Home Sweet Home Office

Visual people, minimalist people and hoarders are three different types of people that work in home offices. I have worked with all three types and there are definitely unique ways to get them organized.

Today I want to talk about the visual people. These people feel most comfortable when all of their stuff is in plain view. Often they are hesitant to put things away in a drawer or box. The fear is that they will forget where to find something or they may forget to take action such as paying a bill.

Visual people are a challenge to work with. There is only so much flat space in a home office so eventually every inch is covered. Papers will pile up and visual people love in and out boxes. You may notice that I do not like in and out boxes – they are typically a huge clutter catcher.

One successful solution that I use is labeling. There are numerous choices of clear plastic containers that can be used to store files and supplies in. Labeling materials have gotten so much better than they used to be. Things change quickly so I prefer labels that can be removed and replaced. Some can be printed from a computer and some can be printed from dedicated label makers. The later is a fun and easy way to make labels. Of course that will be one more gadget and set of supplies to find a home for in the home office.

Workarounds can be used to alleviate a visual person’s fears

· Lists – an open date book, a calendar or a simple list kept in plain view can act as a reminder of events and things to do.
· Stand Up file stand – this eliminates the in and out box somewhat. It lessens the habit of stacking papers instead of putting them away.
· Group items – keep like items close to each other. The eye will have less searching to do when checking things out
· Rolling carts and tables – provides a portable area to spread out paper work that does not have to be put away each day.
· A diagram of the home office with locations of items marked notating those that have been stored away. I use a closet to store some files, photos, gadgets and my collection of bags. It is easy to forget what is in there.

There is nothing wrong about being visual but it can cause a few headaches. Over time progress can be made by using a few or all of the options that I listed above. Out of sight does not have to mean out of mind.