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5 Best Tips for Organizing Your Home Office
Having a home office can be both a blessing and a challenge. The commute to work is ideal and you can’t beat the rent, but working in the home has challenges that are multiplied when an office is not organized. I once worked with a client who had her printer in another part of the house and not near her desk. This resulted in loss of time to go retrieve documents and often she used more ink when she could not see that the paper was not printing correctly or she had the wrong paper loaded. Another client had stacks of files and papers that accumulated on his desk. The file cabinet was on the other side of the room and not within reach of where he sat at his desk. Both clients’ problems were easily solved by moving simply moving the file cabinet and printer closer for better work flow and efficiency.
So, what are the 5 best tips I can share with you for your home office? Here they are:
1.) Buy furniture that works for the space you will be using and for the work you will be doing. If you know that you generate a lot of paper files be sure to invest in quality file cabinets that allow room to expand. Look for a desk that is comfortable, offers plenty of surface space for both computer and work area, and has adequate storage compartments and drawers to keep supplies in (and not on) your desk.
2.) Position the furniture and office equipment in a way that enhances the work flow. The key is to save time and steps when at all possible. Position the equipment you use the most closest to where you work and you can move fax machines and other office equipment that are only used occasionally to another room or on the other side of the room.
3.) Organize office in 3 separate sections which includes a place to work, a place for supplies and a place for any reference materials like professional books or binders with trade information.
4.) Rid your office of knick-knacks and hide any computer cables so it looks clean.
5.) Create a paper flow that works for how you work. Example, place projects or file folders that you are still working on closest to you in plain sight and file away any old projects or past clients’ folders in a file that is not in direct view. Create a place for sorting mail and have the shredder machine handy to rid yourself of any unwanted papers. And “files, not piles” is a mantra to live by.
To learn more about how to set-up a home office that works for your business please contact Simplify with Eileen at 781.589.5444.