How To Organize My Office
My husband and I have separate home offices. Both rooms are small. My room is 9×11, and on one wall, I have a custom wall office desk with a three-shelf enclosed hutch. On my desk counter, I have two large desktop monitors, a HP printer, a computer speaker, and a HDOC4 channel DVR. My desk has four file drawers and two cabinets. I have purged items from both my file drawers and two cabinets. I still have too much paper. I also have a few books and accessories in my enclosed hutch.
There is a closet and one window. My husband’s office is 11×11 with a closet and two windows. He has a standard sized office deck with 2-small drawers, an office chair, a daybed, one piece of exercise equipment, and a paper shredder.
In both rooms, we have lots of books. Both cabinets need to be thinned out. We have decided there is a need to streamline our office clutter. To motivate me to get this completed, I listed the following motivation ideas.
- Give me mental clarity- For me to have mental clarity, I need to keep paper that I need now in my desk.Other important older papers, I need to keep in another space (ex. Income tax papers, car repairs, Insurance policies, warranties from past years), and outdated paper, I need to trash.
- Both rooms will look inviting and clean.
- Less clean up time for both rooms.
- Better Health- When I have fewer things to clean, I have fewer items to dust, and a dust free and clean house provides a healthier home environment for my family and me.
My Daily cleaning Plan
Simplify Work Space
Clean my work space- I like to have fewer stacks of paper on my desk. To make sure this happens, each day, I need to set aside 20 minutes. I like to use this time to clear away a few pieces of paper. This is a goal that I haven’t met. I’m still working on it. To help me accomplish this goal, I make sure I have the following tools. I use a small wire caddy to put scissors, pencils, ink pens…etc., so they are accessible. I have a large calendar on my bulletin board to make quick notes for the month.
One more thing that really helps me to simplify my work space is to focus all my energy on one task at a time.
File System
Set up a color code action file system- I have a three-tier file desk tray and seldom do I check to see what is there. An action file system will motivate me to take care of each task and help me grab things quickly if I need to do so. I need a red file folder or a hot file folder to keep me on track as to what needs to be done right away (ex. paying my bills, making doctor appointments).
Books And Magazines
Books and magazines will be the hardest for both of us to organize. We have a problem getting rid of books. To make it fun, I want to download the Everspruce app. But before we start, I need to have a clear bin with a top or any large container with a top.
Once downloaded, I will need to take a picture of the area where our books are located. Before packing any of our books, we need a group picture of all the items going in each bin. Label the bin and take another picture. We have to decide on a few boundaries. For me, I think I should pack any book or booklet that I have not read in the last six months or more and place them in our utility room outside. On my cell phone calendar- under new events –after six months, I will select the date and month to remove a least four books. I will donate them to the Library or give them to Goodwill. This should be fun because Everspruce is very easy to use.
When your office is organized you have more mental clarity, your room is more inviting and clean. Plus, it requires less clean up time. And it allows you to work more efficiently and effectively.
