How organized is your home office?

All of us have some type of home office, whether it’s an entire room dedicated to your business or just a corner of the kitchen where you handle the “business of life.”  Everyone should have a “command center” where you process the papers that bombard you everyday.  So what does your home office look like?  Are the files neatly arranged in your file cabinet?  Does it look fairly organized?  Or do you find yourself constantly looking for things and are you late paying your bills because you can’t find the ones you need among the mounting piles?

If you have a room designated as your home office, and it leaves something to be desired as far as organization is concerned, the first thing to do is to stand in the doorway of that room, close your eyes and visualize what you want that space to look like. Get a really clear picture in your head.  Do you want the desk in a certain place?  Do you want to add bookshelves?  How about the color of the walls?  Do you enjoy going into the space?  Then open your eyes and take the next 15 or 20 minutes to sit down with a piece of paper and list everything you need to do to turn it into what you are visualizing. Now, instead of rushing to hire a painter, buy a desk, and do everything at once, break the project down into small steps.  Start with clearing the clutter from your space. As you work, think about what else has to be done to achieve your goal.  As you slowly make changes and reduce the papers and clutter in the room, you can plan on those bookshelves or what color walls appeal to you.

How do you eliminate those paper piles?  First thing to do is stop the paper clutter before it gets to your mailbox.  Go to the Direct Mail Association’s Consumer Assistance website  www.dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist.html and sign up to have your name removed from all those mailing lists.  Look at the catalogs you are getting in the mail and write or email those companies to take you off their lists.  When you want to shop for one of their products you can always check out their merchandise online and then email the order or call them on their 800 number if you have reservations about shopping online.

A few other tips for reducing your paper piles and clutter:

• Use the library instead of buying books.
• Eliminate the magazine subscriptions you are not getting a chance to read.  If you have magazines from last year that you have been meaning to get to because there is an article that you wanted to read – give them up.  Do you really want to spend your time reading old news?  Meanwhile new information doesn’t stop coming and the backlog just grows.   Stay in the present, not the past!
• Don’t print out emails.
• Keep business and personal papers separate. 
• Contain those scraps of paper.  Use a notebook near the phone message center to write down information and phone numbers, instead of using all those post it notes.  
• Set up a shredding pile and do your shredding on a regular basis instead of waiting until it is too overwhelming and the shredder overheats because you are trying to do it all at once.  
• Set aside time every day to process the items that came into your life that day.   When you postpone making a decision on these papers, the piles just get higher and higher. 
• Set up a designated area to handle paperwork.    It needs a “home” where it can live until you deal with it instead of spread all over the kitchen island or counter.  

You don’t have to wait until National Organize Your Home Office Day to get a handle on that important part of your life. Get your office the way you want it and enjoy it as a place of productivity and efficiency where you can accomplish all your goals in a peaceful environment.  

Develop an organizing plan to change your life.  Simplify and reach your goals with help from S.O.S.   Please check the calendar at www.organizeclutter.com for classes in the area and information on the clutter support group as well as the next scheduled Simply Organized! three hour seminar.

Unclutter your clutter!
If you are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and don't know where to start, call Stevie Organizing Services today! S.O.S. assists you in creating uncluttered space in your home or office by creating systems and a place to put things. Being organized eliminates the extra stress in your life. Contact S.O.S. for a consultation and discover a peaceful lifestyle where even small changes can make a big difference.
Stevie Organizing Services
Web site: www.organizeclutter.com
Email: help@organizeclutter.com
919-345-2846