You might picture a home office as a perfectly Zen space that’s free of distractions and stress. However, this is rarely the case. Many people find their personal lives seeping into their home offices and their professional lives seeping out into the rest of the home. Fortunately, this problem can be solved with a little organization. By following the three steps below, you’re setting yourself up for a clean workspace that allows you to spend the rest of your time focusing on more important things. Give them a try and see how they work.
End Each Week With a Paper Purge
Image via Flickr by osseous
It’s easy for your desk to get messy throughout the week. You might set something aside and accidentally bury it under plans, contracts, and notes. Not only does this make your office seem smaller, but it can overwhelm you and make it hard to keep your priorities straight.
Invest in a small paper shredder (there are plenty of options at Office Depot) and spend the last 10 to 15 minutes of your Friday reviewing all of the papers on your desk and in your office. Shred what you don’t need, file away what you do, and prioritize the important items. Once your space is organized, grab a notepad and make a list of Monday’s priorities. This way, you will know exactly what needs to get done when you sit down at the start of the week.
Invest in Quality Filing Cabinets
If you manage a business that’s significantly paper heavy – like a law office or accounting firm – then you might find stacks of papers building up throughout your office. This is an easy way to lose important documents and cause undue stress while you look for them. A filing cabinet is an amazing tool: it allows all of your files to live in once place where you can easily reach them. If you don’t have one in your office, then you need one now.
Even if you do have a filing cabinet, you might still be due for a new one. Many desks have cabinets built in that aren’t big enough to handle the workings of an entire business. The teams at Office Depot and Office Max can help with this as well.
Get Creative With Labels, Notes, and Colors
Just because you have a home office doesn’t mean it needs to be as boring as the rest of corporate America. Stop by Hobby Lobby and look for unique labels, file folders, and stamps that you can use in your office. This will make you more inclined to actually use them throughout the week, while boosting your happiness around your work. It’s your home after all, so why not make it fun?
If you’re still struggling to focus at the office, ask yourself what’s distracting you. You might have a bad chair that makes your back hurt, or maybe loud noises pull you out of your work zone. By solving these problems, you will soon have an optimal office space that maximizes productivity.
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