Home Sweet Home Office

2008-08-23 21:09:21

Organizing a home office is easy. Time and thought goes a long way and does not cost a dime. Simply moving things around without a purpose just leaves you with a space that does not function. You can no longer find anything. You spend more time hunting than working.

For the last couple of days I have been giving tips to successfully organize your home office. So far we have sorted, organized and containerized. Sounds easy because it is. If you have not gotten started yet that is OK. Sometimes organizing is put off because you are not sure where to begin. Read my previous posts under the category “organize” and you will know where and how to start.

So far you have sorted items such as writing utensils, empty file folders, notepads and other small office supplies and gadgets. You have determined the size and kind of containers you want to use. You labeled the containers. You were careful to choose containers that would fit into cubbies, on shelves and in cabinets that are already in the home office. Later I will discuss storage solution options.

At this point you should already feel better with your surroundings. But, I bet those piles of paper still bug you. This is today’s homework. We are working with all papers that are on surfaces and on the floor. We are not ready to reorganize the filing system yet so leave your files alone for now.

I use an office supply item called a Desk File Sorter. I love these things! I have one that is A through Z, one that is number 1 through 31 and one that has a combination of number 1 through 31 and January through December. You will not need these yet but you will as we move forward.

Tip: Mine were ordered from Office Depot.com because all that I could find in their store was the A through Z. If you have multiple years that need to be sorted you should have a Desk File Sorter or two for each year.

You will have different types of paper piles.

• Papers that simply need to be filed away.
• Papers that need action. Bills to pay, phone calls to make, etc.
• Papers that need to be grouped. I keep a file for special papers needed to file my taxes. For example, all 1099s and any tax letters
• Credit card receipts and bank statements

This step may scare you - but it is necessary. Gather all papers together and then start sorting them out into the different piles described above. As with the other items in the home office I suggest labeled boxes for this purpose. I know-I know that you know what are in your piles and you like it that way. Please humor me here. Visual people love piles so that they can see what they have. What happens though when someone else moves the piles or if that pile is knocked onto the floor?

This step towards your organized home office space may take a while. That is OK. The benefit will be obvious and you will probably find an unpaid bill or something that really needs immediate attention. I’ve lost money before because I forgot to deposit a rebate check that was buried in a pile of old mail. It was VOID after and the 90 days allowed to cash it. ARG!