Sometimes it seems like you’ve got so much else to do in your home office that you don’t have time to get everything organized. And if you’re staying productive and getting stuff done at home, why waste the time tidying up, right?
You might be surprised to learn, then, that a dirty work area can actually cost you a lot of time and effort in the long run. Even if you feel like you’re getting things accomplished, you can really waste a lot of time digging through clutter to find the paperwork you need, or constantly dashing between two different filing cabinets to find that spare wireless mouse you were hoping you wouldn’t need. If you find yourself constantly moving piles around in your home office and you’re ready to clean up and get to work, we’ve got some tips to help you make your home office work a little harder for you:
Purge!
Moreso than almost every other room in your house, the home office is a magnet for built-up clutter. Paperwork you don’t need anymore, receipts from five years ago you can barely read, and so on. Sort out what you don’t need and get it into the shredder! (This goes for more than paperwork too – things like broken phone chargers, useless pens, and laptops that don’t turn on anymore can find a new home at the electronics recycling center, or at least given to someone who can fix it and use it.
“Zone” It Out
The next step is to start figuring out what work gets done where, and set everything up appropriately. Make sure you have a nice clean home office desk for stuff like your computer and your notebooks, find a place for your printer stand that’s out of the way but still accessible, and make sure to free some space against a wall for bookshelves. Try to designate a space for everything and then get in the habit of keeping everything in that space so you know where it is next time; otherwise, what’s the point of organizing if you’re just going to have to do it again later?
Keep That Desk Clean
Of course, all the bookshelves and file cabinets in the world aren’t going to do much good if your work surface is still too disheveled to be usable, and the desk is always a good place to focus your efforts! Make sure to give your laptop plenty of space (since, these days, that’s really the focal point of any desk) and try to sneak in a desk organizer to make sure your stuff stays organized where you need it to be and ready to go when you are!
Separate All Paperwork (And Streamline Where You Can)
Even in the digital age, we know paperwork can pile up, and the best way to stay on top of it is to keep everything divided. Get separate folders or paperwork holders for incoming work, outgoing documents, anything that needs to be retained for a while, and anything that can be disposed of. After you get a system set up, remember to get in the habit of organizing everything accordingly – and don’t be afraid to throw stuff out or keep things strictly digital to save space and time!
Don’t Be Afraid To Reassess
Of course, if you aren’t happy with how your first organization attempt went, or if you’re finding yourself still cluttered later on, don’t be afraid to take a second attempt at it. Maybe you need to throw more out, maybe you need to sort your files better, maybe you just need a bigger desk! Either way, always take some time to think about your system and see if it still meets your needs later. And if it doesn’t? There’s no harm in starting over!