With my line of work I am fortunate to have the chance to work from home occasionally. My home office is important to me which is why I am always on the lookout for home office organization tips. The right home office organization tips keep my desk and files from getting cluttered and junky. Having an organized home office helps me perform better, meet deadlines, and stay ahead of the game. If you work from home too or just need to get your office back in order, check out these home office organization tips.
I am a labeling nut. I admit it with pride in my heart and a grin on my face. I love my label maker. If I could offer you only one home office organization tip it would be to use labels. Labels help you quickly know what is in a box or folder without having to dig through it.
Labels don’t work if you don’t put things in their designated spot. If you have a bin labeled bills, but you left all your mail on the top of your desk and pushed it around from one corner to the next you are bound to lose something. Then when it comes time to pay bills you are rushing around trying gather them all up. Had you only put the bills in their right spot you could have saved yourself some time.
I like wall pockets. Not sure what a wall pocket is? It’s like an inbox that hangs on the wall. When working in a home office some things need to be close at hand and in view. Instead of cluttering up my desk I use these nifty little things to keep files on the wall.
Aw, the old memo board. Memo boards come in all sorts of cool styles. Some people like a magnetic board, others like cork, dry erase, or chalk. I like a mixture. My board is half cork and half dry erase, but the dry erase is also magnetic. I can pin up important pictures, write down important dates or reminders and keep them close at hand.
If you haven’t noticed yet, one of my other favorite home office organization tips is to keep your workstation clear of clutter. By workstation I mean the place on your desk where you work on the computer, write in your calendar or pay bills. Those areas need to be kept clear so when it is time to work you don’t have to move things out of the way.
One of my biggest home office pet peeves is jumbled up cords. They get in the way and the look horrible. Plus they can also be a huge safety hazard. You wouldn’t want to trip over your jungle of cords, get seriously hurt and lose all your unsaved data? I didn’t think so. You can wrap cords up with zip ties, electrical tape or even empty paper towel rolls. If you are feeling really inspired you can label your wires too.
Even though your email isn’t a part of your physical home office, it is a valuable home office organizational tip to keep it tamed. Move important emails into files so you can easily find them when needed. Delete junk mail and while you are at it unsubscribe from the junk mail, newsletters, and updates you don’t really need.
If you recently bought a new printer or office chair, don’t hold on to the old stuff. Find a friend or a charity that could use it. If nothing else donate to your local Goodwill. Having too much stuff, especially stuff you aren’t using, will only crowd up your space.
This home office organization tip deals with lighting. The small overhead light in your room isn’t adequate. You need proper lighting at your desk. Task lighting illuminates your work surface so you can see what you are doing and what is around you. I have one desk lamp and some under the cabinet lights to properly light my work area.
Your drawers need dividers. Dividers help keep your pens from running into your highlighters and your extra staplers from getting mixed up with the paperclips. Invest in a few different drawer containers or one larger separator for your office supplies.
I hope you find these home office organizational tips helpful. It’s important to keep your home office organized to help you stay on task and work efficiently. Do you know any home office organization tips that I didn’t include? Please share them with us.
Top Image Source: weheartit.com