How to Organize Your Home Office?

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/TOO1RFQEnQk 

You’re in the middle of an important project, flipping between pages and work schedules, write down important things, and focus on getting thousands of things done. Then, out of nowhere, you split your coffee on your paperwork and laptop. So unfortunate! You spend time cleaning everything and restart your work, although you’re out of energy and mood to start everything from the beginning. 

Don’t worry: we’ve all been there. An unorganized office can be a nightmare when you’re trying to do your best to finish work. But luckily, you’re in the right place! There are plenty of ways to clean and organize your desktop, rearrange your office room, sort your files into folders on your laptop, and get back on track to stay productive. 

How to Clean Up Your Desk

Although this might be the toughest thing to do, it’s also the most important. Your keyboard, mouse, computer, and pencil cup are all important stuff you need for your work. Everything else could depend on your working needs, like a box of tissues, a clock, a lamp, etc. If any of these things don’t make sense to you, then it’s time to clean up your desk. 

Set aside things you don’t use:

If you are a student, make sure you keep a stack of sheets of paper on your desk. You always need them for your projects. Don’t use scented candles or other aromatic substances, as these tend to make you feel sleepy, stimulating the brain to relax too much. It’s okay to keep an organizer on your desk if you’re planning to use it daily. If you aren’t though, then store it somewhere else. Also, a tape dispenser might be useful, so keep one on top of your desk. There aren’t any specific rules when it comes to how to use your desk, however, it’s important to do whatever makes sense to you. 

Throw or move anything that stands in your way

The cleaner the desk, the more you’ll focus on your work. Get rid of things that you don’t use, or stand in your way. Headphones, books, bookmarks, or notes spread everywhere, put them aside, in a different place. Also, you probably don’t need all of those pencils, so move them away, and keep only what you use. Of course, clutter might help some people focus on their work, but these cases are incredibly rare. Other people get anxious when they’re surrounded by clutter. A lot of them feel uncomfortable, so if you’re one of those people, make sure you empty the space. Just make sure that your desk is arranged according to your needs, but most importantly, it is clean. A home office should look and feel like a workspace, not like a storage area. 

Place your accessories in one area on the desk

Compartmentalize all the important stuff in your office, such as a pencil cup, lamp, tape dispenser, stapler, etc. Put all of them next to one another, and make sure that they stay that way. Keep them in a corner of the desk – this will free up some of the space on your desk that might be used for other stuff. Right-handed people should place all the stuff on the left side and vice versa. By doing so, you will free up one side of the desk, so you can work freely on something without moving or splitting things around. 

Transfer post-notes and papers into digital documents

You clearly have a bunch of paper reminders, post-notes, and other important documents spread on your desk. It is overwhelming to work with so many papers around you, and not to mention the possibility to split coffee on one of your school’s or work projects. That is truly upsetting! Instead, why not using a PDF Chef program to transform all of your overflowing papers into digital? Install the program into your computer, or open a word document – transfer all the stuff, like notes and lists, and start organizing them into your computer. Sticky notes might be great reminders, but they’re also easily losable. Keep everything organized and saved into a pdf program. 

Get rid of visual clutter

Clutter on the desk doesn’t always mean papers and pencils. There are other things that might confuse and distract you from your work, like family photos, quotes, reminders, and so on. These are greats, but they might subconsciously interrupt your work, or your ability to focus on important projects. So, find the courage to take those photos and place them somewhere else. Also, decorative items tend to use important space on your desk. Randomly placing things on your desk that isn’t related to work will limit your focus. 

Hide the loose cables

Fold the power strip and any loose cables behind or under the desk, to keep it out of your sight. These bunch of cables that hang out the back of the desk can be bundled together with a cable sleeve. If the cables are too long, change them with shorter ones, and tie them together. Also, there are special cable clips you can purchase and hold those wires on the top of your desk, or behind it. It’s a great idea to have a couple of USB chargers, but don’t keep them plugged all the time. Don’t forget that there are wireless keyboards, mouse, phone chargers, and so on, that you can use and keep your desk space clean and wire-free. 

Dedicating at least 30 minutes per week to reorganize your desk should be a top priority for you! It’s impossible to always be perfectly organized, as things might naturally end up out of place when you are focused on your work. Set aside some time weekly and reorganize everything on your desk. If you tend to forget, set a reminder on your phone. This way, you won’t forget it anymore! 

Tip: Place your desk away from the door to increase workflow. This way, you won’t get distracted by family members or other roomies that make noise outside.