With approximately one in five Americans working from home, chances are good that you have a home office. Even if you don’t telecommute on a regular basis, this area of your home is a convenient place to handle your correspondence, pay bills and file important papers.
For many homeowners, the home office is a place that gets cluttered easily. It might be that you are overrun with papers, or that you don’t have a good filing system in place. Because the room is generally behind closed doors, you might have the tendency to leave projects out; this can cause chaos when you have more than one project to work on!
Here are some home office organization tips that can help you get this area of your home under control.
Stock Up on Organizers
If you’re having trouble keeping your various office items corralled, you might just need good office organizers. A desktop organizer that keeps your paper clips, post-it notes, pens and other office supplies in one location can do wonders for the state of your desk.
In addition to office supply organizers, it’s important to have a good filing system. Have some type of system in place for papers that need to be dealt with in the very near future, and another for documents that you have to save for later. For example, a tray with several tiers can help you sort bills, personal correspondence and forms that need to be filled out, and a file cabinet with folders can allow you to keep your tax documents, medical records and other must-keep papers in check.
Purge Your Clutter
As you work, it’s important to throw away or recycle documents and supplies that you no longer need. If you have a des drawer that contains empty tape dispensers or dried up glue sticks, then you need to do some purging! Go through your drawers and get rid of the items that you no longer need. Your home office should not have a “junk drawer,” so if you have one containing rubber bands and takeout menus, it’s time to find a new place to stash these items.
Talk to a tax professional about the documents that you no longer need to keep. Everyone should keep their tax documents for three years, but some people need to keep certain items longer. Items like paid utility bills and mortgage statements are generally able to be stored digitally, so find out whether this is a viable option for you. You may not need to keep your papers as long as you think you do; if this turns out to be the case, make good use of your shredder!
Check Your Ergonomics
While this is not strictly a home office organization tip, it’s important for your health and safety to be sure that your work area and desk chair are both at the correct height for optimal comfort.
If your work surface is too high or your desk too low, you can suffer from shoulder, neck and back pain. You might also be at an increased risk of developing eye strain or a wrist injury. While you are organizing the office, it’s a great idea to upgrade your chair or adjust your work surface to ensure proper ergonomics.
You've heard the adage that time is money, and when it comes to your home office, saving time in the form of better organization can increase your productivity and raise your bottom line.
Call us today and we can show you a better home office!
