The following is a guest post from momAgenda COMM blogger Jodi Grundig.
Earlier this year, fed up with having an ad-hoc home office, I decided to turn our never-used dining room into a true home office. We sold the dining room table, and purchased shelves and a brand-new desk, just for me!
While I absolutely love having my office in such a prominent part of our home, it’s now essential that I keep it organized and decluttered. Here are 5 tips I follow to make sure my office isn’t cluttered or messy which you can easily follow, too:
1. Scan it and file it. I invested in a NeatDesk scanner to scan all receipts, documents, and business cards right to my desktop. Then, I can put these documents away in boxes in storage, rather than in my home office. This saves a ton of space in the office itself, keeping unwanted clutter away.
2. Keep important “stuff” at your fingertips. I love my momAgenda Kitchen Folio because I keep essential paperwork, like the kids’ school health records and important phone numbers in an easily accessible spot. This saves the office from becoming a paper infested space and the Kitchen Folio is a sanity saver when you need to reference that important “stuff” in a snap.
3. File all bills. I purchased a bill book at my local office supply store, and I store all of our bills by month. Then, when I’m ready to pay bills, I just pull out the book. It’s a great way to make sure I don’t accidentally misplace a bill or forget to pay a bill. Again, the clutter stays away considering all bills and necessary paperwork are contained in one area.
4. Designate a place for everything. My home office, like most home offices, has a lot of office supplies such as printer paper, pens, binders, and folders. Having a dedicated spot for everything helps keep my office looking neat. Purchasing some organizational resources to help you set up a functional and organized home office is a great way to maintain the space.
5. Keep the desktop clean. While it’s easy to pile everything on top of the desk, I try to make sure the desktop is nice and clean before I’m finished for the day. This means throwing out unnecessary papers and placing important information where it belongs – whether that’s in an organizer or a compartment within the desk. Taking a few moments at the end of each day to keep this area clean will help you maintain a clutter-free space.
How do you keep your home office uncluttered and organized?
Jodi has been blogging since 2007 and is the founder of the popular mom review blog Mom’s Favorite Stuff. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.