Organizing your home office is a top priority these days

With the rise in work from home professionals, office storage and organization is a must for an efficient working environment

Working at home takes commitment and dedication, and just putting a computer in a room and letting people know you work from home does not make a person a successful business person.

Although it is much faster and easier to set up a home office than a local street locale office, you still have to make some decisions on why, where, and what type of office space you will be needing.

These decisions are addressed in the Analyzing Your Home Office Worksheet. Download and fill in this worksheet if you haven't already done so. This will be of great help to you as you go along organizing your home office.

I'm making the assumption here that you have a home office but still somehow it isn't working as efficiently for you as you would like. This is the point we will start to work from in this section.

First Sort out the Clutter

As always, the hardest part of organizing your home office is sorting through the clutter. If you're not sure where to start, check out the links at the bottom of this page for some basic ideas you may find useful.

Look around and think about the items you see as you are thinking about organizing your office:

• Are there magazines, mail, and newspapers strewn around that have nothing to do with the work you do?
• Do you have to step around children's toys to get to your desk?
• Are remnants of last night's snack and half emptied coffee cups cluttering your work area?
• Are there books and trade journals piled on chairs and the floor?
• Are you drowning in file folders and paperwork?
• Do you have cartons of supplies piled up in the corners?

If you see any of these storage and clutter problems in your work space, it is time to get a handle on organizing your home office.

First re-locate everything that doesn't belong in your home office space. Toys, household mail, clothing, Play Station games, all should have a place in other rooms of the home. As soon as this is accomplished, you will feel a sense of relief and be ready to move on to the next step.



What is the Biggest Problem in Organizing Your Home Office

As you are thinking of organizing your home office, what is the biggest problem that bothers you on a regular basis? What is keeping you from working efficiently?

Is it:

• Constant interruptions?
• Too many distractions?
• An overflow of paperwork?
• An inability to locate what you need?
• A cluttered desk?
• Improper time management?
• Inadequate equipment?
• Not enough desk space?

As you can see, the list can be overwhelming, but any problem can be solved, one step at a time.

If You Work at Home, Make Sure Everyone Knows You Are Working

This really has nothing to do with organizing your home office, but being a work at home business person, I know how difficult it is to convince people you are actually working! Tell everyone you know of your office hours. Make printed business cards with your office hours listed on them if you must. Use caller ID and DO NOT ANSWER PERSONAL CALLS! If you do this, no one will take you seriously and they will keep calling as long as you keep answering.

Don't read the paper, search the 'Net, or play computer games during your office hours. Many people think they have too much work for too little time. Take time to analyze where you are actually spending your time and you may be surprised at how much of this valuable commodity slips right through your fingers.

Tame the Paperwork Pile

We all know that paperwork breeds. That's just the way it is. Lay down on piece of paper and by the end of the day, six more pieces have appeared next to it without any help from you.

The best rule I can pass on is the standard one for organizing your home office and keeping down the paper clutter: Handle each piece of paper only once! Sometimes this is impossible, but if you get into the habit of taking care of paper as soon as possible, your life will be less stressful, and your office will be much easier to work in.

Each piece of paper needs one of these three actions.

• I need to do something with this (pay a bill, answer a letter, file for future reference, etc.)
• Someone else needs this paper so I should pass it on to the appropriate person
• This is junk. Trash it!

Keep a waste basket handy to your desk and use it. Really think about what to do with each piece of paper you handle. When tempted to put something aside, remember this slogan; "This Will Breed!".

An item that should be in any office these days with identity theft being so common is a paper shredder (that is unless you burn your trash in the backyard).

Keep some stacking inbox trays on your desk if you must for incoming action items. Be aware however, that these can soon become a catchall and a way to avoid making decisions about incoming paper.

Design a Filing System that Works for You as You Go About Analyzing Your Home Office

One of the best things you can do for yourself when organizing your home office is to design and USE! and filing system that works for your business.

Keep your system as simple as possible. The world's greatest filing system is no good at all if you don't understand it or can't remember how it works. The simplest of all systems is alphabetical. Everyone knows the alphabet and how to use it.

Since you have a home office, you would probably need two systems, one for the household and one for business. It is not necessary to have them both in the same place or even the same room. Just place each file in the area where ease of access and use is the most convenient. You can find information and categories on how to file on the internet. This will get you started in organizing your home office files and you can refine the system as you use it.

Many desks come with a file draw and this is prime real estate for filing information you use every day. A rolling file cabinet is also useful if you use a lot of research material or patterns on a regular basis. There are many pieces of furniture that hide files. Ottomans, armoires, and drawers are all great places to install files. Whereever you have your files, be sure to have your hanging folders, file folders, labels and marking pens nearby. If you have all your supplies close at hand, you will be more likely to use your file systems.

For files you use occasionally, a standard file cabinet can be placed in an odd corner, between windows, or even in a seldom used closet. Archived files such as tax records can be stored in the garage or attic until needed.

Now that the Paperwork is Corralled, Let's Move on to Other Supplies

Hopefully at this point, things are looking a little neater and your home office organizing project is moving forward.

For more ideas check out Home Office Organizing Part Two

For more information on your home office check out: Home Office Decorating Tips and Ideas