Getting Your Home Office in Good Shape

Do you work from home? More and more Americans are taking the plunge each year, and many employers are allowing their employees to telecommute, either full-time or part-time. Of course, that doesn’t even include all of the entrepreneurs who work from home! Even if you go to an office to make your living, you might use your home officefor paying bills, keeping up with your digital (or handwritten!) correspondence, or simply relaxing with a good book or your journal. Unfortunately, many of us have home offices that are cluttered. If this describes yours, here are some strategies for getting your home office organized:

If your desk is covered with papers, then you need a better filing system. Take a few hours to go through all of your papers, and separate them into categories that make sense. Depending on what types of categories you have, you might be able to put them in binders, or you may need a full file cabinet. Figuring out the best system can make a huge difference in your home office organization, so put on your thinking cap and take your time in coming up with a solution. If you aren’t sure that you’re up for the task, enlist a trusted friend to help you go through your mayhem and get your files in order.

Do you have dozens of pens in your office, but have a hard time finding even one when you need to jot down a phone number? If so, you’re not alone! As you go through your clutter, you’re likely to find a lot of pens, pencils, paper clips and other little doodads that you need in order to get your work done. Either invest in a desk organizer to keep these implements under control, or find other items that can get the job done. For example, you might choose to use glass jars with homemade labels to keep your things organized. One other tip: Have one of your kids try out all of the pens, highlighters and markers that you have to see if there are any that are out of ink and need to be thrown away.

If you don’t have enough drawers in your desk, you might need to think out of the box. An over-the-door organizer, for example, might be the perfect place to store notecards containing details about upcoming projects. Magazine holders can keep notebooks and legal pads organized, and a plastic shoebox with a lid can hold your stapler and scissors, and can be stored on a bookshelf. Shelving can solve a myriad of organizational issues, so look for a set of shelves at flea markets, garage sales and thrift shops.

While this isn’t actually part of your home office, many of us have hundreds, if not thousands, of emails sitting in our inboxes. Set aside some time each day to go through these. Even 15 minutes per day will add up quickly and within a week or two, you should have a handle on your emails. Make folders in your email account and make liberal use of the “delete” key. If you have emails that you need to respond to, pledge to answer two per day until the job is done. After your email inbox is nice and clean, take a few minutes each morning or afternoon to maintain its cleanliness.

Once you have your home office organized and in good condition, make sure that you are keeping it that way. Stop working ten minutes early and use that time to organize any papers that you have on your desk, put away your pens and paperclips, and, once per week, give the room a quick sweep or vacuum to remove any eraser dust, tiny shreds of paper or dropped staples. A little bit of time each day will keep your office in good shape and banish the clutter monster.

A well-organized home office will help you work more efficiently and effectively, and you’ll be able to get your jobs done faster, enabling you to spend more time doing the things that you’d rather spend time on. Get your office under control and reap the benefits.