Organise Your Home Office: Pro Tips for a Productive Workspace

Looking for home office organisation ideas? Then you’re in the right place!

Whilst previously considered more of a luxury space in the home which one might use from time to time, the home-office has become an important space in daily life. That’s why ensuring calm and organisation in this space is more important than ever!

The benefits of a tidy home office are numerous. Not only does a system of organisation in your home workspace mean that paperwork and office supplies are quick and easy to locate, it also helps to ensure a clutter-free environment that you can enjoy spending time in.

To maximise efficiency and create and maintain a positive work environment within your home for years to come, we put together a list of pro techniques and tips.

Declutter your space

As you start to organise your office space, it’s important to declutter your items, especially if you're organising a small home office. Sort items within your office into three piles: keep, discard and donate.

As you’re going through your items, place them into one of these three piles. This will reduce the amount of items you have in your office and allow you to focus on keeping on what’s important and necessary in this space.

Minimise your office supplies

You should aim to minimise your office supplies to reduce visual clutter and help keep storage space organised.

Keep only what's needed and be sure to check exactly what you need before purchasing new supplies - this should be easy if your supplies are grouped and categorised by type.

Utilise organising products

One of the best things you can do to organise your workspace at home is invest in organising solutions.

Containers, drawer organisers, bins and file-holders are an easy and affordable way to store office items. If you’re organising a small office and are worried about space, you can choose stackable containers.

Alternatively, why not place baskets or bins in lesser-used areas, such as a corner, on top of a bookcase or under a desk.

You can also use containers to maximise existing storage space inside cupboards, using them on shelves and inside cabinets to neatly organise supplies.

Additionally you can use micro-organisers inside drawers to fully make use of every inch of space and keep everything perfectly organised and accessible.

Add shelving

If you don't have much floor space to work with when organising and tidying your home office then wall-mounted shelves are an excellent space-saving solution.

Install wall-mounted shelves above your desk to hold books, notes, pens, or even decor to make your space feel comfortable. Floating shelves are a perfect option if you like minimal decor as they are installed to look like they are truly floating.

Keep surfaces clutter free

A really simple way to organise your workspace to ensure maximum productivity is to keep all surfaces as clutter free as possible. Reducing the amount of visual clutter on your desktop and other office surfaces will reduce the amount of visual distractions whilst you are working.

Just ensure that every item that you would normally store on your desktop has a home somewhere in the office so that you know exactly where to find it when you need it.

Create work zones

Aim to designate specific work zones within your office.

For example, create a specific zone for you to write, file your papers, or even clear a space to place your personal items like picture frames.

By setting aside specific areas to complete specific tasks and placing items needed to complete each task nearby you will reduce the frustrations that come with having to search for what you need every time. Plus you’ll be able to get your work done quickly and efficiently.

Add labels

When organising your workspace at home, there’s no such thing as too many labels. Labelling items in your home office is the key to having an organised and functional space.

Whether you choose to handwrite adhesive labels or you create your labels using a label maker, just make sure that you have a consistent labelling method throughout your home office to ensure items are always easy to locate.

Conceal wires and cables

Where possible, do your best to conceal wires and cables which can cause visual clutter. You can manage multiple cables with cable sleeves which corral numerous cables into one bundle that you attach to the underside of a desk.

Alternatively, if it’s just a couple of unsightly wires you need to deal with, you can keep them in place using small peel and stick clips that can be easily and discreetly attached to any surface.

You can also pack cables and wires out of sight using a stylish cable management box that can contain multiple wires without distracting from your decor.

Implement a filing system

It’s vital that you implement a filing system to take care of all paper clutter.

Group paperwork into categories that make sense to you, decluttering as you go, and create specific locations for each category using labelled magazine files, binders, filing drawers; whatever works for you and your office space.

Get into the habit of filing away paperwork to its designated location on a regular basis e.g. once a day, or a couple of times a week to ensure that it doesn’t build up into unmanageable piles.

Get rid of books you no longer need

One thing that can take up a huge amount of space in a home office is books! If this is the case for you, go through your collection and keep only those that are relevant or that you know you will read. Sell or donate the rest.

Digitise notes and documents

A lot of the clutter in your office is likely to be paper-based: documents, sticky notes, lists, business cards, and more, taking up a great deal of unnecessary space.

Instead of keeping them around on the off-chance you may need them one day, you can digitise this paperwork by creating electronic copies, either by scanning them or typing them out instead.

There are many apps available on your smartphone to do this including evernote, google keep, and google docs.

Alternatively, you can simply take a photo of any document that is important to you and create digital files on your computer to contain them. A great benefit of digitising your documents is that you are able to search through them quickly and conveniently.

Keep it up

No matter how busy you are, it’s always a good idea to tidy up your home office at the end of the day to help maintain your tidy workspace.

This could be as easy as putting your folders back in the filing cabinet or putting your pens and pencils away in their designated area in the drawer. By staying on top of these small daily tasks, your office will always stay clean and organised.

Let us help you create your dream workspace

If you’re looking to create a productive and stylish workspace, take a look at our home office how-to guide for more in depth guidance, tips and product recommendations for organising your home office the Homefulness way!

However if you’re looking to have the hard work taken off your hands, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!