Keep Your Home Office Organized in the New Year
Working from home requires an organized workspace that encourages you to focus and be productive. As you set your goals for the new year, make sure to include goals for keeping your home office organized. These will help to improve your productivity and efficiency which will support your other new year’s goals. Try these home office organizing strategies from your NYC Professional Office Organizer to get a head start on a productive year working from home.
Remove the clutter and excess from the holidays. Your home office can become a dumping ground for all sorts of items from other parts of your home especially around the holidays. Take time to remove all items that should be stored in another area of your home and return them to their proper place. Any old items that you no longer use can be donated or recycled.
Clear out your files and make space for the new year. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time to take a look at what you’ve saved throughout the previous year. Many items need to be saved such as your home files (real estate paperwork, etc.), tax paperwork, and your current client project files. However, you may no longer need 80% of what has been saved. Any junk mail or scrap paper with notes on it can be recycled (make sure you include any relevant tasks from the notes on your to-do list!). Projects that have been completed no longer need to be stored with your action files. You can move this to a storage box and archive them in a closet.
Reevaluate your home office space. Perhaps the clutter piles up because your home office serves multiple purposes. Now is a great time to evaluate your space and decide whether or not it is working for you. If storage space is the issue, then get creative! Utilize custom shelving units and maximize your vertical space. Store your books and decorative pieces on the upper shelves and place storage boxes, baskets or bins for small office supplies, reading materials and paper on the lower shelves.
Make it a goal to keep your desk organized this year. As your primary work space, your desk demands the most attention! Clear it off completely. File your papers away, leaving only the bare necessities on your desktop like your computer or phone. Keep office supplies, such as pens, pencils, and notebooks stored neatly in your desk drawers or nearby shelves in your home office. With your desk clear and frequently used supplies and files organized, your work space is more conducive to being productive!
Start the new year out by making your resolution to organize your workspace so that it is organized and efficient. For more hands-on office organizing tips and strategies, reach out to this NYC Professional Office Organizer.