Many people take on freelance work from home. Some use a spare bedroom as their office, others use whatever free space they can find. The following are some useful tips and ideas for anyone working freelance to optimise your home office space.

Anyone working from home for the first time should have a plan. What or where will my office space be? What will I need in my office?

Firstly, it is essential to define your space. This could be a corner of the living room, a spare bedroom or even a stair landing. This needs to be a dedicated space where you won't need to keep moving things. When working freelance you must have your own space.

For small areas it is always a good idea to have drawers that fit under your desk and wall shelves rather than freestanding. Whilst drawers are useful for storage, in many cases you will need items to remain out in the open.
Cork boards or magnetic whiteboards are ideal for keeping certain things in plain view such as to do lists, call backs, quick reference material and other frequently used items.

Freelancing from home means that you have complete control over your space. Rather than a desk, why not look at a small table. Instead of using a huge office type chair try a fold away garden chair that can be stored under the table at the end of the freelance working day. Do, however, ensure that any chair will provide adequate ergonomic support, particularly if you are likely to occupy it for extended periods.

Files and paperwork can take up significant space. It may be worthwhile investing in a scanner. Anyone working freelance who needs frequent access to documents should consider scanning them and storing on a computer. Modern multi functional printers have scanners built in and for making extra space in your office at home, they can be a good choice.

Good lighting is essential when working and makes any space look bigger. A desk lamp or table lamp will usually provide the right amount of light needed. If your office space is by a window there may be enough natural light throughout the day.

Try and ensure that any distractions are minimised. For example, if your office overlooks a childrens' playground it could be noisy. Try and identify a space where there are no such distractions. For the freelance worker, the home office needs to be a place of work.

Dark colours make any small space look smaller. A lick of paint in a light neutral shade will give the illusion of space.

Clear your desktop of any unnecessary items. Pens in a container, phone, computer, notepad. The only other thing you may need on your desk is a printer. Any other paperwork or files not being used should be in a drawer under the desk. It may also be worth considering changing a desktop computer to a smaller laptop when planning your freelance office at home.

If you will be making your office space in part of a larger room, a good idea may be to divide the space with a shelving unit. However, avoid this approach with a small or average sized room as it will tend to create an oppressively cramped feeling.

Making the change from working in an office to freelance working from home is a big one. Provided that you identify the most appropriate workspace and set it up according to your specific requirements, the transition should be manageable.

You can find more freelance work from freelance web designer to freelance copywriter jobs at PeoplePerHour.