6 Simple Tips To Get Your Home Office Organized

If you run a home-based business or work from home, it can be a challenge to keep your home office organized. The challenge is due to the fact that our home is where we relax, eat, sleep, and interact with our family, all of which cause organization problems. Productivity, then, begins to suffer when your workspace is disorganized. The following tips will help create a productive home office workspace.

1. Set boundaries: Determine the boundaries of your home office, and keep all other activities out of there. It's best if you're able to devote an entire room to your home office, as this makes it so much easier to block everything else out. However, if your home office is only a certain section of a room, draw an imaginary square around that section, and keep everything not related to work out of that square.

2. Have the basics on hand: For almost all types of businesses you will need:

* A can for garbage, a can for recycling, and a paper shredder

* A container or drawer of writing implements, paper clips, clamps, post-it notes, scissor and stapler

* A file drawer or separate file cabinet with tab file folders

* A telephone

* A clock with an alarm and/or a timer

* A notepad to jot down notes and to-do lists

3. Remove clutter: Everything that is not directly useful for your work should be taken out of your workspace. Take a few minutes each day to sort paperwork and such if you are the type of person who tends to accumulate many stacks of documents, books, or other materials throughout the day. Generally people see productivity decrease when clutter is what is surrounding them.

4. Have an Efficient Filing System: You should be able to find any paper or file in 30-seconds or less. Also, the papers that require action on your part should be in an Active File System designed to automatically draw your attention to them at the appropriate time.

This is important for two reasons.

1. So you don't lose or forget about them or miss a deadline.

2. So you can focus on your main work without wondering if there is something in the important paper pile that you should stop to take care of. If you have an effective Active File System, you will be able to focus on your work and know that at the appropriate time those papers will be brought to your attention and you can deal with them at that time.

For an efficient home filing system, check out the Fast-Filing Method. It offers an active filing system and guarantees you will be able to find any paper in 30-seconds or less.

5. Take breaks and eat lunch elsewhere: A breather away from your office during your workday can be refreshing and can actually boost productivity. Get outside during this time if possible. A deck or porch can be a great place to eat lunch. The vitamin D will enhance your mood and your mental capabilities.

6. Use a Timer: Set an alarm to keep you focused. It will help you focus more of your time on high-priority work and limit the amount of time you spend on low-priority busy work. Set a goal on how much time you want to spend on a specific task such as handling e-mail. Then set the alarm so that it will go off in that amount of time. This will motivate you to prioritize and move more quickly through your tasks so you can get more done.