How to Organize a Home Office

To get your home office organized, you’ll need a little bit of creativity and a lot of perseverance. It can be challenging to work from home when all you have is a messy room full of clutter. Here are some tips and benefits on how to organize a home office.

• Get a clean and organized workspace
• Stop wasting time searching for things in your office
• Be more productive with fewer distractions
• De-clutter quickly with these easy tips

But if it’s important enough for you to try working from home instead of going into an office every day, then it’s worth the effort needed to make that dream become a reality. With these tips on getting organized at home, your business will flourish!

Do you feel the pressure mounting as your desk becomes buried under piles of papers, unopened mail, and clutter? You can’t help but think about how much time you’ll have to spend sorting through this mess, let alone all those bills that are hiding in stacks! Here are some tips on organizing a home office, becoming more efficient, and enjoying working from home. 

Find an afternoon (or two) where you won’t be interrupted. Delegate an area just for organizing supplies like file folders, sorting boxes with labels, grab yourself a drink if needed, then dive right in.

Step 1: Start by Clearing Everything off Your Desk

Before organizing your desk, begin by removing everything that is on it. Next, place anything you wish to keep in a temporary area and start sorting through the piles.

After clearing your desktop, invest a few minutes organizing items into three piles and keep the most important for now. Next, separate objects into three piles; keep, recycle (or trash), and donate.  Trust me; you will know which ones they are right away!

No matter how much stuff has built up over the years on our desks, it will be worth it when we finally get organized and have enough room again!

Step 2: Take a Moment to Enjoy the Space

Doesn’t your desk look and feel fabulous? A clear and organized desk can help you feel more productive, efficient, or even relaxed.

You may have already heard about the importance of an organized, clear desk. It might seem like a lot to take on and make changes in your life without thinking it through first. But when you think about how much time you waste not finding things or looking for more paperclips, organizing takes 10 minutes daily at most!

The feeling of having everything cleared off a messy desk can be refreshing and satisfying too. Experts say that getting rid of clutter helps us focus better both mentally and physically by reducing distractions from other tasks going on around them.

Organizing your desk can be daunting, but organizing will become second nature if you take it step-by-step. With all of the organizing supplies available today, throw out what doesn’t work for you.

Now we need to sort the stuff that we took off the desk.

Step 3: Sort One Pile at a Time

It is overwhelming to try to sort thru your desk papers all at once. So instead, create a plan to work on your sorting for 30 minutes at a time. Then, sort through each pile of paper efficiently, not allowing yourself to get distracted by something shiny.

Sort items into three categories:

• Paper
• Items that can be donated or thrown out now (such as old electronic equipment)
• Items you need but don’t use often enough (like books, label maker or extra supplies).

Congratulations if you spent 30 minutes reducing your paper clutter. You may not have reached the bottom of the pile, but you have a good start. You might be thinking this is an impossible task, but I assure you it is worth taking the time to do. So pat yourself on the back and give yourself a high five for getting started. Now it is time to stretch for a while.

Step 4: How to Organize Your Papers

To be more organized, set up a few stacking baskets and label them with what you plan on putting in them. For example, one should be designated as bills while another might contain any paperwork that needs attention like tax statements or insurance forms; then, there’s also an area in which all of your reading material can go.

• If you haven’t used it in the past year, get rid of it
• Sort by what you need to read, do, or file
• Keep your files organized by topic and date
• Use a filing cabinet to store old papers that are still important but not currently being used
• Create folders for each person or family member’s needs (e.g., bills, school records)
• Label folders clearly so they’re easy to find later on
• Put paper clutter in one place – don’t let piles build up everywhere

Step 5: Organize Your Tasks with a White Board

The whiteboard is a great place to use as an organizational tool. It’s also perfect for creative minds who need some extra space and creative freedom when it comes to writing down ideas or writing out your thoughts, which could include anything from holiday planning to your small business goals.

Best Office Supplies for Organization

1. Planner – for organizing your daily tasks and future projects
2. Pens – make sure to have a variety of colors, sizes, and ink types
3. Post-its – use these in all sorts of ways like labeling documents, writing yourself reminders, or placing them on the edge of your computer screen for easy access
4. Notebooks – keep one at work and another that you bring with you when traveling to write down ideas or thoughts that come up during meetings
5. Sticky notes – they’re perfect for jotting down quick thoughts on the go without having to carry around a notebook
6. Plastic folders with pockets inside are great for storing files from different projects together in one place instead of having piles scattered across your desk

Ways to Keep Your Office Organized

It’s essential to keep your office space organized.

Maintain an organizing system in your office to maintain organization. For example, if you have a lot of pencils, place them all in one big container so that the rest are still intact when one breaks.

The last thing anyone wants is for their office space to be overly cluttered or messy.

Consider setting up a large, open basket by the door so that you can throw everything in as soon as you walk into this room and leave it there until later when time permits, sorting through all those messy items.

1. Keep your desk clear of clutter
2. Create designated places for certain items, such as pens and paper
3. Label everything to make it easier to find what you’re looking for
4. Use a wastebasket instead of an open garbage can – this will cut down on the amount of trash that ends up on your floor or desk
5. Place all necessary supplies within arm’s reach, so you don’t have to walk around the office searching for them – this includes post-it notes, printer ink, scissors etcetera
6. Keep any food in airtight containers or sealed bags (to avoid attracting pests)

Tips from Marie Kondo: How to Tidy Your Office Desk

Final Thoughts

The home office is the Workhorse of your business. It is a place where we spend time paying our bills or running a business. If you take the time to organize your home office, you will find that your workflow will become more efficient, and you’ll be able to get more done.

Just being organized with your papers can make a tremendous amount of improvement in your day-to-day activities.

You’ve been procrastinating on organizing your office for too long now, but as you look at the mess that’s become of it, just looking gives you anxiety. You try to remember which bills are hiding in those stacks and how they’ll ever get under control if things go unchecked any longer. It might be time to take a break from work so you can tackle this weekend project head-on!

Take one action step now.

After you have organized your home office, it is time to decorate.