IDEAS FOR ORGANIZING YOUR OFFICE

Having an office in your home can be really convenient. However, because it's in your house, it can also get very messy. Having an office at home means that your home items could end up in your office. Dishes, coats, personal mail, and more can end up creating office clutter that you wouldn't have to deal with in an alternate location. Use these ideas to help keep make your home and work become a balanced and beautiful thing.

1) Look for common problems and start there. If your home items are mixed up with your work items, then you may feel overwhelmed. Making spaces for each of these things to stay separate is a good thing to start with. It's okay to use your office for personal matters, such as paying bills or filing personal paperwork, but keeping them separate is essential. Have a separate file cabinet or at least separate folders for personal and work items. Hang baskets or other holders on the wall and mark them "home" and "work". Use these for things that need to be done first. Mail and other items should be sorted according to whether they pertain to work or home, and also by priority. Having a space to quickly separate and file these things away can help you to keep the clutter to a minimum.

2) Try to make rules for yourself about non-work items creeping into your office. Pretend like you are walking into work away from home. This means taking out the coffee cups that you bring in. Don't eat at your computer at home, just like you wouldn't at work. Set a timer for breaks so that you leave the room to take a break. This will not only keep you more focused, but it will also keep the room more tidy.

3) Make it easy to clean your home office. Keep screen cleaner, disinfectant wipes, and other easy-to-store cleaning products near your desk. When you leave your office for the day, do a quick wipe down and clean-up of the area so that your office is ready for you the next day.

4) It's all about creating good habits. If you use your office closet for storing office supplies, consider creating an area to "catch" the items that travel into your office. A hanging rod supplied with sturdy clothes hangers is a great place to hang your coats. These hangers can also be used by work associates or clients if they visit you at your home.

About the Author: Jo Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers which is recognized for the excellent quality and value of its wood hanger and coat hanger offerings. For more information, please visit Onlyhangers.com