7 Ways to Keep Your Home Office Clutter-Free
Home office cleaning sometimes becomes one of the most forgotten tasks around the house. When people are so focused on their daily work, the physical space in the office, more particularly on the desk, begins to clutter such that finding an important document becomes harder to do. And once it is cluttered, it seems to increase each day unless you do something about it.
There are small and simple steps that you can do to clean up your home office, avoid clutter, and make your office space more organized. Some of these steps are even pretty obvious and basic, but nevertheless, you need to be reminded about them.
1. Set a cleaning schedule and make it a routine.
The best way to keep your home office clean and organized is to have a cleaning routine which could involve cleaning or dusting, sorting papers whether to keep or throw, and organizing and arranging files. There are the three important tasks that can help make your home office cleaner and more organized and you have to make time for them. You can schedule to do all of them at the same day or you can also schedule one day a week per task. The most important thing is to have a schedule and to stick with it.
2. Avoid eating at your home office.
Since your office is just at home, make an effort to eat at the dining table or anywhere outside the office. Crumbs and food particles inside your office will attract insects particularly ants and you don’t want ants in your office. Apart from that, any spillage might cause damage to your documents on your desk.
3. Manage your garbage regularly.
Don’t wait till your garbage is spilling out before you empty it. Empty garbage can give your home office a fresher look.
4. Keep your office desk clutter-free as much as possible.
Even if your home office is already clean and dust-free but your desk is cluttered, it will give an untidy appearance to your entire office. Do not clutter your desk with papers, folders, newspapers, or magazines. Tuck them all away where they belong. Doing this daily can save you time during your scheduled organizing and arranging of things in the office as discussed in the first step.
5. Use labels to organize things.
To maximize your space and avoid clutter on your desk and drawers, use labels to help you put out things in the office. Put labels on drawers for what should go inside them. You can also make labels for all you communications like labels for incoming communication and outgoing communication. This way, you will not have a hard time figuring out where to put things inside your home office.
6. Use an appropriate filing system.
The label may be useful in telling you where to put things. But it should stop there. Inside each cabinet or drawer, make sure that you have an appropriate filing system. You could use color-coding in arranging folders. Arrange files by date, name, or other means that can help you easily find what you are looking for.
7. Limit your personal photos or family memorabilia inside your home office.
Don’t over-decorate your home office with photos or memorabilia that instead of enhancing its look, it becomes more cluttered because of your decoration. Aside from the fact that these decorations can occupy space, they can make your office look cluttered if there is too much of them.
Initially, it will be difficult to make your home office clean and organized from its cluttered state. But once you are done cleaning and organizing, keeping your home office that way will be a lot easier if you observe these seven tips.