Pro Organizer Tricks for a Clutter-free Home Office
Cheryl Vargas, CPO
Do you feel swamped by paper, but find it hard to throw things away? Does the need to locate a file, a roll of tape, or a pencil send you frantically rifling through drawers? If you answered yes, you’re like millions of people who deal with disorganization on a daily basis.
On average, Americans lose one hour a day searching for misplaced objects, which equates to roughly 6 weeks a year.
How to Conquer Paper Clutter Once and For All
“An organized person stops unwanted paper before it enters their home”. You can eliminate unwanted piles of paper clutter by following a few easy steps.
1. You’ll need some everyday office tools to get started. A file cabinet or porta-file, trash can, file folders, shredder, writing instrument, letter opener. You’ll want to stage these items in an area you feel is a convenient place to deal with everyday mail and paperwork. My ‘paper management station’ is near my front door because that’s the door I enter after retrieving daily mail. (You probably don’t want your filing cabinet at your front door so I recommend you either use a portable file caddy that you can put out of site when you’re not using it or simply file items appropriately in your office)
- Train yourself to file what needs to be filed immediately, you’ll be one step closer to a clutter free desk/work area. (If you’re a delegator, create a “to file” folder and have your assistant handle this task.)
2. Sort and read your mail over the trash can/shredder. Dealing with mail immediately and sorting it appropriately helps to eliminate procrastination and unidentifiable stacks.
- Gift certificates and offers – file them and note the expiration date on your calendar. Place “soon to expire” coupons and certificates in your wallet or coupon caddy.
3. Create a folder and a box labeled “Delegate/Distribute”. Use the distribute/delegate box for things that don’t belong in your office and that you’re not ready to return to its proper location just now. Then when you leave your office, pick up the box and start dropping off things where they belong. As an action folder, the delegate/distribute folder alleviates the need for creating piles on your desk. Check this folder when leaving your desk or the office.
4. Think ‘green’ and cancel magazines that sell you stuff. Think of the garbage bags you’ll save and the clutter you’ll eliminate if you are not stacking and saving department store catalogues; not to mention doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint. Just phone the number on the magazine and ask that they stop sending you a hard copy, it usually takes only 4-6 weeks. Nowadays companies have an online store for shopping and browsing which eliminates a need for their magazines (but they still send them anyway). If you’re not comfortable paying for things online you can still use the online store to browse and then phone in your order.
5. Read and clip articles from magazines and trade publications as they arrive and throw away the rest. Pick a time of day, lunch time perhaps, for reading. Hint: Don’t let 1 or more years of any ONE publication take up valuable living space. Consider donating excess publications to a local hospital or senior home.
- Clip articles of interest for routing to staff, or for filing in retrievable categories, for example: marketing ideas, vendors, client retention, etc. Don’t keep publications that are more than two years old because chances are that newer information is available, so feel free to purge them.
- Furthermore, back issues and current e-zines are probably available online. If they are, consider contacting the subscription department to sign up. If you must go through your old publications to make sure you’re not missing something, take a small stack at a time to read during your commute or keep a small stack in your car for when you’re stuck in traffic or in your briefcase for those times you’re waiting in long lines.
6. When you need more space, think vertical! Shelving above and around your desk area can help you clear up valuable floor, desk and credenza space. Consider the following items for wall office organization: your hand-held device and cradle, cell phone charger, speakers, reference books, photographs, office supplies, collectibles, CD’s, your business cards, etc. can be easily accessible on a nearby shelf.
7. Use stackable, see-through containers for storing everyday office supplies. Pens, pencils, markers, stamps, batteries, push pins, labels, etc. are much easier to locate when you have a designated station and can see through the drawer you store them in. Additionally, if you don’t have see-through containers, simply label the containers appropriately.
8. Think ” zones” when organizing your supplies and work spaces. Store related equipment and supplies where you perform related tasks. For instance: Keep paper, ink cartridge refills and a trash can near your printer. Electric equipment, power cords, cables, etc., are neatly coiled, placed in zip-lock bags and labeled for easy retrieval.
Cheryl Vargas empowers the work-at-home entrepreneur to be more organized, productive and in control. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce; and owner of Oak Park, IL based OrganizeChicago, LLC. She’s passionate about getting her clients” organized, prioritized and strategied” and can be contacted at cv@organizechicago.com or visit the website http://organizechicago.com
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