How to Organize and Reduce Clutter in Your Home Office
The easiest way to save time is to reduce clutter and get organized. Reducing the clutter in your office may seem like a daunting task that you do not wish to attempt to tackle. Where should you even begin to start? You have piles of files, magazines and articles, personal trinkets, and office supplies scattered everywhere around your office area.
You have the power and ability to overcome clutter. The hardest part to accomplishing this goal is getting started.
Make a day of it and discard your unwanted clutter from around the office. This is a perfect excuse for a casual day at the office. Bring with you a couple of large trash bags and expect to fill them. This will get you in the right mind set for the day’s event.
Before you go clutter crazy, it is best to know what clutter means. The clutter in your office is anything that gets in your way of work. Objects that are scattered about with no purpose or usefulness in the office. Now that you know what you are looking for, it is time to get busy.
Toss any items that have bad memories associated with them. No sense in hanging on to such items. This just gets in the way of your chi, or positive energy in the office, and slows down productivity.
If you find little scraps of paper floating around your desk or file drawers, pitch them into the trash bag. You have stumbled onto a couple of opened envelopes with phone numbers sprawled on the back. If these numbers do not look familiar to you and have no customer name or business written beside it, chances are you will never recollect where you got the number in the first place. Off to the garbage they go. Worse case scenario, you can call information and ask for the number if you remember who it came from to begin with, a customer, potential employee, etc.
You certainly will know everyday clutter trash when you see it. Have you brought in a McDonald’s cup from your soft drink break last week? Maybe you munched on a Snickers bar yesterday and received a phone call from your biggest client and forgot to throw the wrapper in the trash. Such items are definitely clutter. Not only do these items get in the way of efficiency and productivity, but they surround you with stress. You may not be aware of it, but searching for a file beneath your trash from snacks and lunch breaks can be a pain. No need to add to the stress of your daily duties.
Packaging can be another clutter item that plagues the home office. Whenever you receive a new shipment of office supplies, do you toss the new supplies into a corner and leave the box lying around on the floor next to your desk? If you ship items to customers, you undoubtedly have shipping supplies, such as boxes, envelopes, and packing material floating around your office area. No, you simply can’t get rid of these items. They are useful, but do get in the way when they are not organized properly for ease of use.
What about your computer, phone, tape recorder, printer, etc. All of these items are a necessity to your home business. Somehow, these essential items still seem to clutter up your desk. In fact, the wires are everywhere. You have USB cords, phone lines, extension cords, and electric strip surge protectors all over the place. If it feels like you are wading through a plate of electric-wire spaghetti, it is time to do something. Your unmanaged electric cords and phone lines can be a tripping hazard to you or someone coming into your office.
Purchase a wire caddy that helps to keep your wires and cords in place. All sorts of wire tamers are out there to control your wire clutter and keep your home office neat and safe. Instead of leaving wires and cords dangling and laying on the ground, organize them or mount them under your desk. Just this simple step will create a home office environment that you will love. .
Allowing clutter gives people the impression that you are busy and unapproachable. If your desk is spotless, some may say that you just aren’t doing your job, but a tidy work area allows you to perform at your highest ability and efficiency. Throw away all of your gum wrappers, memos with mistakes, and unnecessary items.
Since your office is part of your home, it is highly possible that you have toted some personal items into your home office. Of course, there is a place in your home office for family photos and personal items, but if half of your living room has invaded your home office, it is time to put some of these items back into your home for re-circulation to other areas.
Maybe your kids have brought in a toy or two to motivate you during a long night’s work. It might be time to round up the toy soldiers and stuffed animals and take them upstairs back to the playroom where they can reunite with their buddies Mr. Potato Head and Slinky. If you have left a wrench on your desk from that project with the new printer stand, make a trip to the garage to put it away.
Once you have tossed all of the garbage into the trash, removed all the personal items, and reduced the clutter, take a long look at your home office. You will certainly notice the significant improvement. Now, you have more elbow room to work. But, now that you are down to the bare essentials for your everyday tasks and duties, is there anything else you can do to improve your work station? Yes, of course you
Can!
Once you know what items you will be working with, it is time to get organized. Everything needs to have a home in your office. You like to have a place to go at the end of a long work day. Well, your office supplies and files are the same way. Assign a specific spot in your home office for everything. No, you don’t need to label each spot on a shelf for computer paper, pens, and paper clips, but it is essential that you know where everything goes. Make sure that everything you use over the long work day, gets put back in its home before leaving the home office each evening. Taking the time to clean up your desk and work area will help finalize the work day. Also, tidying up each evening will allow you the opportunity to enter a clean and inviting office the next morning when you start the new work day. A clean office ensures that your day will get off to a good start.
Getting organized does not have to be a complicated process. Simply use baskets, drawers, caddies, and shelves to put your items in order. The order and style of organization depends on your preferences and the type of home business you are involved with. Do you inventory T-shirts or motor vehicles? If you run a company that rents saws and large equipment, such as bulldozers and car trailers, your inventory organization must be modified to fit your needs. You may choose to have a parking lot with designated parking spots for each large vehicle or item to be rented. The garage or shop area could be organized in categories based on the type of equipment. A chain saw for rent would be coupled with other cutting tools, not next to the snow blowers, for instance.
Inventory for an online T-shirt company, for instance, would be organized similarly, but on a smaller scale. Store your inventory in boxes or plastic storage tubs. Label each tub or box by design. Further divide the shirts by size or color into separate sections inside the box or plastic tote. When an order comes in for three shirts size large, you will know right where to look to put your hands on the specific items you need to complete the order.
Purchase a desk organizer or caddy to hold your most essential office supplies. Invest money in one of the best desktop organizers around. For approximately $70, the exclusive office caddy organizer will have everything you need at your convenience. This organizer has everything from a tape dispenser to an envelope opener. There is nothing quite like a terrific office caddy organizer to keep you together. Your pencils, pens, and highlighters will be right at your fingertips. Even your electric stapler will be within arm’s reach whenever you need it.
There are a multitude of organizational products available for your office supplies and other organizational needs. Shelves, drawers, and cabinets are terrific ways to get organized. Baskets are another terrific way to organize your belongings. Once you get started in the organization department, you may become addicted to all the fun and exciting caddies, cubbies, and containers. .
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that all organizational items are boring and dull. Clear your mind of the adjustable metal shelving from department stores. Even the coated wire racks from yesteryear are things of the past when it comes to the new varieties of organizational goodies. Today, organization has become an art, both figuratively and literally.
Beautiful wicker baskets are elegant storage containers. Baskets can be coordinated to match your office by attaching bows or ribbons as accents. If wicker baskets aren’t your style, worry not. Several other office organizers are available made from wood, stainless steel, or plastic.
The clear plastic containers are best for storing items such as inventory, computer cables, or craft supplies. Plastic storage containers typically are not associated with elegance, but they are extremely versatile and practical.
Wood cabinetry and shelving are an excellent asset to any home office. You will never have too many cabinets or shelves in your home office. Utilizing shelves or cabinets will help to maximize your space available in the home office. Wooden shelves and cabinets combine beauty and practicality.
Bulletin boards are another fabulous way to stay organized. Many companies offer strong and sturdy bulletin boards that will keep your paper clutter to a minimum. Prominently display important documents right where you can see them. Place a copy of your goals in a plastic protector and hang them on the bulletin board to remind yourself daily of why you are working. Keeping your goals visible will help encourage your productivity and daily efforts.
A white dry erase board can be a useful organizational tool. Consider adding a dry erase board to your home office. If you have staff that enter your office to find out their assigned duties for the day, posting this information on a dry erase board can save you time. For example, if you are running a trucking business hauling goods from one company to another, you can create a schedule the night before for your three drivers. Post their assignment on the white board in your office. Use a red marker for Jim, a green marker for Mark, and a blue marker to denote Steve’s duties for the day. At a glance, each driver will know their schedule and what is expected of them. Such a simple change can save considerable time.
Always designate one specific container for important information from staff. The type of container is not of extreme importance. The major point is that it must stand out from among the other containers in the area. For instance, if you have a row of black paper caddies, purchase one red paper caddy to distinguish it from the others. Instruct staff to place all items in the red paper caddy that need to be addressed by the end of the day. An item that is a true emergency that requires prompt action should not find its place in the red paper caddy. You should be informed of this immediately. When items are important, but not critical, they belong in the red paper caddy. Before the end of the work day, you will designate a specific time to go through each and every item in the red caddy. This method of organization will help to keep the papers from cluttering up your desk. The risk of misplacing an important document is decreased with this method. Also, employees know that you will be looking into each matter at your convenience with this method, but it is reassuring that you will be dealing with such documents in a timely manner.
This method is also a valuable tool when a report is due. Consider the situation that an employee comes by your home office with a report that you have been waiting
To receive. She hands you the document when the phone rings. Noting the number on your Caller ID, you take the call. As you politely wave to the employee on her way out, you gently toss the report in the red paper caddy and move onto the topic discussion with your client. The report is still safely on your desk, right where you can locate it after the phone call or later in the day.
To encourage productive work habits, it is essential to get rid of clutter that may be in your office area. By removing any and all trash, unnecessary items or items that are no longer useful, and returning the abundance of personal items back to the other areas of the home where they belong, you will free up more work area in your office. There will no longer b a need to hunt through miscellaneous stuff to find the item you need.
Organization is key to your home office running smoothly and efficiently. Incorporating items such as desk caddy organizers, bulletin boards, and paper caddies, you will be able to save precious time, focus on your goals, and have what you need at your fingertips.
