Home office organization tips

Organizing your home office

We live in a digital age where working remotely is just as common as commuting to an office. Though that brings the liberty to work wherever your laptop takes you, it’s important to have a dedicated space you can call a home office. After all, we’ve all heard something along the lines of “Tidy office, tidy mind”. And that’s why today, we’re sharing six tips to help you organize your home office so that you can feel relaxed and ready to tackle any project that comes your way.

Tip 1: Set up work zones

An easy way to organize a home office is to set up work zones for different activities. For example:

• Work Zone - This is where the work gets done. You’ll want to set up a clear workspace for your computer. Make sure you have any frequently used items easily accessible so that you minimize the amount of times you need to step away from your desk.
• Reference Zone - This area could be used for books, reference materials, and anything you may need access to from time to time. Knowing there is one place for everything you might need will reduce the amount of wasted time digging through drawers and boxes to find that one thing you’re looking for.
• Supply Zone - This is where you keep your office and paper supplies. Whatever you might need to replenish, this is where you’ll want to keep your office stocked up.
• Play Zone - Let’s face it––though we’d all love to say we have the perfect home office just for ourselves, the reality of working from home is there are frequent interruptions. And especially if you have children coming in and out of the space throughout the day. It’s a great idea to set up a play zone in your office with a couple of silent toys or activities for your kids to do while you work or take a phone call. This works especially well for younger children.

Tip 2: It’s time to let go

One of the reasons why home offices get so cluttered is because our home and our office merge together. It’s important to remove as many items as possible that aren’t related to work. Take a few minutes to purge your office of everything you’re no longer using. Some things you can start with:

• Pens that no longer work
• Unused or broken office equipment
• Old magazines and newspapers
• Outdated documents

Tip 3: Do a cable audit

We’ve all been there–you’re in the middle of something important and you get tangled in between the endless sea of wires on your desk. Take 30 minutes, unplug everything and work on your cable management. If you’ve had a home office long enough you might even find cables that don’t lead to anything. Keep only the essential things plugged in at your work zone and you’ll feel as if there is a little more sunshine coming through your window.

Tip 4: Matching storage boxes

Sometimes, it’s just in the details. Something as simple as matching storage boxes can bring a calm sense of order to a home office. Spend less time looking for things and upgrade this tip by labeling your boxes so that you know exactly what’s inside them. This tip will work especially well in the reference or supply zones of your home office.

Tip 5: Maximize space

Look for wasted space. Think creatively and use things like door racks or under the bed storage options to help declutter your main area. If you don’t have a lot of room to work with, a great way to instantly make better use of your space is to go up. Instead of only having a couple of shelves to store things, take them up to the ceiling to really maximize the vertical space.

Tip 6: Invest in Drawer Organizers

Though it’s easy to think “out of sight, out of mind,” a messy desk drawer can put a cramp in your productivity. Use drawer organizers for all of your pens, pencils, paper clips, rubber bands, you name it! It will make your next search for a paperclip a lot easier. You can also save money on acrylic organizers by using old dishes or bowls to help tame your drawer.