Often tight on space, our home offices are sometimes just a desk crammed into a corner of the living room. Keeping them organised can be tricky, as we all know how easily paperwork and unread letters pile up. Spending some time organising your workspace can save you stress, anxiety and worry when you can’t find that important document or the party invitation for Friday. Here are some tips to easily organise your home office - your future self will thank you!
Avoid piles of scrap paper and old letters by investing in some file racks, magazine files, or expanding files. These are great for keeping your desk organised and clutter-free. If you have a workflow that needs some tidying, file for work “to be done” and work “completed”. Box files are ideal for archiving important documents, and you can save space by stacking them on top of each other. Add open shelving above your desk or on nearby wall space for easy access.
Tie cables and wires together using cable or hook and loop ties. There are few things as frustrating as trying to navigate through a tangle of electrical wires to find that elusive plug. If you have a desk with a wire hole, ensure you feed the plugs through here, and if necessary, tape excess wire slack to the wall, so it doesn’t get caught under the table.
Use glass jam jars and mason jars to store receipts, paper clips, elastic bands and other paraphernalia. The jars stack easily on shelves and make it easy to see exactly where everything is. Unlike stationery trays, you don’t have to worry about knocking them over and causing a spillage! We also think it’s a good idea to keep a small bin nearby, helping to prevent piles of rubbish from building up on your desk.
Creating a custom cork board or fabric pinboard is a great way to see your schedule at a glance, as well as store important documents you’ll be needing soon. You can allocate different areas to different family members or different areas of work that need sorting out. Keep the board somewhere you can easily access, and consider pinning motivational quotes to it - anything that helps you get through the day.
