5 Tricks for Organizing Your Home Office

Is your home office an unorganized mess?  Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be!

Your home office is intended to be a place that you go to when you need to focus and get work done. But, if you are anything like the majority of individuals trying to get work done at home, then you know that a cluttered office doesn’t make for easy concentration. Having a clean and organized home office is the best way to not only get work done, but to truly allow yourself to focus and be in a space that is geared toward getting work done.

Fortunately for those who can’t seem to keep an organized office, there are some great tricks for getting your home office in perfect working order, take a look!

1. Reduce the Clutter – Before you can start getting your home office a little more organized, you have to get rid of all the items that don’t belong in your space or aren’t getting used. Whether it’s junk mail or pictures that your child brings home from school, the clutter that doesn’t have to do with work should be put in their appropriate homes before you can get organized.
2. Create a Filing System – Having a functional filing system is crucial to sorting and identifying the documents that you need access to quickly. Folders with labels with everything from previous household bills to proposals for work can help you to get organized and stay that way. Filing cabinets or drawers are great ways to help get rid of the piles of paper that often land up on your home desk.
3. More Storage is Better – Creating storage options goes a long way in a space as multipurpose as your home office. Not only are you going to want to find a means of storage for your papers, like a filing cabinet, but you also want to be sure that you keep your work materials sorted and ready for work when you are. Use desktop and in-drawer organizers for your smaller items, like paper clips and pens, while storage bins in a nearby closet can help to house extra printer cartridges or USB chords for cameras and other devices you have.
4. Use a Calendar – A clear calendar system can help you to keep your home office organized and your personal and professional life in line. Whether you use a PC based calendar or a large desktop version, your calendar can help you to sort through items and keep what you need in the near future in mind.
5. Make a Home for Everything – Having a specific home for the items in your desk is necessary to have the organization you want in your personal office. Labels and clearly set up drawers can help you to quickly find the items you need and return them to their respective homes when you are done. Items that you feel don’t have a home in your office shouldn’t be in your office then.

While you might need to spend a weekend afternoon to help get your home office in an organized state, if you can keep it that way your time will certainly be well spent. Remember that once you get organized you are going to have to work on maintaining your office. But, if you can pick up after yourself and organize a little everyday then keeping your office in this condition will be simple.

Have questions about organizing your home office?  If you live in Toronto or the surrounding GTA, feel free to contact me here.