5 Easy Tips for Organizing Your Home Office

Jul 24

Are you trying to get your paperwork in order so you can file your taxes, but you can’t find what you're looking for? Are the piles of papers taking over your office and frustrating you so much that you feel paralyzed?

Here are my 5 favorite tips to organize your office so you can reclaim your space.

1. Organize for 15 Minutes a Day
Keep it simple. Set a timer for 15 minutes, mute your phone, and limit all distractions so you can really focus on getting organized. Do this every day until your office is sparkling clean. If you're up for a challenge, increase it to 30 minutes a day.

2. Tackle the Piles on Your Desk First
It's challenging to organize the other areas of your office if you don’t have a place to sort. Start with one pile and sort the papers into the following categories: to do, to file, garbage, recycling, shred, and relocate. Once the timer goes off, proces all the papers accordingly.

3. Shred Old Documents
We all have them: the old credit card statements, bank statements, car insurance policies, and utility statements that burst out of our files. Shredding old documents will make room for the new ones to filter in so they won't take over your desk again. Many statements are available online, so likely, you don't need to keep them at all. Write down a list of the companies that you receive statements from as you shred them. When the timer goes off, you can go to the website for each company and select the paperless option. This will keep papers from coming into your home in the first place!

4. Place Sentimental Items in a Bin
As you organize your office, you may come across old photos and items from your childhood that spark memories. This can be a wonderful feeling, but don't fall into the trap friends! Reminiscing about old times can really slow down the organizing process and derail your progress. So, place those items in a bin and look at them later when you can give them the attention they deserve.

5. Remove Items That Don't Belong in the Office
Somehow the office tends to be a magnet for things that don't belong there! Random toys, clothes, bags, and mystery piles pop up everywhere. Don't worry, this tends to happen to all of my clients. As you are organizing, place these miscellaneous items in a pile, then take them back to the place they go when the timer is done.

If you would like more guidance as you organize your office, grab your complimentary Clutter Free Office Checklist.

Thank you for inviting me into your homes, lives, & hearts.