I work from home and if you work from home, you know how hard it can be to stay productive, focused, and organized. It’s challenging to keep a work/life balance when your house is both your sanctuary and your place of employment. Incorporating a few simple hacks will make the juggling act a little easier. Along with your usual spring cleaning rituals this year, take the advice of Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, to spend less time dealing with messes in the office and more time doing what you love. Here are 5 easy tips for home office organization.
1. Minimize paper clutter. Stick to this 4-part rule: File it, recycle it, shred it or take care of it. File important documents immediately so you know where they are. Recycle any paper you don’t need to keep, but also doesn’t contain any sensitive information. Shred documents that do using a cross-cut shredder like Fellowes’ 12Cs, which shreds up to 12 sheets of paper and has SafeSense technology. (That’s especially important for homes with kids and pets.) Lastly, take care of any paper clutter that doesn’t fall into the first three categories. Nothing makes an office look messier than stacks of paper!
2. Label in a way that makes sense. Label decorative file folders clearly by using appropriate headings. Don’t be generic. You may already have a folder labeled “taxes,” but which year are you referring to? Is this a folder for receipts in preparation for next year’s tax time? The more specific you are, the easier it will be to find what you are looking for. (Fun tip: Use attractive office supplies to brighten your workspace and make it more inviting.) When organizing electronic files, be sure to include the date, name, and version numbers. Use subfolders to break up big categories into smaller ones.
3. Create routines. Don’t waste time thinking about how to manage small tasks. Make it a habit to stay organized faster with a series of rituals you perform every time you go to work. Perhaps you’ll handle paper clutter right off the bat, and make a list of things to do, in order of priority, as the last thing before you sign off for the day. Whatever seems to pile up and become overwhelming should be nipped in the bud.
4. Set a time limit for projects you dread. We all have tasks we hate to do, but can’t avoid. Get these pain-in-the-butt jobs out of the way, but don’t spend all day on them. Often, they become a distraction from more important priorities. Estimate how long you think any given task will take and set a timer for that length of time. Time moves fast when you’re focused so aim to work for at least a solid 45 minutes. Mark your calendar in advance and don’t talk yourself out of doing it.
5. You’re only as good as your tools. This doesn’t mean you need the most expensive products on the market. It means you need to get honest about what will get the job done most efficiently. Is your computer slower than a snail? Would it be wise to invest in a semi-professional camera in lieu of spending money on a stock image subscription? Every home office needs a filing cabinet, that’s for sure! Likewise, you might be able to clean out, get rid of, or sell unnecessary items that are just taking up space. Take stock of your supplies and outfit your office with what you need to stay productive.
You can get your own Fellowes' 12Cs Shredder at your local Walmart.
I am so with you. I work at home, and was actually just cleaning out paperwork a second ago! I think a routine and good tools are so important!
ReplyDeleteI used to love my Fellowes shredder when I was an Innkeeper at a B&B!
I would be lost without my shredder. It's the best way to keep myself from saving a bunch of needless paper.
ReplyDeleteThese are all great tips. I have a shredder, and I love it. It helps save space, and it keeps people from spying on my mail in the garbage.
ReplyDeleteF.I.R.S.T is a great way to stay organized. I'm going to have to make a poster or something for my office. I am SO disorganized.
ReplyDeleteI keep telling my husband that we need to get a shredder. This sounds like a good one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for these reminders. Working from my desk in my bedroom can get distracting, but I try very hard to keep your rules in pace so that I get my work done!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips and I really do need to get myself a shredder! My office looks great and organised until you open the draws or look in the storage boxes...then it's a mess! It doesn't help that my kids take over my space most of the time!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips! I always struggle to stay organized but these are great tips!
ReplyDeleteI tend to get way behind in shredding and end up with a massive pile to do once or twice a year. I once paid my kid $5 to shred all my papers for me, best $5 I ever spent.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips and you also just reminded me I need to get a new shredder for my home office. Thanks :)
ReplyDeletePaper clutter is the worst! I definitely need to invest in the Fellowes Shredder since I am always worried about just tossing my papers into the recycle bin. This would definitely keeps my info a lot safer!
ReplyDeleteRoutines are so important. They really help you streamline your schedule and keep everything in place.
ReplyDeleteSuch good ideas! I try so hard to be organized but find myself with a mess so often!
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful ideas. My current office is just my laptop and my beds or my phone and wherever we happen to be. I'm pinning this for the day when I finally have/ need an office.
ReplyDeleteSetting time limits for myself is super helpful and I don't do it often enough. Having a reliable shredder certainly keeps the paper clutter build up to a minimum. I have to shred to protect my information too!
ReplyDeleteStaying organized is definitely a challenge, but having the right tools in your arsenal definitely makes things easier!
ReplyDeleteWanna come do my desk next? LOL :-)
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
We need a shredder so bad. I literally burn all my papers and they can really pile up in the winter when the fire pit is full of snow
ReplyDeleteI love an organized home office. There's nothing like it to me. I am going to pt your tips to good use!
ReplyDeleteI love your tips about staying organized in your home office. I know a lot of my clients struggle with that.
ReplyDeleteMy home office space is fairly small, so keeping it organized can be a challenge. I love the idea to use labeled file folders.
ReplyDeleteYay! I truly enjoyed your post! I definitely have to set up a routine for my home office. Thanks for sharing your tips.
ReplyDeleteMy office is currently such a mess! I have so many papers that I just don't need - I think a shredder would be a great solution.
ReplyDeleteOrganization is the key! Keeping your privacy safe is important, too. I love that you have an in home shredder. The safest yet!
ReplyDeleteI finally wore out my 20 year old shredder! I need to be better at sticking to a routine instead of letting myself get distracted
ReplyDeleteThank you for these tips. I need a paper shredder to keep me organized with unwanted paper. xx
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool - I really need a shredder because now I just rip up all my bank statements and important papers and everyone says how bloody dangerous that is! x
ReplyDeleteHaving a shredder can help you cut down on the clutter. I typically use mine to get rid of papers or bills that have important information on them that doesn't need to be shared.
ReplyDeleteAwesome tips! That paper shredder sounds like a great addition to my home office! Love these organization hacks!
ReplyDeleteI just started working from home and I need to set up a home office space. Thank you for sharing these great tips I'm going to need to use them as I get things rolling here.
ReplyDeleteMy office is so unorganized. It's driving me nuts. I work from home and have 7 kids who want to touch everything so it gets messy down there with papers. These are some great tips! - jeanine
ReplyDeletePaper clutter. The bane of my existence. We don't have a shredder readily available to us, so I literally cut up our stuff into pieces with scissors....lol omg.
ReplyDeleteI don't work from home (I wish!), but my husband does. Whenever he is not travelling, he works from home and these are good orgazitional tips.
ReplyDeleteI like your way of dealing with paper files:File it, recycle it, shred it or take care of it.
ReplyDeleteI also like having the right tools; even a simple new "toy" so to speak can make keeping neat easier. This shredder is a bigger variety, but still is in the same concept.
Fellowes needs to happen in my life. I've needed a shredder for so long but always hated buying the smaller ones because they've never been strong enough.
ReplyDeleteI work at home part-time and LOVE my shredder! Actually had one break on me last year and had to replace it but they are so vital for any home office!
ReplyDeleteI love my workspace but the clutter is the drawback. I love your tips to push forward and get rid of the paper somehow!
ReplyDeletePaper clutter is my biggest problem! I always pile up to get to later! I'll have to use these techniques!
ReplyDeleteI have so much paper in my office. I need to get it organized and shredded ASAP.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! I keep telling my husband that labeling would help keep us organized but he just dismisses me. Maybe now that someone else is saying it he will believe it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the infographic. It is a great reminder to keep us organized at home and at work as well. I will try that tip on timing myself on those hard to complete task.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting a paper shredder for awhile, but I always forget about it whenever I'm at the store. I guess I need to add it to my to-buy list, especially this one. It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had my own office as it would really help me work. A paper shredder is a good idea though as I have so much paperwork that I don't need now! xx
ReplyDeleteI love these tips. I'm such an organizational freak, these are perfect for me haha!
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