How to declutter your home office
If you are looking for easy ways how to declutter your home office I have a few fresh ideas for you. A great list to keep in your how to declutter list of tips that will work anytime you are refreshing the office in your home.
Working from home can be great, but it also has its downsides – like when your home office becomes a total mess. There is nothing more frustrating than starting a work day in chaos and clutter.
Luckily, there are some easy ways to declutter and organize your space so you can stay productive and focused.
Follow these tips and you’ll be able to finally get that work-from-home productivity boost you’ve been looking for.
How to Declutter Your Home Office
If you work from home, it’s important to have an organized and decluttered space. A cluttered home office can lead to distractions and make it difficult to focus on your work. Wasting time looking for documents, projects, or other important papers can set the tone for a day of stress. By decluttering your home office, you can create a more productive and serene space that will help you get your work done efficiently.
1. Do a quick assessment of the situation.
Don’t try to declutter your home office in one go – that’s just setting yourself up for frustration, exhaustion, and possible failure. Instead, take a quick look around and assess what needs to be done. Make a list of the areas that need attention, and then tackle them one by one.
Slow and steady is by far the easiest way to reduce the overwhelm in any space you are working on. Break things down into 4-5 areas and just focus on one at a time.
A few ideas for the home office are:
- The desk
- The filing cabinet
- A bookshelf
- A table
- The floor
- Desk drawers on the right
- Desk drawers on the left
Once you have a list of areas you can just work your way down them one at a time and watch your home office take shape in no time.
2. Set some simple ground rules.
Once you’ve done your assessment, it’s time to set some ground rules for decluttering your home office. Decide what you’re going to keep and what you’re going to get rid of, and be ruthless about it. If you haven’t used something in six months, chances are you never will, so get rid of it.
Set up baskets, bags, or boxes that you can easily sort things into. Each time you work on an area you will be able to toss things where they go quickly and remove all the excess clutter.
Sorting bins for the home office:
- Keep – Anything that will remain in this space.
- Toss – Trash or broken items that cannot be used or donated.
- Put Away – Anything you find that belongs in another room.
- Donate – Any items in good condition that you no longer need or want.
- Recycle – Any trash that is recyclable.
3. Create a system that works for you.
Decluttering your home office is all about creating a system that works for you. So find a way to organize your things that makes sense to you and will help you stay clutter-free in the future. This might mean investing in some storage solutions, or simply getting rid of anything that doesn’t have a place.
If you are sharing space in your office ask yourself if this is the best way to go? Working from home requires setting boundaries and that may mean it is time to dedicate your room to work and work only.
Do you have a space to relocate the things in your office you do not need? For example, if you use your office to work on sewing projects, can you set up a small sewing area in a guest bedroom? The more you can streamline your work area the easier it will be to keep put away and organized.
4. Don’t forget the digital clutter.
It’s easy to forget about the digital clutter when you’re focused on decluttering your physical space, but it’s important to tackle both. Go through your computer and delete any old files or folders you don’t need anymore. Unsubscribe from any newsletters or email lists you’re no longer interested in. And take some time to organize your digital photos and files.
You can use online resources such as One Tab, DropBox, or Google Drive.
5. Make a plan for the future.
Once you’ve decluttered your home office, it’s important to make a plan for the future. Otherwise, you’ll just end up back where you started. Decide how often you’re going to declutter and make a schedule for yourself. Put it in your calendar or set a reminder on your phone so you don’t forget. And when you bring new things into your home office, be sure to get rid of something else to keep the balance.
By following the tips above, you can declutter your home office quickly and easily. Just take things one step at a time, and soon you’ll have a tidy and organized space that will help you be more productive.
