Home Office Organization: Tips to Cut the Clutter

Organize home office clutter

When you work from home, office organization sometimes falls to the bottom of the priority list.  You have your hands full working on projects and meeting deadlines.  So it’s easy to let home office organization slip by the wayside until it’s such a big problem that it gets in the way of your daily tasks.  Here are some quick tips to help you get rid of clutter.

Home Office Storage Systems: Keep It Simple
When planning your home office storage system, you can easily sort supplies and equipment into 3 simple categories: big, medium and small. Yes, expensive consultants and office furniture stores have more complex systems, but when you’re on a budget, it’s best to keep it simple.

Inexpensive Home Office Shelving
An easy and inexpensive solution for storing large items like groups of files, a collection of reference books and various types of equipment (for example, postage scales) is to line the walls of your office with adjustable shelving. The shelves should be used for storing things you need to have nearby, but don’t need to use every day.

You can purchase inexpensive metal or plastic shelving at home improvement stores. Buy the size with shelves deep enough to hold a cardboard bankers box (at least 15 inches deep). You can store your files in the cardboard file boxes (neatly labeled, of course!), and you can add more home office shelving units as you need them.

Storing Home Office Supplies
If you want to organize home office clutter quickly, get lots of small, see-through containers to hold your paper clips, pens and highlighters, scissors, and other small items that you use several times a day. That way you can immediately see where the item you need is located, and if you’re running low on supplies.

Portable Home Office Organizers
Use adjustable, portable metal shelves on rollers to store medium sized items like phone books and computer equipment. They also easily store smaller plastic storage containers with home office supplies that you refill frequently (post-it notes, printer cartridges, clips, pens, etc.).

The nice thing about these small wire carts is that they can be easily rearranged to fit the type of project you’re working on. For example, if you have a large project that needs to be spread out on the dining room table, you can bring your supplies with you and stay organized at the same time.

Low Cost Home Office Storage Tip
Develop the habit of putting even the smallest office tool back in its original storage place when you’re finished using it. Cost? Nothing but your time. But time is money. And if it improves your home office organization, you’ll be more productive with your time.

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