Whether at home or in a traditional setting, your office sets the tone for how focused, productive, and inspired you feel each day.
Working from
home used to be considered a luxury, for executives and high-ranking corporate
employees. But as time has gone on, so much of the working world has turned to
online endeavors, and although some folks have had to return to office
buildings after the pandemic cleared, many people still work from home. Whether
you’re an entrepreneur in an online space, virtual administrative support, or
social media influencer, you need a space in your home that is focused and
functional, to work without distraction and clutter, and have all the tools
that can assist you in your success. Find the quiet, distraction-free and nicely
lit space you believe you can thrive in.
If you happen
to work in a conventional office space away from home, these ideas and
recommendations apply there too!
In this blog
I’m going to touch on different aspects of home office organization, from decluttering
your chosen space, to selecting tools and furnishings for good flow and
efficiency (you better believe I’ll be providing some helpful product recs!), and
how to maintain your organization so you can keep your space focused and
organized to achieve maximum efficacy in your workday.
Functionality
First thing’s
first, let’s talk about functionality. Whether you’re starting from scratch or
reorganizing your existing office, you want to think about what tasks you do in
your workday, and what tools you need to accomplish those tasks. Knowing how
you want and need to flow through your day will help you to plan how
to flow through your day by setting your space up properly.
As you look
around and evaluate your current or future home office, identify any and
everything that will not work for you or does not belong. Now, get rid of it!
Find a new purpose for it or give it away, and don’t feel bad. It’s important
to give yourself the freedom from burden of having things in your workspace
that could negatively impact your productivity, even in the form of visual and
mental clutter.
Create Zones
No matter what
size office space you’re working with, creating zones will go a long way in
keeping an organized flow.
Just like any
declutter and organizing project, I recommend starting with a clear palette. By
this I mean, clear out the whole space so you can start from scratch and things
land where they should, for full functionality, as you’ve planned. Maybe role
play sitting and working, and envision what you might grab from where, at what
frequency you use things, and how convenient you need it to be.Things that
are seldom used, but needed occasionally, put them together away from your main
workspace. Items used regularly throughout the day, every day, keep those
nearby for easy access.
Be sure to
leave yourself an open space. Don’t close yourself in with stuff. Feeling and
being smothered by things will subconsciously prevent your mind from navigating
freely to really think through tasks with your full potential.
Check out the
blog I wrote for Any Drawer about The Psychology of
Being Organized to learn more about how clutter and disorganization can
impact your mental and emotional state in ways you may not realize.
Declutter Regularly
Although you
will be diligent about putting things back in their designated spots in their
assigned zones, you are still human, just like me and everyone else. And
because we are all human, we are not perfect and therefore, over time, items
will find their way elsewhere. Things we don’t intend to keep in our office somehow
magically get glued there. Maybe for some it’s too many coffee mugs, because at
the end of the day you left one in the office and grabbed a new one in the
morning. Or maybe it’s too many different colored pens laying all over the
desk that you left out thinking you’d use again but didn’t. In the spirit of maintaining a space that is
conducive to continued success, take the time to step back, evaluate, and
declutter every once in a while. I recommend putting it on the calendar so if
you’re super busy or overwhelmed, you’ve already set that time aside to take
care of the task of decluttering. A great way to keep on top of maintaining a
decluttered space is simply to build the habit of putting things back when
you’re done, and that includes taking things back out, that you’ve brought in, if
they don’t belong there.
Helpful Organizational Items
Before you go
buy a bunch of cute “officey” things that are nice to look at, think about what
you actually need in your office. I do not discourage having a few small
and/or out-of-the-way things in your space that give you peace, joy, and
motivation. Absolutely have that spider plant, because every time you look at
it you take a deep breath. Of course, have a photo of your cute dogs in their
paw-lined frame, because that settles your heartrate when you’re feeling
overwhelmed. These are things that will bring you calm when you need it, and
there is nothing wrong with them in your space. What I mean is to keep the
space, overall, minimal. Remember, this isn’t a cozy hangout, this is a
workspace that should inspire focus, productivity, and accomplishment.
From tech
organization to desk organization, the following recommended products will keep your office focused and functionally organized.
How many wall
plugs do you think you need to power all the items needed for your workday? Let’s
drop that number by 5, with this Anker USB hub.
If you’ve updated your laptop since 2015, you highly likely have a USB C port,
which is how this hub is powered. Although USB A is steadily being switched out
in tech, for USB C, it is still a necessary port, which is why this hub has 2
USB A ports. Along with 2 USB C ports (one standard, one 100w power delivery)
and 1 HDMI port, you can power multiple external support devices, allowing for
a full-functional tech workstation.
BROTHER COMPACT DOCUMENT SCANNER
Papers collect
quickly, don’t they? And what a messy space they create, especially when they’re
not stored properly. Ask yourself, does every paper need to be kept, or will a digital
copy suffice? This compact document scanner
made by the reliable Brother brand, is here to help. Scan all those docs that
you need somewhere but are tired of the paper form taking up space and
creating a cluttery workspace.
SEAGATE 2TB PORTABLE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
Now that you’ve
scanned all those papers, it’s time to store them somewhere. Our computer’s
hard drives fill up fast these days with all the downloads and document saving
we need to do throughout our days, weeks, months, years. And with all those
stored files, your computer will become less efficient, because it’s slogging
to navigate with all the weight of those digital docs and photos. Lengthen your
computer’s life, and keep files organized and easy to find with this 2 TB (that’s
2 terabytes, i.e. a heckuva lot of space!) external
hard drive. If there are files you access regularly, keep this plugged into
that nifty USB hub you just picked up and have all your files neatly organized
in one little black box next to your workstation.
WRAP-IT STORAGE CABLE LABELS
Trying to find
which cord belongs to the router, to reboot it because your internet connection
hiccupped? Or the second computer monitor power cord because you’re wanting to
rearrange the layout of your workstation? Cable
labels are the answer to no more crawling around and torquing to find what plug
leads to what device! Seriously, these are a heaven-sent answer to so many potentially
crazy-making moments. As you set up your new station, or overhaul your existing
one, take the time to manage your cables and mark them correctly. You can even
color-code depending on the type of device! With this being a pack of 30, you will
have plenty of extras to use in other spaces around the house, or the garage to
figure out which power tools cords go to which charger.
GIANOTTER DESK
MONITOR STAND & ORGANIZER
Be kind to
your spine by getting yourself this monitor stand that will keep your computer
monitor or entire laptop at a higher level, preventing the negative impacts of
looking down or hunching over to work. Working with computers already has some
negative impacts on the body, like straining our eyes and sitting for unhealthy
lengths of time. Take a step in the right direction of helping your body and
your organization with this monitor stand and
organizer. Keep your notepads, pens, and any other potentially loose and
cluttery items contained in the organizer below your monitor. This is an
all-in-one workstation that will keep your workday flowing smoothly by having
everything altogether. And, hey, you could even move it to a different place in
your home to mix things up if you are feeling stagnant.
MARBASSE EXPANDABLE
DRAWER ORGANIZER
If your desk
drawers look more like junk drawers, then this expandable
drawer organizer is just what you need to reign it all in. The ability to
expand this organizer allows it to fit a variety of drawer sizes. Keep all those loose items contained in their
own little space, easy to find and grab, and not hanging out on your active
work surface. Love it so much, and maybe you’ll be nabbing one for your home’s
actual junk drawer!
MEANGOOD FLOATING SHELVES
Utilizing
vertical space is such a pro move. We get focused on what existing surfaces can
hold our stuff, while there are walls that surround us, ripe for storing. Remember
that plant and photo of your dogs? Well, you can free up some room on your
active work surface and have those calming and comforting items still in view,
by placing them on these floating shelves.
They are super easy to install and can be a total game-changer in keeping your work
surface clear of any unnecessary or less commonly used items, like your slick
new compact document scanner, maybe some hand lotion, and a nicely scented
candle that calms your nerves when you’re getting stressed about a deadline or
a difficult conversation with a client.
SKYDUE 360 ROTATION PEN HOLDER
Although we
can use our computers with digital notepads and calendars, or voice notes on our
phone, many of us still use pens, sticky notes, and planners in our daily work.
I cannot imagine world without office supplies, and hope that day never comes.
If you don’t have a drawer to keep your pens in, this 360-degree rotating pen holder keeps all of
those ballpoints and highlighters in their own little compartment in this
holder, and not rolling around on the desktop, or hidden under that pile of
papers you need to get scanned in(wink wink). Perhaps you don’t plan to use it,
but your child who sits quietly drawing or crafting at their own little workstation,
while you tackle tasks, needs a place to store colored pencils, markers, and scissors,
and learn organization while they’re at it!
Life is so much more than work.
But since we must, let's make the most functional, motivational, calming, and organized space we can to get through our days and go enjoy our lives.
Happy Organizing & Happy Fall!
Disclaimer
Products shared in this blog are subject to commission for Organizing by Olympia.
Thank you for your support!
Just like any
declutter and organizing project, I recommend starting with a clear palette. By
this I mean, clear out the whole space so you can start from scratch and things
land where they should, for full functionality, as you’ve planned. Maybe role
play sitting and working, and envision what you might grab from where, at what
frequency you use things, and how convenient you need it to be.
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