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Does your home office space seem too cluttered?
Finding it hard to be productive when you’re working from home?
Once you’re lucky enough to start working from home, you may soon discover that creating the perfect home office space isn’t as easy as you once predicted.
Creating an office that is comfortable and that also enables you to stay productive at home can be tricky. Because of this, it’s crucial that you do everything you can to improve your home office and keep it free from clutter.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Below we’ll list our 5 best tips to organize a home office effectively.
1. Use Containers (or Folders) For Everything
If you want to have an organized home office, the first thing you should do is invest in a good number of storage containers, file folders, shelves, and organizers.
Almost every piece of paper or office supply you use during your work should have a dedicated container, folder, or drawer for it. By investing in containers you’ll always be able to find what you need when you need it and you’ll prevent important documents from getting lost.
Containers such as the Whitmor 3-Drawer Rolling Cart can be great for your home office and the ATBAY File Storage Box should also be a big help. You may also want to get a cool organizer for pens, pencils, and other supplies such as the SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer.
2. Get Serious About Categories and Labels
To keep your office organized, it’s also essential to have a label for every storage container or folder that you have in your home office. While it will take some work upfront to label everything and make sure every document and supply has a designated spot, it can save you a lot of energy and effort in the long run.
You’ll want to consider getting a great label maker such as the Brother P-touch PTD210 Easy-to-Use Label Maker or the DYMO LabelManager 160 Portable Label Maker to ensure labeling everything in your home office is as simple and easy as possible.
3. Leave Paper in the Past
While you should be storing the paper documents you have in the proper folders, it’s a great idea to use as little paper as possible during your work. You should go completely paperless if possible.
If you can, you should opt to send and receive bills, invoices, or other important documents electronically instead. Doing this will make your desk and home office much easier to manage and will make it less likely that you’ll become disorganized as more and more documents pile up on your desk.
Luckily, many things can be done electronically these days so check with your bank, your suppliers, and your customers to see what your options are for working with electronic documents instead of paper ones.
4. Create Zones in Your Office
While using storage containers and file folders can be helpful for keeping your office organized, don’t stop there. Creating “zones” in your office for different work-related tasks can be helpful for making your office easier to work in.
For example, having a dedicated table or cabinet in your office that is used solely as your printing station can be very helpful for keeping your main work desk uncluttered. You may also want to consider making a mailing station that serves as a dedicated spot for all of your incoming and outgoing mail as well.
5. Make Use of Office Walls
One underutilized spot in the typical home office is the walls. If you want to make the best use of the space in your office, it’s a great idea to get some special office tools and supplies that you can place on the wall.
The wall is a great place to hang a whiteboard, weekly or monthly calendars, extra storage shelves, or a mail station. The Jumbo Dry Erase 24×36 Inch Wall Calendar can be great for planning your month while the Wall35 Rivista Multi-use Hanging File Folder can be helpful for storing mail and other small items.
Also, don’t forget to make your office feel a bit cozier as well. Adding a few pieces of wall art or family photos to your office walls can go a long way in making it feel more comfortable.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for the best tips to organize a home office, you should start with the above list. By keeping your office organized you’ll find that you’re comfortable working from home and you start getting more done than ever before.
If you’re working from a home office, you also need to make sure you’re breathing easy. Be sure to check out this list of tips for improving indoor air quality next.
