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February 27, 2015

Saying No to a Home Office


By Debby Mayne


My husband and I recently moved from Florida to South Carolina, and we downsized in the process. Our children are grown, and my husband officially retired from his position as a financial advisor. As we searched for the perfect "retirement home," my husband kept asking, "Are you sure you don't want an office?"

I've had offices in the past, and they served their purpose when I relied on my old desktop. But for the past four years I've had a laptop that can go anywhere, there was no point in paying more for a house just because it had an office. I thought I'd share my opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of a home office for a novelist or freelance writer.

Here are some advantages of having a home office:
·      
      You can have all of your supplies at your fingertips.
·      
      The familiarity of the same room, same chair, and other things same can be comforting to some people.
·      
      You can announce that when the "office door" is closed, you're at work, and no one is allowed to bother you unless fire, blood or protruding bones are involved.
·      
      The home office is a great tax write-off.

The disadvantages include:
·      
      You're sitting in the same position all the time, looking out the same window, facing the same walls, etc.
·      
      If you become too comfortable in sameness, you can lose your freshness and edge.
·       
      Sitting in the same chair is hard on the back.
·      
      People always know where they can find you.

Things I like about not having an office and being mobile with my laptop:
·       
      When you have back issues or other health problems that are exacerbated by sitting for too long, you can move your laptop around to different chairs, your kitchen counter, the breakfast bar, or even a board balanced on your treadmill. 

      When the urge strikes to visit your grandchildren, it's easy to take the work with you and do it after they go to bed.
·      
         You can check your email and do administrative tasks without isolating yourself from your spouse or family while they watch football games or other sporting events on TV. (Exactly what I'm doing right this minute.)
·       
      Wherever you are becomes your office—from your La-Z-Boy recliner to a choice table at Starbucks.
·       
      When the weather is nice, you can go outdoors and sit at the cute little patio table or kick back in the chaise lounge.
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Debby Mayne has published more than 30 books and novellas, 400 print short stories and articles, more than 1,000 web articles, and a bunch of devotions for women. She has been a managing editor of a national health magazine, product information fashion writer for HSN, creative writing instructor for Long Ridge Writers Group, and etiquette expert for About.com. Most of her stories feature strong, southern women who overcome all sorts of obstacles. She is currently working on "Belles in the City," a 3-book series of Christian romances with southern heroines who move to New York City. She also writes southern-set, quirky, cozy mysteries under her maiden name Deborah Tisdale. Her social media links are Website: http://debbymayne.com Blog: http://debbymayne.blogspot.com



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