home office
04
Feb

How to Efficiently Organize Your Home Office

Having a dedicated place in your home for a home office can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s great to have a designated spot for your paperwork. Especially if you own a home-based business, a home office can be a necessity. However, home offices generally tend to be small spaces and can quickly get to disaster mode if they are not organized. Here are three areas to concentrate on first to get your home office more organized.

Add Shelving

Shelving is one of the most important aspects of keeping your home office organized. We often have far more unused vertical space than horizontal. Use that vertical space! Shelving can be accomplished in many ways:

  • Cubical type shelving is great if you love using bins and baskets for your items.
  • Traditional bookshelves are a natural choice if you keep a lot of books in your office.
  • Floating shelves can be put anywhere and come in a wide variety of sizes.

If you feel that your main problem is simply lack of storage for your items, invest in some shelving and you will soon see a big difference.

Clean Your Desk

No matter what other furniture you have in your office, your desk is more than likely the main piece. A messy desk leads to more messes. Any flat surface becomes a convenient place to toss things. Here are three ways to keep your desk clean:

  • Use a weekly basket. This basket holds all your incoming mail until a designated day that you choose. I recommend that you go through your mail at least several times a week. This will allow you to create the habit of going through your mail and eliminates those random piles of mail everywhere.’
  • Corral pens and other essential items. If you love the look of uncluttered space, then you can certainly keep your pens and other office supplies in the drawers of your desk. If you prefer to keep things handy, use mugs or bins to keep your supplies corralled.
    Set up a filing system. Often, the biggest mess on our desks is paper. Set up a filing system that makes sense to you and stick to it.

The key to success is to set up a time every week that you clear your desk and file necessary items. Consistency will get you there.

Make it Beautiful

You will be more productive if the area you work is pleasing to your eyes. If your office doesn’t have a lot of natural light, paint it white. Avoid cluttering your walls with too many decorative items. Add some indoor plants. A colorful rug under your office chair can also brighten up your space. Organization is important, but if your office is dark and dreary, it will also be uninspiring and hard to work in.

Try these ideas to turn your home office into a pleasant place to work. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, contact us for personalized help.