How to Organize Yourself and Your Home Office for Better Productivity
More and more people every day choose to leave their offices and move their work to their homes. And it’s not a huge surprise, especially when you consider all the benefits: flexible hours, no wasting time commuting, an abundance of comfort, and many others. However, if you want to keep yourself productive at home just as much as you were in your real office, here are some organizational tips that will help minimize distractions and boost your focus.
Get High-Quality Furniture
This should be your number one priority! This is where you’ll spend most of your time, so make it comfortable and ergonomic. A lot of sitting can cause back and neck pain and seriously distract you from your work, especially if your desk and chair aren’t the right types. Additionally, make sure to keep your desk well-organized and clutter-free. Yes, some people claim creative mess helps them think, but it is scientifically proven that clutter reduces focus, creativity, and motivation. So, clear everything off of your desk except your lamp, computer, and important files.
Buy Plenty of Bins
Keeping your desk clear is very important, but you can’t just take the clutter and move it to your drawers or coffee table. This still counts as a mess and you will find it distracting! So, use bins to minimize the clutter and maximize organization. Put them in your drawers or on your shelves and make sure to label them clearly. This way, clutter will be kept at bay and you’ll always be able to find just what you need. But, you also need another type of bin, a rubbish bin. Put it next to your desk and get rid of unnecessary things quickly and easily. Both of these ideas are great for controlling clutter, staying organized, and saving time.
Organize Your Files
If you work with a lot of paperwork, you might soon find yourself surrounded by a bunch of different files. However, if you deal with your papers every day by tossing garbage, filing relevant files, and archiving old ones, you’ll have everything under control. Get a few trays for paperwork that you’ll be addressing soon, find a good filing cabinet for archiving and employ your bin for trash. This organizing system will save you plenty of time and nerve, especially when you’re in a hurry to find the right file.
Employ Your Vertical Spaces
If you have many books you need for your work or if you seriously lack office space, you must employ bookshelves. Categorize your books by subject or alphabet to keep them organized and handy, and do the same with binders. Shelves will certainly give you some more elbow space AND help you with storage and organization. If you have some empty space left, use it to display photographs or art that will tie everything together and introduce a touch of personality to your home office.
Introduce some motivation
Every good office needs a few details that will inspire you and push you forward. There are plenty of motivational posters out there, but it’s always better to make them yourself for a more personal effect. Just grab some quality A3 paper, print out some photos of people, things, and quotes that inspire you, glue them on, and voila! You have a cool vision board that will keep you going when everything seems to be going wrong. Plus, the fact that this board is totally personalized and that you actually took the time and effort to make it will inspire you even more!
Green Up
If you trust NASA (and you should), plants have an amazing ability to clean out your air, focus your attention and relieve stress. So, make sure to find a cute plant that will bring a pop of color to your space and provide you with its magical benefits. Peace lilies, snake plants, ferns or aloe vera can all improve your home office both aesthetic- and health-wise.
These organizational tips will charge you with new energy, focus, and productivity and make your work more pleasant than ever before. Give them a try and reap the benefits.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Claire is a personal and professional development expert who believes that a positive attitude is one of the keys to success. You can find her online writing and giving tips about lifestyle and development as a regular contributor at highstylife.com
a couple helpful hints for me, I am trying to combine Spring cleaning with office organization and was looking for some new ideas!