Weekend Warrior: Organizing Your Home Office in Two Days

Organizing your home office may seem like a chore that will take weeks or longer to tackle. The fact is, organizing your home office can be done in a simple weekend regardless of the state it is in. All it takes is a few simple steps to turn your home office from frightful to delightful.

Separate the Needful and Unnecessary
Organizing your home starts with ridding your rooms of those items you no longer need. However, in a home office, it can be difficult to know what is important and what is not. Short-term receipts that are used to balance household budgets can generally be thrown out after a month or less. Long-term receipts that may be used for tax purposes should be kept for a minimum of three years.

Other items that should be kept and filed include birth and death certificates, wills, property records, contracts, and long-term financial papers. Bank statements, paychecks, and medical bills should be kept for one to three years.

Go Digital
If you truly want to decrease clutter while organizing your home office, considering scanning those items that are outdated but may be useful in the future. This could include bills, credit card statements, and some receipts. The IRS will generally accept scanned documents if that is your main concern.

Purchase a Safe
Truly important documents should not be kept in a filing cabinet. A waterproof, fireproof safe is the spot for birth certificates, house papers, and insurance forms, among many other items. Placing these important papers out of harm's way also gives your home office more wiggle room.

Make the Trashcan Your Friend
Organizing a home office sometimes begins with a trashcan. A small, plastic receptacle is all you need to keep the office in order. Attach a removable shredder to safely dispose of those items that contain personal information. However, don't stop tossing once you have papers organized. Any physical office equipment that has gone unused for the last 12 months can go as well. This might include items like highlighters or three-hole punches.

Rethink Your Office Plan
If you find yourself repeatedly navigating a cluttered office, the problem could be the layout of the room itself. Make sure your desk is within easy reach of those items you most often need. Are papers strewn about the room? Place a filing cabinet near or even under your desk for easy access. Do you see a stack of post-it notes with no rhyme or reason? Attach them to a nearby bulletin board. Are piles of books your biggest problem? Shelving is your answer.

Vow to Stay Organized
Organizing your office is much more than simply stating it aloud. You need to have a plan to stay organized that you can implement each day. Give yourself five minutes to go through papers and place them where they belong. Don't allow yourself to walk away from the room until your desk is clean and clear.

It is often said that an orderly desk is the sign of an orderly mind. Organizing your home office will help you to think more clearly while enjoying the peace and serenity that comes from having your office in the perfect working order.
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