Written by Gayle Gruenberg, the founder of Let’s Get Organized..
Are you in the throes of work-at-home fatigue, sick and tired of the kitchen table doing triple duty, surrounded by the constant buzz of a noisy household?
Has your home office become the family dumping ground, where everyone just shoves their stuff inside and closes the door, oblivious to the growing mountain of obsolete clothes, books, toys, papers, and forgotten gifts?
Do you dream of creating a peaceful place for managing your personal and professional lives?
Yes, it is possible to reclaim control of your home workspace.
If you have a room that used to be an office and it has become a dumping ground, set aside a few hours to go through everything piled up on the floor and in the closet. Remove anything that doesn’t support the activities you need to do there: put tools in the basement or garage, toys in the playroom, and food in the kitchen.
Put like with like. Gathering similar items together makes it easy to see how much of something you have so you can decide what you do and don’t need. Even if you keep it all, you’ll feel a sense of control having everything grouped in one place.
Clear off or set up a horizontal work surface. It doesn’t have to be an expensive desk; it could be as simple as a door set on two sawhorses. Equip it with only what you need at your fingertips while you’re working: computer, pens, notebook, files
Create areas for filing away papers and storing supplies. A rolling file cart is an efficient way to do both and could easily be tucked away under the “desk” to conserve space. Add a flat top and you have a compact mobile office that can be moved to wherever you need a quiet place to work.
“It is possible to reclaim control of your home workspace.”
Two of my favorite organizing techniques are to go vertical and utilize hidden spaces. Use walls and the insides of cabinet and closet doors. An inexpensive shelf unit increases horizontal space and maximizes the height of a space. Hanging mesh shoe pockets inside a closet door or on the back of the door to the room is a great way to store supplies and keep them out of sight.
Make sure there is enough light in your workspace, both general illumination and task lighting.
Your chair should be comfortable enough so you can sit and concentrate, but not so comfortable that you fall asleep. Sitting on a balance ball strengthens your core and improves your posture while you work. A standing desk eliminates the need for a chair altogether and lets you burn a few calories at the same time!
Need to stay 100 percent focused on a task? Use earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
Decorate the space with items that are beautiful, motivating, and meaningful to you. A welcoming space is one you will want to work in!