Rearrange your home office

Working from home, how to make it a bit less painful :)

Your home office is a space where during the week provides a comfortable environment for you to get work done, but at the weekend can be used by the whole of the family. Many people seem to struggle with organisation when it comes their multi purpose home office.

You may not be working regular nine to five hours, but you haven’t got much chance of getting much work done if your home is a cluttered mess.

Whatever has happened over the weekend, when it hits Monday morning you want to be fully prepared for a productive week ahead not faced with an untidy desk and a mountain of unsorted paperwork.

It may be worth scheduling an hour or two over the weekend to dedicate to getting your office ship shape. Your home office is a place to keep all your files, communicate with clients and keep track of your accounts so organization is key. Don’t allow yourself to get behind and lose track as you may end up taking on more than you’d planned.

Clear your Desk

You spend the most time at your desk so here is the perfect place to start. Having a tidy desk is also highly important when it comes to productivity - you may want to start by completely clearing your desk and starting with the bare minimum, take everything off and leave only your computer, phone and filing trays.

Go through every item which is on your desk and think about whether you need it, use it or want it. If you haven’t used it in the last six months then you're more than likely not going to use it in the next six months, so get rid of it.

Organisation System

Any office requires a good organization system but at home even more so. Papers are so easily lost or misplaced so you really need to decide on where to file all that stuff.

A filing cabinet is the obvious option - they come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to store both work and private documents, so everything can be all in one place. Opt for a fireproof cabinet that locks, it may be more expensive but will protect you against robbery or fire damage.

You may want to invest in shredder if you're concerned about throwing important papers away - high security shredders are a great way of disposing of documents safely and efficiently. Keep your papers in a file rack one tray for filling the other for shredding etc..

Cable Tidies

Having cables left all over the place is highly dangerous - you wouldn’t see cables on the floor in an actual office block so the same should apply at home office.

You can reduce the amount of cables in your way by investing in cable ties, they come in a variety of sizes - you simply bunch you cables together so there's less chance of them becoming a jumbled mess under your desk.

You could also try to put away the electronic equipment you don’t use very often  or no longer use at all. Use as many wireless devices as you can.

Closer Proximity

You should position the equipment and supplies that you use the most closer to you. Things that you rarely use can be stored or put away.

Invest in shelving above your desk so it’s out of the way and only have the items that you use most frequently on display - anything else can be put away in cupboards or storage boxes.

Try and refrain for having personal items out on display - family pictures are not necessary as you are at home and more than likely have many nice photos all around the house.

Furniture arrangement

Position your desk near the window to let in the natural light - this will make you a lot more productive. Be sure to straighten up your desk at the end of every working day - something you should always do whether you're working from home or not.

Decide what activities will take place in each section of your office. Your desk will be your main workspace, you’ll have a filling area, a place for storage and a place to keep supplies - try and arrange your equipment in the most convenient way possible.