Having a cluttered office is a sure sign that your mind might also be a mess. The likelihood is that you would be much more productive in an office that is organized and free of clutter. Sometimes it is not all about being messy, but it is about realizing that there needs to be a dedicated place for everything.
Here’s how you can keep your office and your mind clear:
- Storage bins are a great way to keep your office in order. They come in different sizes, so you do not have to buy huge ones if you do not have that much to put in them. You have to make sure to place labels on the side of each bin so that you know what it is you have put into each of them. Check www.begalabel.com for beautiful and budget-friendly labels. Stack them up neatly against a wall or in a closet. It helps to put the ones that have the most important items at the top of the stack.
- Buy a cork board, whiteboard or a magnetic board if you need a place to stick reminders. Some people tend to write all of their notes on little sticky paper. While there is nothing wrong with that, it is much less organized than having a place where you can write down information and not worry about it getting lost in a shuffle of papers.
- Every office needs to have a calendar. While online calendars and organizers are great, you need to make sure to have a physical calendar in case something happens to your Internet connection. It would be awful for you to have an appointment and you miss it due to not having a solid backup schedule.
- Stacking shelves are the best friend of many people that run offices from home. These are very helpful because each shelf is for something different. It is very easy to keep everything in order once you give it a designated place. Without a stacking shelf, it would be very difficult to keep track of everything. You can always keep papers in a file cabinet, but a stacking shelf is great for papers you need to have at arm’s length.
- Take anything off your desk that does not need to be there. That may sound like a given, but many people fail to do that. Pictures of your family members, snack foods and figurines have no place on your work desk. The fact is that you work at home, so there are other places in your home that would be a better place for these items. The only things that should be on your desk are materials you need to do your job effectively.
The tips above should help you get your office in the right shape. Keeping your home office in order will significantly increase your productivity. While you will still have to do hard work to make any money, having an office you feel comfortable in will make it easier for you. Once you get things in order, make sure you keep them that way in order to remain efficient.