Increase Your Efficiency With These Quick Organization Tips
As more and more people begin to work from home, it’s increasingly important to organize your home office and stay productive. But does working from home automatically make you get more done? Here’s how to tidy and declutter your space in 15 minutes or less.
Before you start organizing your home office, consider your needs. When you work from home, you need your home office to be a place where you can be efficient and productive.
The best way to maximize your work at home efficiency is by setting yourself up for success by creating an organizing system in line with how you work.
Everyone’s workflow is a little different, and you will do yourself a huge favor by keeping your style in mind while you organize.
For this quick how-to office organization, you will want to begin by prioritizing and designating a place for the necessary paperwork, items to be shredded, and office supplies.
When we work from home is not uncommon for our kids to hang out with us in our office if that’s the case, set aside space to work and store their homework, books, and school supplies.
For now, ignore the computer. The electronic file and inbox organization are projects for another day. If it’s dusty, go ahead and give it a quick wipe down and move on.
A lot of stuff accumulates in home offices: knick-knacks, awards, mugs, and more. Then you have office equipment: a printer, scanner, shredder, and perhaps an external hard drive. Then there’s the paperwork. That is where things can get messy.
Start organizing by collecting and sorting any clutter on the horizontal spaces of your office, such as your desk, file folder cabinet, chairs, and tables. When you pick up an item, quickly decide where it needs to be put away by determining if it’s one of the following: Keep, Donate, Trash, Move to another room.
To make this organizing session more efficient, grab a box or basket to toss items that belong in another part of the house, like clothes, dishes, and toys.
Collect those items and leave them for another time. By clearing away items that don’t belong, you will see what kind of space you have to organize and keep the things you want in your office.
For large stacks of paperwork, tidy the pile and plan time to work on it another day to organize documents and do all the filing. Check this post on how to organize them.
If you have time, sort similar paperwork into categories: bills to be paid, items to be shredded, paper to be filed, etc.
To make this organizing session more efficient, grab a box or basket to toss items that belong in another part of the house, like clothes, dishes, and toys. Collect those items and leave them for another time. By clearing away items that don’t belong, you will see what kind of space you have to organize and keep the things you want in your office.
Straighten up as you move around the room. Put books back on the bookshelf and return collectibles to the appropriate shelf.
Gather office supplies like cables, notepads, and pencils. Place them in your desk drawers or supply cabinet.
Don’t be distracted by disorganized drawers or cubbies. Remember, this is a quick cleanup, and it’s essential to stay focused on the areas most visible. Make a note of other spaces that need to be organized and put them off for another day.
If you come across trash, toss it immediately. When you fill the trash can, be sure to empty it as soon as you’re finished. Finally, do one last pass of the entire room to ensure everything is straightened up. Focus on tidying your home office, and for now, don’t worry about dusting or vacuuming. You can always dust during your routine cleaning.
When you are finished, take a few minutes to appreciate what you have accomplished. You will feel rewarded and much more productive when working in your organized office.
Making these quick home office organizing sessions a regular habit will significantly increase your efficiency while working from home.
