Your workspace affects how your feel when you are there. It influences how you work. If your home office organization is right, you will get things done faster and more efficiently. The following home office organizing tips can make what you do in your home office more efficient and faster.
My mother had a small desk in the kitchen. They built the desk in when they built the house. The desk drawers matched the kitchen cupboards. The desktop matched the counter tops. This was considered advanced at that time. This was her office where she paid bills. Of course, there were no computers back then.
My oh my, have things changed! Her office is now an entire spare bedroom! But then, so is mine. Many homes today have space dedicated as the home office. Most have a computer to do various types of research and to entertain themselves. Many people also use this space for hobbies. Many people work from home. Many now have their own businesses run from their home office. That was unheard of just twenty years ago!
When considering a home office organizing system, you need to take into consideration what you are going to do in the room. What is the room’s purpose?
When you decide the purpose of the room, your home-office organizing task will be easier. Your desk is your primary workspace area. So, the desk should be as organized as it needs to be for you to get your work done. Some people want the desk tidier to be productive. Photos and knick-knacks can make the area more inviting. If the items on your desk don’t distract you, these items shouldn’t be a problem.
Keep only what you need on the desk. Never forget that your desk is not for storage. When things you need most often are within easy reach, your workspace will work best. If you can, picture an airplane pilot in flight. Everything they need is at their fingertips. What the pilot doesn’t need isn’t in the cockpit.
There is a trick to figuring out the items you really need to have close by. If you use it daily, put it on the top of your desk. If you use something once a week, keep it inside the desk. If you use it once a month, keep it in the same room. Things you use less than once a month should be in an easy to reach storage area out of the room.
Sit at your desk. Touch everything you can reach. Ask yourself this question: How often do I use this item? If you have any doubt about something, put it in storage. You can bring it back if you miss it.
Try to create a system that will facilitate paper flow. There are many paperless bills these days, but paper still is everywhere – at least at my house! You need a home office organizing system that will work for you. Everyone will different needs. I use a basket system. I put all receipts and bills in one of them. I grab the basket when I’m ready to work on the contents. I put it aside when I’m not dealing with it. Its home gives easy access for my husband and me to dump our receipts and other bills. I need to track receipts because we have a couple of businesses. You may not need a system for receipts.
I use a software program for budgeting and balancing the checkbook. If you don’t use one of these, I highly recommend it. I match up receipts with downloaded transactions from the bank. Each receipt go into an envelope depending on its purpose. Paid bills go into a box. At the end of the year, all envelopes are labeled and put into the bill box. I label the bill/receipt box and put it into storage. This system works great for me.
You need to find a system that will work for you. Over time, you will need to tweak your system. More at first, and as thing change later on. Don’t be afraid to change your system as needed. It should be simple and easy, so you will use the system.
Clutter can really throw a wrench in home office organizing. I have found the best way to handle the clutter is to break it down in to smaller tasks. Take one area at a time. One shelf. Whatever you find manageable and doable. If you get overwhelmed, you will never start, or you will stop in the middle.
I hope these home office organizing tips give you some good ideas on getting started. Once you have your home office organized, you will have a great feeling of accomplishment. You will be able to get done what you need to get done in a shorter amount of time.
