The home office is becoming an important part of houses nowadays. With people working from home, a space dedicated to work ensures that they can work with no interruption. The problem with that is that it can get pretty cluttered. In a normal office, you usually have cleaners and the desire not to look like a slob in front of coworkers.
But the privacy of your home lets you be as careless as you can. Unfortunately, this can affect your productivity so you’ll need to do some clean-up. Here are some tips on how you should go about removing the clutter from your home office.
Have Dedicated Workspace
The first thing that you should be doing for your home office is to have a dedicated space for it. No, your dinner table is not your home office. It’s your dinner table with a mess of work on it. It is better to have an entire room or some part of a room that has no other purpose than being your office. This allows you complete control over the space. This means you can add some things that are specifically for office use. Your workspace should also have a way to ensure your privacy. A simple door can do wonders in ensuring no other occupant of your house messes with your things.
A dedicated home office is especially important if you participate in group calls or even discuss things with your client over video chat. With a separate space, you can meet with people easily, no matter what time of day it is. It also gives a better sense of professionalism since there is no one randomly passing by in the back.
Bring In Some Storage
Your office work will need a variety of things. Even if you are primarily working online, you will occasionally need to print things out or even work on physical items. Books and resources are also an essential part of some types of work. As for your storage options, there are quite a few available to you. If you have space, then you should get some shelving close by. This allows you to place necessary resources within reach. It also gives you a place to put your cup beside your desk.
Besides shelving, your desk might have drawers and cabinets. These are great for convenience. They are perfect for useful tools like cutting shears that you might use but won’t be needing every time. Hide them away until you need them.
Have a Garbage Can and Use It
It can be surprising how many home offices don’t have a garbage can. It is probably because people are in their homes. A trashcan is important since it gives you the option to throw things away. When you don’t have one, it is more likely for you to let the garbage pile up. A better approach would be to have a trash can and to empty it every day.
You should also be willing to throw things away, There are many things that you can get rid of with no problem like empty pens and outdated documents. Be ruthless when getting rid of things to ensure that you only have the essentials.
Clean Out Your Desk
Your biggest concern would be to have a completely clean desk. The only thing that should be visible on it is your computer. Anything else should be necessary like a container for pens and some files that you might need. You should also make it a habit to clean your desk at the end of every workday. This lessens the clutter from piling up.
Organize Your Computer
This leaves your computer as the biggest source of clutter. If you are working with a laptop, this should be a minor problem. Laptops are great for cleaning up since you can pack them away after use. Desktops are another matter. Your main issue with desktops is that cables and wiring will end up dominating things. You should take steps to avoid this by doing some cable management. Tying up cables and organizing them can ensure that it is not a mess of wires behind your desktop. You might also purchase wireless devices to lessen the need for cables.
A clean workspace can be a great way to improve your productivity. It ensures that you know where everything is, which makes it easier when you need things. Additionally, it helps your peace of mind looking at a clean workspace, reducing your worries. Start cleaning up your desk now so that you can be at your best.
