People working from home will agree that their home offices are the center of their house. That’s because this area is where they keep their files and keep track of bookkeeping. It is also where they communicate with their manager and clients.
No matter your home office’s official use, you can’t get much work done if it’s a cluttered mess. This article will tell you how to organize a home office with ease. It will also tell you why it’s important to keep your home office organized.
Simple Tips On How To Organize Home Office
Sitting in a messy room can create stress. After all, it’s a visual reminder of how much work you need to do to get your home office clean. Working in a cluttered home office can create unconscious low-grade stress. In a subtle yet steady way, it can drain your energy too.
Meanwhile, being in a space characterized by order and tranquility can soothe you. It can also help release stress. Moreover, it can improve productivity and reduce anxious feelings. As such, it is important to keep your home office clean and organized. This way, you can focus on your work instead of cleaning.
Do you want to prevent clutter from building up in your home office? It will help if you put in place organizational systems. You might want to have a spot for everything. This is to make you feel calmer and ready to tackle any work that comes your way.
The following are some easy tips on how to organize home office:
Keep Your Desk Accessories Clean and Simple
To keep your home office organized, you can start by cleaning your desk. You can buy a few efficient and visually-pleasing accessories. These can give your desk a streamlined look. You can get a cup for your pens, a magazine holder for folders, and a stacked drawer unit. Having an organized desk will make you feel a lot better.
You can also buy other tools to organize your home office, including:
- A trash basket
- A recycling container
- A shredder
- A filing cabinet
- An inbox for assignments, bills, letters, and other projects
- An outbox for finished paperwork that you still need to file
You should also go through every item that was on your desk. Consider how often you use these things. If you have items you don’t use at least once a week, you should put them aside.
Use Plenty of Shelving
If you don’t have a closet, you can use open shelves to organize and style your home office. Do you have a large amount of empty wall space in your home office? You can put it to good use by putting up shelves. At the bottom of the shelves, you can put two large baskets that will hold your messier work items. If you have books, you can keep them in order using sturdy and decorative bookends.
Customize Your Working Wall Calendar
You might want to place a calendar on the wall. It will help you keep a better eye on your planning needs. This way, you will feel more efficient and in control of your time. You can make a DIY calendar system. It will add coordinated and customized glamor to your office. Paint the frames on the inside of the glass with gold. Use white tape to create boxes and dates that you can write in erasable ink or pin with sticky notes.
Maintain a Bin Organizing System in Your Office
Matching bins will bring a look of orderliness to your home office. Use white bins to contain crafting supplies and other office essentials. Make sure to label them. You can also opt for bins with different designs.
Throw Things Away
One of the reasons why home offices get so messy is that their owners don’t take the time to throw things away. You should take a few minutes to purge your home office of everything you’re no longer using.
Here are some of the things you might need to toss:
- Pens that no longer work or without ink
- Paper clips that are now bent out of shape
- Old newspapers and magazines
- Unused or broken office equipment. (These include old phones, computers, and printers or scanners)
- Outdated documents
Do you have documents that you’re hesitant to throw away? The following is a guide on how long you need to keep important papers:
- Tax returns and its supporting documents: seven years. You can keep tax returns forever if you have the space in your home office.
- Pay stubs: one year. (Until you get your W-2)
- Investment statements: one year (Until your year-end statements arrive)
- Bank statements: only one year
- Medical bills: only one year
- Credit card statements: one month. (After you’ve checked them for accuracy)
- Newspapers, magazines, internet print-outs: after using them
Reduce Cables
Having several cables underfoot is a tripping hazard. It can also pose a fire danger and make your home office more cluttered than it already is. You might want to reduce the number of cables in your office. You should put away or get rid of any electronic equipment you no longer use.
You can use wireless devices, including a mouse, keyboard, and printer. This way, you can reduce the cable clutter in your office. You can also use a USB hub. It will let you plug several devices into your computer using only one USB cable.
You may opt to plug your remaining cables into a surge-protected power bar. This will prevent your computer and other equipment from frying during a power surge. Make sure to bind the cables together with cable zip ties, clamps, or Velcro wraps. This way, the cables stay in one place and out of your way. You can route the wires through the hole in your desk. Make sure they’re all behind your desk.
Do you need professional help to have your house or office cleaned? You can hire expert cleaners to clean your home from Helping Hands Cleaning Services. We will take the chore of house cleaning off your hands so you can relax after a busy day. We offer office cleaning and commercial cleaning. Our services also include move-in move-out cleaning. We do Covid-19 coronavirus sanitizing as well. For inquiries, you can call us at (630) 530-1324 or you can reach us through this line here.
