Working From Home?

One of the challenges of working from home is controlling clutter in our home office. This is why most of us opt to digitise the bulk of our paperwork. During this time when almost everything is digital, there is very little reason to see clutter on your desk. But every so often, clutter tends to work its way into our office spaces. This could easily affect our motivation and productivity. Here’s how.

Clutter is visual noise. It tends to compete for your attention. You may think it is a slight annoyance, but the constant distraction keeps you from processing information as efficiently as you would in an uncluttered environment.

Now, some of us have just started working from home due to the COVID-19 global outbreak. Not everyone has an ideal home office layout. Employees who are used to having their own desks and cubicles at the office are now reduced to trying out creative diy home office ideas that may or may not involve kitchen tables and unused closets.

That’s not to say that these small home offices aren’t prone to clutter build up. The lines between personal space and office space blur within home office boundaries, and clutter can very easily sneak in. Kids toys, craft paper and stationery, or even laundry can find its way in your usually meticulous home office and that could distract you from work and keep you from being productive.

Want to keep your home office well organised to ensure better productivity? Here are a few home office ideas for small spaces.

Here are a few home office ideas for small spaces.

Organising:

Our moms used to say “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” This is the best advice for keeping clutter at bay. So use organisers to house all of your office supplies. You don’t even have to buy them. You can repurpose old tins, cans, boxes, and plastic trays. Use organisers inside your drawers for small items that are regularly needed but could easily get lost, like staple wires, staplers, paperclips, pens, magnets, extra batteries, pushpins, scissors, and tape. Larger supplies like copy paper and folders can go into paper tray organisers.

Zoning:

Entrepreneurs, freelancers and people who work from home may have the luxury of having their own work spaces. Zoning and having dedicated areas for your home office are good home office ideas for business. If you have enough space, assign zones for deep work, printing, storing office files and supplies, and taking breaks.

Cleaning:

Keep your workspace (your desk) free from clutter by removing the things that you won’t be needing regularly. You can keep them in one of those organisers. Just leave your laptop, favorite pen, a notepad or diary, and spill proof coffee mug on your desk. Everything else can go into trays and boxes.

Tidying up:

Once you’ve organised your office supplies, maintain your uncluttered workspace by tidying up regularly. Put things back in their place and get into the habit of tidying up after your work day.

Clutter has a way of stealing our focus and affecting our productivity. So take steps to declutter your home office today.