Minimalism and Happiness

The Connection Between Minimalism and Happiness

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Amid the complexities of modern life, the minimalist movement has emerged as a compelling antidote, providing a distinctive lens through which to view happiness and fulfillment. Rooted in its essence, minimalism champions simplicity, gently urging individuals to peel away the layers of excess and focus on the core of what holds genuine value. At its heart, it invites a recalibration of priorities, challenging us to declutter the spaces we inhabit and the lives we lead, in pursuit of authenticity and purpose.

In this article, we delve into the fascinating correlation between minimalism and happiness, uncovering how embracing a life of simplicity can lead to profound serenity. As we navigate the transformative effects of adopting a minimalist lifestyle, we unearth the innate connection between decluttered surroundings and an enhanced sense of contentment.

How Minimalism Can Make You Happier

Minimalism transcends mere aesthetics – it’s a lifestyle that celebrates intentional choices and purposeful living. When it comes to our possessions and the spaces we call home, minimalism holds the potential to elevate our well-being in profound ways. Here are a few ways in which minimalism and happiness are beautifully intertwined:

Tranquility and Clarity:

By simplifying our living spaces and belongings, minimalism reduces clutter and visual noise. This newfound clarity fosters a calm environment, allowing us to focus on what truly matters and fostering a sense of tranquility that contributes to our overall happiness. This serene backdrop makes room for creativity and mindfulness in our daily lives, further enhancing our sense of well-being.

Minimalism and happiness, ClutterBGone, Toronto

Enhanced Enjoyment:

Minimalism encourages us to cherish what we have. With fewer possessions, we tend to appreciate each item’s value, enhancing our gratitude for the things that surround us. This heightened appreciation fuels our sense of happiness.

Freedom from Overwhelm:

Likewise, possessing fewer items alleviates the burden of maintenance, organization, and decision fatigue. A minimalist approach allows us to free ourselves from the constant struggle of managing excess possessions, granting us more mental space and a lighter, happier outlook.

Intentional Joy:

Minimalism prompts us to curate our surroundings intentionally. Each item we choose to keep holds personal significance and brings us joy. Our homes become reflections of our authentic selves, fostering an environment where happiness effortlessly thrives. This thoughtful curation not only enriches our living spaces but also nurtures a profound sense of pride in our connection to our home.

Strengthened Relationships:

By focusing on shared experiences and quality time over material possessions, we create stronger bonds with our friends and family, which contribute significantly to our overall happiness.

Reduced Environmental Footprint:

Embracing minimalism often goes hand in hand with conscious consumerism and sustainability. By consuming less and making thoughtful choices, we contribute to a healthier planet. The alignment of our actions with our values brings a sense of purpose and contributes to our overall sense of happiness.

In essence, minimalism is not merely a trend but a transformative philosophy that has the potential to redefine how we experience life. By shedding the superfluous and embracing what truly resonates, we pave the way for a more intentional existence – one characterized by clarity, balance, and a deeper connection with ourselves and the world.

Should you find yourself drawn to embark on this journey toward a simpler and more purposeful life, know that our ClutterBGone team is ready to guide you! With our expertise in cleaning, organizing, and decluttering, we can be your companions on the path toward embracing the liberating embrace of minimalism. So take the first step, unlock the transformative power of minimalism, and open the door to a life that radiates fulfillment and joy.

How To Organize Your Home Office

How to Organize Your Home Office for Maximum Productivity

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We all know that a messy workspace can seriously hinder our ability to concentrate and work efficiently, whether we’re working remotely, freelancing, or running our own business. The environment we work in plays a vital role in our overall productivity, yet our home offices often need to be more cohesive, making it challenging to stay focused and achieve our best work.

In this article, we’ll explore the negative impact of a cluttered home office and share expert advice from the organizing professionals at ClutterBGone. Their vast experience in optimizing workspaces will provide you with practical strategies to transform your home office into a harmonious and productive space. By following their insightful tips and techniques, you’ll regain control over your workspace, eliminate distractions, and create the perfect setting for success.

So, if you’re ready to boost your productivity by conquering the challenges of a disorganized home office, keep reading and get ready to unleash your full potential!

Why is clutter bad for your productivity?

Countless studies, such as the 2011 research conducted by neuroscience experts using fMRI and physiological measurements, have shed light on the detrimental effects of a cluttered environment on both productivity and well-being. These studies consistently demonstrate that an untidy workspace hampers concentration, impairs information processing, and increases stress levels. A chaotic and disorganized setting can be highly distracting, leading to decreased efficiency and increased stress levels. This happens because clutter overloads our visual and mental stimuli, making it difficult to prioritize tasks and maintain mental clarity. Moreover, the constant presence of clutter can evoke feelings of overwhelm and anxiety, further impacting our ability to perform at our best.

That’s why creating an organized and tidy workspace is so important – it fosters focus, reduces stress, and promotes a productive work environment.

Organizing Your Home Office

How can you organize your home office?

According to our team, the best way for you to create an optimal home office environment and boost productivity is by following these steps:

  1. Declutter: Begin by removing any unnecessary items from your home office, such as broken equipment or unused supplies.
  2. Categorize: Sort your belongings into categories and prioritize them based on the frequency of use and importance.
  3. Invest in efficient storage solutions: Purchase storage containers, shelves, and organizers to keep your office supplies and documents neatly arranged and easily accessible.
  4. Opt for a minimalist environment: Keep your desk clear of unnecessary items to create a clean and focused work area.
  5. Prioritize digital organization: Whenever possible, scan your documents and organize them into computer files. Ensure that your folders are structured logically and intuitively for quick and easy document access.
  6. Create designated zones: If you have enough space, establish specific areas for different activities, such as a separate area for paperwork, a reading nook, and a space for creative activities.
  7. Set up ergonomically: Ensure that your desk, chair, and other office equipment are ergonomically designed for comfort and proper posture, promoting productivity and reducing strain.
  8. Maintain tidiness: Dedicate time to regularly decluttering and organizing your home office to maintain a clean and efficient workspace.

And if you need help, get in touch with our team!

For many people, finding the time and mental stamina to organize and clean a home office can be challenging. That’s where our ClutterBGone services come in. We take care of the decluttering and organizing process, allowing you to focus on what matters most. Contact us today and let us create the ideal workspace for you!

Organized Home Office

8 Tips To Keep Your Home Office Organized

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The home office is the hub of productivity for entrepreneurs, remote workers, and those who manage their personal affairs in the house. It’s where ideas are born, finances are managed, and communication with clients or managers happens.

But let’s face it: if your workspace is disorganized, your productivity can come to a grinding halt. The chaos of a cluttered office can be overwhelming and distract you from the important tasks at hand. So, whether you’re running a business or simply managing your household affairs, creating an efficient and inspiring home office is crucial. Here are a few tips to keep an organized home office:

1. Give every item a home

Assign a specific spot for everything in your home office and make a habit of returning it there after use. This will help keep clutter at bay and make finding things easier.

2. Invest in storage solutions

Use shelves, filing cabinets, or storage bins to keep your items organized and within reach. You can also use hooks or wall-mounted storage to free up desk space and keep frequently used items close.

3. Keep a minimal desktop

Limit the items on your desk to essentials, such as your computer, notepad, and phone. Avoid overcrowding your desk with unnecessary items, which can cause distractions and make it difficult to focus. Remember: a clean and clutter-free desk can help boost productivity!

Organized Home Office

4. Go digital with your paperwork

Convert your physical documents into digital files and organize them in a cloud-based storage system or on your computer. This can save you time and space while keeping your documents safe and easily accessible in case of an emergency.

5. Reduce cable clutter

Cables and wires snaking around your home office can be a safety hazard… and an eyesore. To reduce cable clutter, try decluttering any electronic devices that you no longer need or use. Consider replacing wired devices with wireless alternatives like a wireless mouse, keyboard, or printer. Additionally, a USB hub can help you connect multiple devices to your computer using a single cable.

6. Keep your home office in check

No matter how good your intentions are, keeping a home office constantly clean and organized can be genuinely hard. Make it a habit to tidy up your home office once a week or every other week. Doing so will help you stay on top of clutter and prevent it from becoming overwhelming.

7. Avoid overloading your space

Resist the temptation to fill every inch of your office with stuff, and leave room for movement and creativity. Treat this space as a sanctuary for your productivity and inspiration rather than a storage area.

8. And… organize your digital space too!

Just like your physical workspace, your computer can also become cluttered and disorganized if you don’t keep it in check. Regularly clean up your desktop, delete old files and programs you no longer need, and create a well-structured filing system for your digital documents.

And if you’re still struggling to keep your home office clean and organized even with these tips, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. At ClutterBGone, we have the expertise and experience to help you declutter and organize your home office. Our team can work with you to create a customized plan that meets your specific needs and helps you achieve a clutter-free and productive workspace. Get in touch with us today!

organize home office fast

How To Organize Your Home Office Fast

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It’s undeniable – a cluttered workspace makes for a cluttered mind. Having paper piles and all sorts of junk in your desk and drawers will make it impossible for you to concentrate or even feel at ease. So if your office is currently out of control, the first thing you’ll want to do is reset your space. Not only will having an organized desk look more inviting, but it will motivate you to get the job done.

Here are 5 small manageable things you can do to organize your home office right now:

  1. A fresh start!

Clear everything off your desk at once, wipe your desk down, and then decide on what things should stay on it. Do you really need those old magazines? That collection of pens that don’t work anymore? Those used yogurt containers? Likely not. It’s time to get rid of them!

  1. Organize your belongings

Now that you’ve done a quick decluttering, you should carefully organize everything you need to work properly. And remember: home offices need a clear work area, so try to keep this area as minimalist as possible. Think about where you’ll place each of these items. A carefully designed layout will make the room feel practical and logical.

organize home office with binder clips

  1. Place your hardware properly

When it comes to organizing your hardware, we have an unmissable tip: position your equipment by frequency of use. If you use the printer daily, it should be within easy reach. If it is rarely used, it can be placed outside the work area. When setting up hardware, be conscious of access to drives, trays, and cords. Don’t block access to drawers or take up leg room with tangled cords. To keep wires away, you can attach binder clips to the edge of your desk and place the cords through the clips, for example.

  1. Get the right accessories

If you don’t have good home office accessories such as pen holders, filing trays, files, and so on, nip to the shops soon to help keep your desk organized. This could also be a great opportunity to verify if you have the correct type of furniture and lighting in the room. There is nothing worse than sitting down to work in an uncomfortable, dark home office – so check if you need to make some of these little upgrades!

  1. Schedule a weekly cleaning

To prevent your workspace from becoming cluttered again, plan to clean it once a week. This way, you’ll get to any little things that still got left out, if there are any. Dust the surface of your shelves and desk, wipe down hard surfaces where necessary, empty the trash, and vacuum. Moreover, try to go through your paperwork with some frequency, to prevent it from piling up.

Simple steps like these can go a long way in keeping the office neat, tidy, and organized.

Sounds too complicated to you? If that’s the case, you can always count on ClutterBeGone to help you organize and declutter your most problematic spaces! Get in touch with our team of experts and we will be delighted to offer you a free consultation to understand your needs and help you achieve a clutter-free office space – and home!

Home Office Organizing

5 Best Home Office Organizing Tips You’ll Love

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Everyone has an idealized idea of what the perfect home office looks like: a place where you can work, create, and feel inspired. But with all the files, papers, accessories, and general clutter that usually piles up in these spaces, it’s hard to keep a home office organized, let alone “inspiring.” Whether you have a massive study or a little corner with a desk, there are plenty of solutions that can turn your space into a comfortable and uncluttered office. Here we’ve put together a few tips for arranging and ordering a home office.

Have a clear idea of what your office should look like

Before organizing your home office, it’s essential to decide what should actually be in the room, especially if it is a small space. Home offices can easily become a dumping ground for other things (such as ironing boards, gym equipment, toys), and that shouldn’t happen. Be clear about how you will use the space and only include the essential things for that purpose.

Which also means: purge, purge, purge!

Desk drawers and file cabinets are often full of pens, paperwork, notepads, and markers that no longer work – well, pointless clutter. There are probably papers, books and all sorts of objects in your office that have sat there for years with no purpose. It does take time, but before anything else, you should through everything around the room and decide what you want to keep and what should be discarded.

Office Furniture

Get the right furniture

And if you’re new to the “home office” thing, getting the right furniture is key. If your room has plenty of space, you can divide it into several areas: a relaxation and leisure corner with sofas and a desk/shelf area to work, for instance. Depending on how you’ll use this room, you should also contemplate the type of desk you’ll need. Keep in mind that a writing desk is fairly different from a computer desk or a floating desk. For smaller home offices, we recommend multi-functional furniture.

Invest in office supplies

And don’t forget to buy organizational supplies! That includes anything from cups where you can place your pens, to a cable management box to keep your cords from tangling. You can also invest in file organizers, storage cases, a few packs of interlocking drawer organizers, and any desk accessories that you might find useful. Keeping your things in order and accessible is the golden rule of thumb when it comes to creating your ideal desk setup.

Keep it clean and organized

To keep a home office clutter-free, you should make an effort to maintain the organization you’ve created. Make it a habit to put everything back in its place at the end of each workday. This sets you up for success the next day and helps you change gears from work to home life.

Having a clean and organized home office allows you to focus more on your work and feel more inspired. However, we’re well aware that it can also become an overwhelming task. If you are struggling with a cluttered, distracting workspace, and don’t know where to begin, get in touch with our team of experts! We will be delighted to offer you a free consultation to better understand your needs.

Organized Office Desk

3 Tips to Organize the Desk Drawers in Your Home Office

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The drawers of your office desk can quickly become disorganized, and while that might not seem to matter at first, it can soon become a headache. Rather than taking a few seconds to reach for a pen and an important document, you now must spend precious time combing through a slew of things in drawers to locate them. That can slow down the workday and add stress to it too. To help you organize the desk drawers of your home office, try these efficient tips.

1.      Set Functions for Drawers

Begin by assigning a function to each drawer. Doing so will help you immensely with getting the desk organized and keeping it that way.

Some categories that often make sense for the home offices of people we work with are pens/pencils/highlighters, work papers, and cables/chargers. Depending on the size of the drawer, you can add sticky notes, paper clips, and rubber bands to the pen drawer.

Keeping like items together makes it much easier to know where things are so you can quickly access them. Typically, our organizers suggest that the top drawer holds the supplies that you access the most often, as this location puts them quickly within reach when sitting at the desk.

Organizing Desk Drawers

2.      Decide What to Keep or Toss

Now that you know which drawer will hold which items, it’s time to decide what to keep or throw away. The toss pile includes broken and items no longer useful for other reasons, such as pens that are out of ink.

You may also find old papers no longer needed, which you can then shred or recycle. Also, items that are not meant for the home office can sometimes creep into the room so that you can move these to a better-suited spot elsewhere.

Often, it is best to remove everything from the drawers and then make the “keep or toss” decision. Doing so helps you get a good look at the length and depth of the drawer so that you can best decide how to arrange the needed supplies, and it ensures nothing gets missed. It also is an excellent opportunity to wipe down dusty and dirty drawers with the appropriate cleaning solution.

3.      Add Storage Solutions

If the drawers do not have built-in dividers, consider adding some yourself. Containers and sections help keep items from rolling around and getting intermingled when you open or close drawers.

There are several options here, depending on drawer dimensions and functions. Office supply trays are readily available at local office supply stores, or you can DIY them if you do not have the budget for it.

Wood, cardboard, and plastic are all great materials for drawer dividers. You can even make them out of cereal boxes!

Home Office Upkeep

We encourage you to go through the desk drawers to tidy up routinely. Otherwise, the risk is that it will quickly become disorganized again.

This activity doesn’t have to take long. It can be as quick as five minutes a week to return items to their correct location and toss what is damaged or no longer needed.

Our professional organizers have many more tips to help you in the home office, from organizing the desk surface to creating a filing system and arranging computer files. Reach out today to talk with a team member!

Desk is a Mess

If Your Desk is a Mess, Here’s Why

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Does your desk at home always seem to be messy, and you’re unsure why? Figuring out the reason for the clutter will help you figure out how to tackle it and implement solutions that keep the paper from piling back up again. Below are five possible reasons why the desk in your home office is messy.

Your Desk is Too Small

Desks come in various sizes, and yours might simply not be big enough for what you do. If your job requires a significant amount of room for office equipment, supplies, and more, it could be that you need more surface space. But be careful here as a larger desk might just wind up getting filled too. The key is finding a desk that is big enough so you can be productive.

No Physical Inbox

While you have email and may also use collaborative solutions like Slack, there are sure to be some papers to process. For the physical documents that need attention, make sure you have a physical inbox on the desk at home. Plus, this inbox can function as a central place to store paperwork until you get to it, rather than having piles spread out around the office.

Lack of Storage Space

Storing pens, paper, and other supplies becomes difficult when there are not enough drawers and cupboards to a desk. So, when it comes time to pick out a desk for the home office, make sure it has enough storage for your needs. When supplies well-organized and out of sight, they enhance your job, rather than being an eyesore.

Miscellaneous and Extra Items

As with the home in general, an overcrowded office can happen when there are unnecessary things there. For example, your desk and the surrounding area may have become a place to put items that would be better suited elsewhere, such as a bedroom or closet. You might also have duplicates of things, such as two staplers, so eliminating the extra ones will create space in the office.

Not Tossing Anything

Do you have a hard time parting with things that you haven’t touched in a while? Many of our clients share this difficulty. We encourage you to look at what you have right now and what you still need or use. Doing so will reduce clutter significantly and help you organize what is essential to your home office.

organized work space

Clearing the Desk to Clear Your Mind

When your desk is disorganized, your mind is likely to be too. The clutter can be distracting and stressful. You also may find that it takes longer to do some work tasks because you must shuffle through mountains of paper to find what you need. A disorganized desk is also one that is likely to lead to misplaced documents.

Keeping your workspace organized does not have to be overwhelming. Taking just a few minutes each day to clean up your desk can go far toward clearing your mind so you can focus more on work. If you aren’t sure quite where to start, we’re happy to help. Reach out to one of our professional organizers today.

organizing home office

Organizing the Home Office: 3 DIY Projects

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With so many people working from home now, we thought it would be great to share some DIY organizing ideas! When your workspace is cluttered, the day can seem more stressful and out of control. So, take back the reins by trying one of these projects:

1. Clip-On Desk Organizers

If you have a small desk but plenty of supplies, you might be wishing for a larger work area. But all you need is to get a bit creative with expanding the work surface.

A clip-on desk organizer is a great solution to your problem. Simply clip small containers to the side of your desk to store everything from paperclips to pens and even a little potted plant.

Perhaps best of all, you can make the containers as big or as small as you want. Check out this great tutorial from Brit.co!

clip on desk organizers

image compliments of https://www.brit.co/clip-on-organizers/

2. DIY Calendar

Along with organizing physical items, consider how to organize your time better too. A calendar is a useful tool for this very purpose!

Use it as your command center so that you never miss an appointment, birthday, or another special occasion. Making it a great-looking calendar will help you and the rest of the family gravitate toward it and feel in control.

For example, a dry erase calendar is simple and easy to manage. Simply make a clean grid on a white piece of paper with black lines and frame it behind glass. Then fill it with the current month and days using colorful dry erase pens.

Change it at the end of every month – Easy! Hang it from the wall with a stick-on hook so that you can move it whenever you want to do so without putting holes in the wall.

3. Fabric Pin Board

Do you feel like you have too many papers? If so, organize them into piles and then put each one in a clip and hang it from the board.

That’s a great way to organize your projects and keep them in clear view so you always know what to work on next. Also, when you hang the board on the wall, you’ll find that it frees up space on shelves and the desktop.

In this tutorial, check out how to add the fabric to the board and tips for choosing a great-looking frame. After all, when it looks good, you’re more likely to look forward to being in the office!

Getting More Organized in the Office

A big part of being productive in a home office is having an inviting, clutter-free space that has a good organizational system. Plus, you can focus on your work rather than stressing about cleaning up.

Get more tips on how to improve your home office from our professional organizers, no matter what room you work in, so you can get more done. Even if you don’t have a dedicated office, having a set working space is important to put you in the frame of mind to get to business when you’re there. Don’t be shy, reach out to us today!

organized child's learning space

How to Organize Your Child’s Online Learning Space

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One of the biggest changes for families during the pandemic has been homeschooling. While this type of education was unexpected for most households, it is a learning approach that can have many benefits when it happens within an organized space. Use these tips to make the experience more enjoyable for your young child or teen.

Create a Specific Zone

In a small living space, dedicating an entire room to homeschooling is likely not realistic. But if you can do so, great! An unused guest room, for example, can easily transform into a place for homeschooling.

In smaller homes or apartments, a more realistic approach is to turn part of a room into an area specifically for at-home school and homework. There are numerous possibilities of what this learning zone will look like, depending on your kid’s preferences, house layout, and other factors.

For example, you might turn a corner of your child’s bedroom into their study area. Another idea is to repurpose the dining room table as a desk for your boy or girl. Ideally, choose an area that is away from distractions like washing dishes and the television.

online learning space

Creating a Workstation

Once you have the area chosen, it’s time to organize this learning space for them. Be sure to include a lot of light if there is not natural lighting from windows. Not only will better lighting be easier on your son or daughter’s eyes while reading than a dimly lit room, but it also will create a more positive atmosphere.

Obviously, a desk and chairs are essentials here. If they have no desk and getting a new one can’t fit in the budget right now, a DIY desk is a good solution. For example, you might mount a piece of wood to the wall or stretch a butcher block over two filing cabinets. As earlier mentioned, a dining room table can become a desk too.

A clean desk is one that enables your little one to work more efficiently and with fewer distractions. To help organize easier, ensure there are places for kids to store their books, pens, laptops, and other supplies at the end of their study time. Young children typically do well with cubbies or baskets, while teens organize well with shelves.

What about if you have more than one kid? In this case, give them each a bin and put their name on it. That will help little ones feel more grown-up and prevent fights over supplies.

Stick to a Calendar

Another way to stay on top of organization is to stick to a calendar. For young kids, help them fill out the calendar or do it for them and show them how to check it daily for their must-do items.

If you are short on space, you can even turn a wall into a calendar! Simply coat the wall with chalkboard paint, and use it to showcase daily lists, educational goals, and lessons. This tip is for better organizing your child’s time, as well as your own.

Get more ideas for better organizing your home for lessons and study time by reaching out to our professional organizers today!

easy DIY home office ideas for your home

Easy DIY Ideas for Your Home Office

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These DIY projects are easy ones that you can do to organize a home office. Even if you don’t consider yourself very crafty, the ideas here are ones you’re sure to be able to pull off for a clutter-free work environment.

Office Supply Holder: Rethink the Spice Jar

Spice racks are great for organizing small things, and we’re not just talking about spices. Use them for different screws and bolts in the garage, for example. For your workspace, fill each one with a certain office supply.

Among the most common supplies are staples and rubber bands. Another spice jar could be for thumbtacks. Rotate the spice jar easily to find what you need. The rack is small enough to fit on your desk or a bookshelf. See, we told you these ideas are simple!

Chalkboard Paint Accent Wall

Are you continually looking for scraps of paper to write down to-do lists? Instead, apply a coat of chalkboard paint to one wall of the office and then write your to-do lists on there each day to make sure you’re always on top of tasks.

You can also create a colorful calendar in chalk and change it every month according to your schedule. Being able to erase and redo what you’ve written on the wall whenever you want is a powerful feeling. Plus, you always wanted to write on walls in the house when you were a kid, right?!

Hang Curtains to Hide Clutter

If you have built-in shelving along one wall or a wide bookcase, you might worry that everything on it makes the room look crowded. The problem is that you need easy access to the papers, books, and other items stored on it. So, what to do?

The answer is to hang a curtain rod and curtains in front of it. This is a genius trick for instantly concealing items to give a cleaner look to the workspace. Draw the curtains shut and open them to retrieve something from a shelf easily.

Give Kitchen Glasses a New Life

If your kitchen shelves are overloaded with glassware, but they’re too cute for you to part with, then bring them into the home office instead. Fill one of them with pens and another with pencils, scissors, and other supplies that fit easily in them.

You can see what’s in each one and grab what you need during the workday. Again, this is a straightforward way to stay organized, and it looks stylish too!

organized papers

Organize Papers

Having a paperless office sounds nice, but it’s not the reality for most people. To help you stay on top of it, organize the paper into three specific areas.

Firstly, create a zone for papers that require immediate attention. Next, have a different place to put projects that you are working on, and ensure it is in your line of sight. The third area is a filing system for papers you want to keep but don’t often need access to. By creating these distinct zones, you will know where to look for different documents and find it easier to keep them tidy.

Being Organized to Be Productive

With a more organized office, you can be more efficient and likely will be less stressed too. Rather than looking at clutter, you will have a tidy space instead that works for you rather than being full of distractions. Find more useful (and easy) ideas by reaching out to our professional organizers today!