Does your home office need some spring cleaning?

Does your home office need some spring cleaning?

• Are you sick of continuous paper clutter in your home?

• Do you waste time looking for information you or other family members need?

• Are you hiding papers at the last minute when you are expecting guests? 

• Is lack of organization putting a strain on a relationship that is important to you? 

• Do you feel overwhelmed deciding what papers you should keep?   

• Have computers made the problem in your home even more overwhelming?

In my experience, I have found that the number one organizing challenge in every household and office is paper!  And most people I talk to about this challenge say that they are overwhelmed and don't know where to start so they keep putting it off.

Here are some tips to help you begin: 

• Choose a place you like to be for the activities you do in that space – e.g., pay bills, research the Internet, write thank you notes, manage your schedule, run a business, etc.  

• Make sure you are physically comfortable – comfortable chair, proper lighting, etc. (One client discovered that having music at her workspace was magic!)

• “Today’s mail is tomorrow’s pile.”  Clear your workspace of everything and start over with a new system.  Then you can incorporate the old papers as you need them – or eventually, they will be old enough it will be easy to toss them!

• Make sure you have all the tools you need.  Start with what I call The Magic 6™:

1.  Desktop Organizers - “In” for papers you have not yet sorted; “Out” for papers that need to go elsewhere; “File” for papers you need to file outside the reach of where you sit. 

2. Wastebasket/Recycle Bin/Shredder - One of the best ways to keep paper at a minimum is to make it easy to get rid of it.  Continually ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that would happen if I didn’t keep this?” 

3. Calendar/Time Planner - Don’t assume that electronic is the solution, but don’t rule it out either!  Talk to others about what they like and why.  

4. Contact Management System – much clutter comes from business cards and scraps of paper with contact information you want to keep. 

5. Action Files - These are physical files that contain papers that require your action or supervision and may be date driven.

6. Reference Files - These are physical files for papers you want to keep for everything from consumer information to your passport.  If your office space is small, they may be located in another room.

Life is messy, so set aside a specific time each week to clear your desk totally and get everything back into your system. An organized home office will make a difference in your ability to create and sustain a productive environment in your home and office, so you can accomplish their work and enjoy your life!

If you would like some help getting started, please reach out. I have many options including a brand new group program providing live training via Zoom accountability for each other.