5 Tips to Organize Your Home Office

Since it’s usually one of the most often used rooms in the house, keeping the home office neat and tidy can sometimes be a challenge. It’s important to have a well-organized space to work at home not only to boost your productivity, but to give you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of a job well done. Here are five simple tips to easily organize your home office and also make it a welcome place in which to work.

Make a List

Before beginning the task of getting your office in shape, sit down and take a long look around. Pick a day when you’re free to clean and organize without worrying about unfinished business. Make a list of everything that needs doing or that you’d like to accomplish. If you’ve got a huge job ahead of you, rather than feeling overwhelmed and possibly giving up, divide your tasks into manageable increments.

If it takes 15 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to weed through all of the files and paperwork that you’ve accumulated, then be sure to stick to your plan until you can see the surface of your desk.

Creativity Counts

When organizing your home office, expand your horizons and think outside the box. Use your creativity to come up with inventive ways to make use of the space you already have. If your office has a decent sized closet, consider removing the door and using that space as a nook for your desk or file cabinets. You can easily hang shelves around the inside of the closet to utilize space that may have been wasted before.

Instead of using a regular computer or office desk, experiment with different types of furniture that you can adapt to suit your own specific needs. And rather than having a hundred post-it notes scattered around the room reminding you of things to do, hang a dry-erase board near your desk. This way when important things arise, you’ll have a handy place to jot them down without cluttering your workspace.

Personalize your Space

When you stop working and look around the room do you see things that are comforting and pleasant that make you happy and relaxed? Or do you see clutter, unpaid bills, and unfinished tasks? It’s important to use soothing colors and include personal mementos to give the room a warm, welcoming feeling. Also, have an “inbox” and an “outbox” to keep paperwork organized and in one place.

Shop at Home

Instead of spending a fortune on all of the latest gizmos and gadgets to reorganize your office, just take a walk around your own house and look for new and inventive ways to neatly store things. Colorful but inexpensive jars or containers can be used to keep supplies like paper clips, staples, pens, pencils, and push-pins organized but also add another decorative touch to the room.

Separate but Together

If you must use your home office for paying bills and organizing your household as well as for your job, you may find that you have a hard time keeping everything separate and easily accessible. If you’ve got an extra drawer in a file cabinet or desk, use it for all of your personal paperwork, and be sure to label it as such. Create a system using folders of different colors each representing a different aspect of your business. This cuts down on time spent searching for needed files.