Your Organized Life

Image by Marc Amos via Flickr

A couple of posts ago, I posted a way to organize your files. Well, after a brief digression to acknowledge Earth Day, it’s back to the office. It’s time to organize your home office so there’s a place to put your organized files.

Maybe your home office is just for your household business like paying bills, making grocery lists, or budgeting, but these days more and more people are finding ways to work from home, either to replace a 9-to-5 job or to supplement the family’s income. If this is the case for you, there’s even more reason to have an organized space to work: Establishing an organized office is one of the best things you can do to help you work efficiently and professionally and to improve your chances of success.

The type of business you are running will dictate the type of office you need. Will you be having clients meeting you in your office? Will it be your workspace? Will it be a multi-purpose room? For example, if you have a business based mainly on a computer and the internet, then you won’t need as much space as you would for a craft production or product distribution business.

First, eliminate anything from the room that isn’t directly connected to your business (unless you are using part of a multi-purpose room). This will help to reduce unnecessary clutter, and the fewer distractions you have, the better. If you can’t actually get rid of the things you are “eliminating,” try to move them to another room. If even that isn’t possible, store things in boxes.

If you followed the file organizing guidelines, your papers should be pretty much in order already. If you haven’t sorted through your papers, now is the time to do it. Decide what you need to keep and what can be thrown away. When in doubt, set up another folder or box for things to look at again later. Once you establish a filing system, keep up with it on a daily basis. It is way too easy to become overwhelmed if you don’t.

Note: If you don’t have a place for a traditional file cabinet, take a look around. There are many nice filing systems available these day, everything from the traditional filing cabinets to hanging folders that can attach to the back of a door.

The workspace is often the most difficult to keep organized, but if you have a handle on the paperwork, it helps reduce one area of clutter. Make sure the workspace is large enough and comfortable. Whether you have to sit or stand to work, make sure the surface is at the correct height. This will help reduce back strain and allow you to work for longer periods of time, thereby increasing your productivity.

There are many nice desk and drawer organizers that allow you to keep items close at hand but out of the way. If you only keep the items you need most often on the workspace, it will reduce clutter and help you maintain your focus. So, keep the “extra stuff” tucked away in storage units in a desk drawer, shelf, or box.

If you use a computer, make sure you have enough space for the computer itself, the monitor, printer, and any other hardware you may need, such as scanners and fax machines. Many companies produce multipurpose units that combine those features into one machine, which takes up much less desk space.

And, last but by no means least, don’t forget to organize the computer itself. There are many organizational software programs that can help you track appointments, clients, and your work. By using these programs, you can keep on top of things and waste less time. Set up special folders in your documents folder, so you can file things away for easy retrieval and use databases and spreadsheets for tracking inventory and other business related needs.

Oh, that wasn’t the last thing. Take a little time to make your office attractive. You may be spending a lot of time there, so having a personalized space you enjoy will make it less of a chore.