Easy Ways to Organize Your Work from Home Area
The days of having a clear desk policy, an archive system and enough storage to have everything near your desk is now a thing of the past since you made the big decision to work from home. You will now have to create your own declutter and organizing system for your business to keep everything on track.
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Working from home is an exciting venture. You get the opportunity to do things in your own time, on your own schedule however and whenever you want to.
Now each morning you get to avoid traffic, eliminate long coffee shop lines or that dreaded 3 flights of stairs that you needed to climb because of overcrowded elevators to get to your office.
While this working from home business is a great opportunity, it can create a few challenges too that you may not have thought about. Work-life balance, separating home life from work life, being organized, staying motivated and your efforts to overcome them all now seem so overwhelming.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Declutter and Organize Yourself
One such challenge you might have encountered and suffering from right now is that of clutter. When you used to be in the office, you were more organized as you had a space dedicated for every pen or paperclip. At home, things are all over the place.
Part of your daily struggle now is to find time to be truly productive, find that half-finished work somewhere on your desk or try to locate that so-called to-do list on that scrap of paper somewhere in the house. So many things need to get done and it is getting on top of you.
Well as someone who works from home too, I will share with you some free and simple tips that you can utilize to organize your work.
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You can actually hire companies that provide decluttering services or even purchase decluttering books but really, if you just put some simple processes in place by starting with a decluttering checklist you’ll be well on your way.
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What Does Declutter Mean Anyway?
Well clutter, as defined by the Cambridge Enligsh Dictionary, is the collection of objects that are disorganized. Things that are in a state of disorder. Therefore declutter would be the opposite, ie to place everything into a state or order, to remove the mess. To clear and organize the area.
How Can Clutter Affect You?
Have you ever felt disorganized, constantly tired and just plain blah? When working from home do you get that feeling that you just can’t think straight, that you’re uninspired? If you look around you might just be surrounded by a lot of clutter and not just your desk and immediate surroundings either. Your computer files, your emails are all over the place and you just don’t know where to start.
Did you know that clutter can also lead to unhealthy eating habits? For more information on how clutter can affect your well-being, you might find this post from Psychology Today useful.
**Read 3 Best Work-Life Balance Tips**
Studies actually show that clutter can cause feelings of depression and anxiety which results in low levels of productivity. This can drastically affect your work from home business and your potential earnings. Do you really want that to happen?
Being in this kind of environment can affect your health, your mind and your life in general so now is the perfect time to get yourself organized and out of this slump into a life of clarity and well-being.
Use These Decluttering Tips to Organize Your Workspace
Have a Dedicated Office Space
Having a specific office space or work corner is the first thing you want to do. That way you are guaranteed that work will not end up in other places such as the bedroom and whatever piece of work you are looking for does not get mixed up with your personal things.
Get Shelves or Storage Containers
Having shelves or storage boxes especially if you have a lot of physical files and binders will help to avoid stacks of paper and folders on your desk. With them being placed neatly on shelves or out of eyesight in drawers, cupboards or attractive file boxes they are now easily retrievable.
You now know where everything is and you can even use color-coded labels to make sure your filing system is fully user-friendly. This is a great method to use to make it easier to locate and store supplies and files when not in use.
Set a Daily and Weekly Schedule
If you were going to the office you would have a start time, break, lunch and end of daytime. By setting a schedule at home you become more organized on what to do and when to get them done.
A great way to do this is by using the Pomodoro technique. This is basically breaking up work into 25-minute intervals followed by short 5 minute breaks. There are even Pomodoro apps that you can download to use this productive time-saving technique This will set the tone for the day and have you feeling a lot more organized.
Create a To-Do List or Reminders
Want to declutter and organize your thoughts? You can easily use your smartphone and list your ideas in your notes with set reminder dates. Better yet use Trello or Asana from your pc or work from a physical planner.
If like me you blog this is a great content planner to use. Write down a list of things you need to do at the end of each day. For example, empty promotional/social email inbox for 10 minutes each day. Create attractive infographics for a client. Prepare seasonal content for you or your client’s business. This ensures you leave your workspace organized and your mind decluttered ready for tomorrow’s workday.
Trash Unwanted or Unused Material
Yes, stop hoarding. You may not realize but you probably have a few office and desk supplies laying around that you no longer need or didn’t really need to begin with. This can also include content on your laptop or pc.
Have you looked in your download file lately? Check, sort and create electronic files to declutter and organize your computer files. If the things are physical and are in good working order or duplicates donate them to someone or to a charitable cause. This will make you feel great but also provide you with much-needed space.
Create a Sanctuary
Why not create a calm and welcoming area to work from. No more chaos and clutter around you but a feeling of zen-like peace.
As mentioned before store away and get rid of excess paperwork, add attractive and useful shelving. It’s also good to add a piece of art or printable that can inspire your spirit, plus adding one or two ornamental plants is said to improve your energy levels and give you a sense of nature within a room.
To complete the look and feel of your now refreshed uncluttered workspace why not add a wonderful smelling scented candle or essential oil diffuser to keep you in a motivated mood.
Working from home is a very exciting venture but in order to be successful, you need to be organized and clutter-free. If your space is cluttered it can make it challenging to be the best you. Use these 5 stupid-simple steps to up your productivity, stay motivated and develop a better sense of well-being.
If you have any suggestions you can add in how to declutter and organize your work from home area let me know and don’t forget to pin and share this post with others.
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