Over time, many people begin to accumulate more things than they get rid of – and this is especially true in a home office. It’s easy for paperwork to pile up in your home office and begin to get out of hand. A cluttered and disorganized office doesn’t just make you feel distracted, but it can also increase stress levels and decrease productivity.
Decluttering and organizing your home office is not an easy task, and you may be a little intimidated at the thought of it. We’ve asked experts, from Philadelphia, PA to Sacramento, CA, to share their best tip on how to declutter and organize your home office so you can be more productive working from home.
Maximize focus and wellness by organizing your time and systems
In this era of remote work, between web conferences and the many one-off phone calls, it can be difficult to make headway on any tasks and projects. Protect your time by blocking off one to two hours in your calendar each day and putting up “Do Not Disturb” signs on your company chat apps (and on your office door if your housemates are distracting) and silencing your devices during this period of focused work. I also recommend gifting yourself 10 minutes at the end of each day to mentally tidy up, so that you set yourself up for success and don’t feel overwhelmed when you return to your desk. Recycle, shred, or archive anything that you’ve already taken action on, and then open your notebook to a clean page and identify your top three priorities for the next day. – Make Room by Monica
Tackle the digital clutter
Schedule a weekly tech duty day where you clean up that computer desktop, update your software, and purge your trash. These little changes will make a big impact. – Tech Savvy Creative
Establish a system
Create a system for incoming paperwork and a filing system that is labeled to help you find things when you need them. Another way is to find a home for all the office supplies by sorting and creating categories for everything. – Simply Neat and Tidy
Use a scanner to eliminate paper clutter
When cleaning out papers and files, if you need the information but not the actual file, consider scanning it using the Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner or a scanner app on your phone.- Systems by Susie
Keep two things in mind: clarity and inspiration
In order to achieve this successfully, you need to digitise your work management and its content as much as you can. Classify, label, and place in boxes, folders, or drawers only crucial docs and objects which cannot be in electronic format. Keep your workstation fresh and inspiring with plants, your favorite wall art and colours, and a stylish box or tray for things to be actioned. Hiring a professional to help you with the above is the second-best tip. – Conchi the Home Coach
Create a “to-do” box or drawer
This keeps your work papers separate from your personal/home items. Even though you will spend 10-15 minutes a day packing and unpacking your box, this will help keep your workspace from becoming cluttered chaos. Most importantly, it will help you maintain a work/life balance by being able to put work out of sight when your workday is finished since you won’t actually be leaving the “office”. – Green Tree Cleaning Services
Tidy as if you’re having guests over
So you crafted a home office that inspires productivity and gives off major coziness vibes that would melt Joanna Gaines’ heart. Unfortunately, while your productivity is in overdrive, your office is in a downward spiral getting cluttered and messier by the minute. Stay productive and keep your desk looking Pinterest-worthy by having set hours, just like a brick & mortar business. Instead of dashing in and out of the office all day and night, set a non-negotiable closing time and a simple routine to wrap up the day. Tidy up your space as if someone important is coming over to work from your home office. For whatever reason, the anxiety that comes along with having a guest over makes me clean quicker and better than I would for myself. – Cleaning Club
Keep distractions to a minimum
Something that keeps me productive and organized in my office is a little motto less is best. If I have a ton of unnecessary things sitting out while trying to work it becomes a distraction. Keep the workspace neat and you will accomplish so much more all while feeling less stressed. I try to leave my work area to have as well. – Tidy Tabs
Make a playlist for your daily cleaning routine
Create a cleaning checklist and complete a small task every day. Play music and maybe even grab a drink to make cleaning your home office more fun. – Express24 Clean
Abide by the one-minute rule
Maintaining a clean, neat, and efficient workspace in your work office or home office can be really easy. One of my favorite bits of advice is the 1-minute rule. If you see something that needs to be cleaned, dusted, or in need of tidying up and it takes 1 minute or less then do it right away. These small wins will make you feel more productive and set you up for success knowing you have already accomplished something productive once you sit down to go to work. – Freedom Cleaning Solutions
Reduce stress by decluttering
If simply entering your office stresses you out, it’s time for a decluttering session. To really make the most of your efforts, I recommend taking everything out of closets, drawers, and cabinets. Putting your hands on every item helps you to see how much you really have. The key to maintaining any recently decluttered and organized space is only keeping what you need. – Shepard Organizing Solutions
Prioritize your daily goals
Begin each day with your top three items to accomplish. Schedule each task, even if it is small, on your daily online or paper-based planner. What gets scheduled gets done. And then you can carry on with the rest of your day with a feeling of accomplishment. – Day Designer
Consistency is key
Papers can get overwhelming so make sure to process mail immediately, shred and throw away – keep that clutter at a minimum. Make it a habit to clean your desk off at the end of the day so you are ready to conquer business the next morning like a BOSS. – 2 Green Chicks
Achieve organization by breaking tasks into smaller projects
Organizing can be overwhelming. Break up the job into smaller, easy tasks that you can do quickly. The more little organizing projects you get done, the more accomplished you’ll feel, and the more organized you’ll become. Beat organization procrastination by scheduling time once a week for tidying up your home office. When you get in the routine of staying on top of things then organizing will no longer be overwhelming. – The Home Organization Coach
Sort, purge, organize, repeat
Address your digital, physical, and mental clutter to achieve order and clarity. Working in these spaces can feel very overwhelming at times, so follow these three easy steps to organize your space: 1) Sort 2) Purge 3) Organize 4) Repeat. When in doubt, repeat those steps to yourself and figure out which step you’re on. – ClarityCo Organizing