farmer is not using the more advanced and most reliable equipment, he is not going to be producing at his/her fullest ability. The same applies to those of us who work from a home office.
Usually, those of us who work from a home office don’t have employees. (Thank God). And we have to rely on our tools to get done what needs to be done. We can not afford to just get by. Get the best technology you can for your home based business which will do the job you need to do.
Remember one thing, how is it going to look if you are competing with a business that has employees and you both are working on a new project and you run into a snag because your tools fail you. Equip yourself with the tools so you can compete and be successful.
We will discuss more about what you need to equip your home office in future posts. In the meantime, please, please leave your comments on what other tools you feel you have to have to compete and be productive. Also, I know this post is going to generate some negative thoughts on your part. Tell me what you are thinking. If you disagree, tell me in your comments. I do not hold any ill feelings to any of our readers who disagree. In fact, we grow and change when someone has a different view.
I agree with you on getting the best equipment possible. Getting by on a sluggish computer just won’t cut it for business.
However, in my line of work (digital illustration) I see a lot of people new to freelancing who feel they need to upgrade to latest and greatest Adobe product as quickly as possible. Currently I run CS3. What I’ve found is that most of the firms I work with ask me for CS2 versions anyway. If I had created anything with a new, fancy tool that CS2 doesn’t support, I would have to “dumb it down” so they can use the file (I don’t even use many of the fancy tools for this reason).
The big question nowadays is “Should I upgrade to CS4?” I won’t say no, but rather than just have the mindset that the latest and greatest is the best, really do your homework. Find out if the new features are truly what you need to be competitive. The rest of the industry is often a version behind anyway. If you’ve got cash to blow, go for it, but for the love of Young & Rubicam: don’t use a credit card to put yourself in debt just so you can say you run CS4.
One thing I now feel I must have to stay competitive is my iPhone. It’s not so much the brand itself, but I feel that in the home office having some sort of mobile handheld phone/data device is a necessity.
When my competition can’t get back to a prospective client until after 6 PM, I’m able to do it wherever I happen to be (and I do it, too).
I even have proofs stored on my iPhone (Air sharing app). Recently, a client lost my e-mail with the proofs in it before a meeting. I was able to send them to her again within a few minutes *while I was out grocery shopping*. Talk about a relieved client.
The iPhone is paying for itself with repeat business from people who feel connected to me.
On buying a serious computer that can handle everything you need it to do: Priceless.
Investing in your self or your business with such basics as a reliable computer that is up-to-date with at least the latest software appropriate for your industry/niche is key.
As a good friend of mine says, “If I need something to get the job(s) done, I get it. If I don’t, the job either goes to someone else or I’ll look like a fool when any deliverable doesn’t work; is incompatible; fails; or I’ve lost it due to a hard drive meltdown.”
I fully agree with regards to having the best computer you can afford; however, it does not end there.
I am sure that you will all agree with me - the amount of time that you can waste trying to fix problems with computers including messing around with updates, security software, network issues, printer problems - the list seems never ending and it seriously eats into my time.
A fellow home worker recommended a site that I now receommend everywhere - http://www.zuumedia.com. They have come to my rescue regularly.
They service my computer every 3 months (overnight) and if I have a problem I just click on an icon on my desktop at anytime and they are there to help. It does not matter what the tech issue is they will help and it cost me £100 a year for my 1 pc. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
In order to acquire the right machine for the job, it may be necessary to lease the computer instead of buying it outright. I wanted a high end MacPro desktop for my design business and opted for a 3 year lease. Obviously the total cost of ownership is higher, but at $100/month it’s much better on my cash flow. The lease payments are also tax-deductible (in Canada), and now that the payment is part of my regular budget, I’ll be able to upgrade to a better machine at the end of the lease for the same level of payments!