Organizing Your Home Office: Simple And Innovative Ideas | Self ...

The home office can quickly get out of control and become a messy disaster. By following a few organizational guidelines you can get your home office back under control so that you are able to be more focused, organized and productive.

Guidelines for Home Office Organization

Regardless of whether you work from home or your home office is simply used to keep the household running, there is a unique set of challenges when it comes to organizing the home office. Oftentimes, clutter from other areas of the home makes its way into the home office and it can be easy to become distracted by it. It is imperative to establish some rules and guidelines to keep the home office neat and organized.

? Establish set working hours. Decide upon the time frame during which you are going to work in the office each day. Although it can be difficult, make an attempt to remain consistent with this time frame. Establishing a schedule will make it much easier for the rest of the family to respect that you are working when you are in your office.

? Discourage interruptions of your work schedule. There are many different ways you can do this such as by shutting the door or placing a sign on the door so that everyone will know when you are not to be disturbed. This will make it easier for you to be more productive during the time when you are in your office.

? Create a quiet haven in your office while you are working. If you have younger children, it can certainly be difficult to keep them entertained while you are working, but there are some tricks you can try. For instance, place a couple of small chairs and a basket of books or puzzles in your office so that your kids can be with you and play quietly while you work. If you have the space, put a TV in your office and let your kids watch a movie. Also, before you go into your office to work make it a point to spend some time with your children.

Keeping your Office Free of Clutter

Although it may seem so, your home office should never become the central location in the home for clutter. Everything in your home should have its own home and when it is not being used, it should not land in the home office. Spend some time determining exactly how the home office will be used.

? If you run a business from your home, do you need to be able to meet with clients in your home office?

? If you use your home office for running the household, do you need it for maintaining household finances and records?

? Will other members of the family need to use the home office?

In looking at how you can make your home office more efficient, be certain you have a sufficient amount of storage space for office supplies and materials. Consider how often you use those supplies when you are working to find a home for everything in the home office.

Keeping Files Organized

No matter how extensive your home or work related documents might be, it is important to make sure you have a system in place for keeping your files orderly. Using a file cabinet with labeled folders is an excellent way to keep everything organized. The following tips can also help to make sure your filing system is efficient.

? Maintain a running to-do list. This is a great way to keep everything organized. Keep a notepad handy so that you can jot down notes as they occur to you. As items are completed, mark them off the list.

? Take a few minutes to prioritize your list at the end of the day. This will help you to better prepare for the next day. Begin with a fresh page on your to-do list and transfer any items that are left from that day to the list for the next day. Make sure everything is listed in order of priority.

? If you find that you have a difficult time staying on task, creating a schedule can help you to be more production. Consider how you would like to schedule your time during the day. Write down a schedule and then post the schedule so that you can see it throughout the day. You should not expect to be able to strictly adhere to the schedule because not every day will be the same. It is only natural for interruptions to occur. Your schedule should serve as a guideline that will help you to more easily get on track when you do have an interruption.

? Create a tickler system for keeping track of outstanding items and following up on them. One way to do this is to use the electronic reminders on your computer. You can also use an accordion file that is numbered 1 through 31 for each day of the month. If you do choose to use an accordion file, make sure you place it where you can easily see it each day. Place items that need to be followed up on in the spot for that day. Every day, refer to that slot and add items that need to be followed up on to your to do list. If any item needs additional follow-up, simply place that item back into the file for the appropriate date.

Creating a Home Filing System

Developing a home filing system is crucial to keeping the entire home well organized. An efficient filing system will help to reduce paperwork clutter and will go a long way toward keeping the home organized. No matter the size of your family, you probably have a tremendous amount of paperwork that makes its way into the home each and every day. Considering mail, kids? school work and receipts as well as other important documents, paperwork can easily become overwhelming. Developing a system for keeping your paperwork organized is crucial.

An efficient home filing system will not only make it possible to keep your home neater and better organized, but will also save you a great deal of time. Consider how much time you spend now searching for documents? Wouldn?t it be much easier and faster if you knew exactly where a document was when you needed it? A home filing system can make that happen. Remember, the most important rule of organization is to make certain everything has its own place and to be sure it is returned to that place.

An efficient home filing system should include several key elements:

? A system for organizing bills
? A system for organizing income tax records
? A system for keeping school papers and documents organized
? A system for keeping vital records organized

Organizing Household Bills

One of the largest sources of clutter in any home is household bills. Everyone has them and they often arrive on a daily basis. It can be quite tempting to toss them into a pile and tell yourself you will handle them later. Before you know it, they have become overwhelming. An effective system will help you to keep them under control and possibly even save money.

In creating a system for handling your bills, it is important to first make sure you are not holding on to items for longer than necessary. How long should you keep your bills? It depends on the type of bill. For the most part, you only need to keep monthly bills for one year. If any recurring monthly bills are used for documenting tax returns they should be kept with your income tax records after they are paid.

The key to organizing your bills is to make sure they are located in a convenient place so that you can easily access them, but also so that they are not lying around to become clutter. There are two different methods you can choose from.

? The Drawer Method

For this method you will need a two drawer storage unit. It should be small enough to fit on the top of your desk. One drawer can be used for unpaid bills and the other for paid bills. When a bill arrives in the mail, place it in the unpaid drawer. Once it has been paid, transfer it to the paid drawer. At the end of the year, shred whatever is in the paid drawer and begin anew.

One of the reasons this method is so effective is that it makes it possible for you to clearly see bills that are outstanding. It also eliminates the possibility of having bills pile up and creating disorganized clutter.

? The Folder Method

Another method that you can use is the folder method. You will need thirteen file folders and a file drawer, file box or stand-up file for this method. Twelve of the folders will be labeled with a month of the year. The remaining folder should be labeled for unpaid bills.When a bill arrives in the mail, place it in the unpaid bills folder. As each bill is paid, place it in the correct folder for that month. At the end of the year shred the contents for that current folder. The next month, shred the documents for that folder from the previous year and so on and so forth.

Both systems are equally effective. You can choose whichever method seems to work best for you.

Organizing Income Tax Records

Does it seem as though when tax time arrives each year, you spend an inordinate amount of time frantically searching for the documents you need to file your tax returns? It can be extremely stressful and time consuming, but an effective system can save time and help tax time operate much more smoothly.

One of the easiest ways to keep your tax records well organized is to make certain you have them separated from the rest of the documents for the household. Begin by creating a separate folder that is labeled for taxes. This folder should be kept with the rest of the files for the household and should be easily accessible.

Throughout the year as you receive a receipt, pay a bill, make a contribution or do anything else that might be related to the tax return, place those documents in the folder for your taxes. By using this method you can be sure that you will have everything you need when the time comes to file your taxes.

Keeping School Paperwork Organized

If you have children in school, you are probably very well aware of how quickly their paperwork can become overwhelming. It may seem as though they bring home another mound of papers each and every day. Dealing with those papers and making sure you stay on top of their activities and special events can be a challenge.

Establishing a system for handling everything school related can cut down on the clutter in your home, ensure you are always prepared and make life calmer for everyone.

? Begin by creating a school calendar for each child. This calendar can be used for keeping track of their activities throughout the week. Whether it is show and tell, field trips, music lessons or sports practice, you will know at a glance what is going on and when.

? Establish a zone in your home where everything your children needs for school can be kept. How much time do you spend each morning frantically running around looking for errant backpacks, supplies and documents? It tends to set the tone for the rest of the day, but it doesn?t have to be that way. A simple plastic tub is a great way to keep track of everything. If you have more than one child, make sure everyone has their own tub with their name written on it.

? Every night before everyone goes to bed, make sure each child has everything they need for school the next day in their tub. This should include school projects, homework, items for show and tell, etc. Backpacks should be packed and ready to go in the tub. No more frantic searching the next morning!

? Make sure you have a place that is designated especially for school papers. Small plastic storage totes or office supply boxes are ideal. Each child should have their own box so they have a place that is designated for their items throughout the year. This can help to prevent papers from building up and becoming clutter in other areas of the home.

? Establish an area just for homework. This area should contain all of the supplies your child might need for completing homework. Even a simple shoebox will work fine. Include items such as crayons, pencils, a pencil sharpener, markers, glue, scissors and erasers. Make a rule that all items must be returned to the box when they are not being used.

? Create a system where you can keep notices and other important information from school. A mail slot mounted on the wall near your home?s calendar will work fine. Whenever a new notice arrives, transfer the date to the calendar. If there is other important information about an upcoming event, you will have a designated place for it.

? Each night, make a point of having your kids choose the clothes they want to wear to school the next day. If you seem to spend a lot of time each morning running around and trying to find the appropriate items, this can be a great time saver.

? During the winter months, make sure you have jackets, mittens or gloves, scarves and any other items you need laid out as well. This way, your kids will have everything they need ready to go the next morning and you can start the day off in a much calmer manner. This is also a great way to begin instilling important habits in your children that will serve them well later on in life, such as planning, organizing and thinking ahead.

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