Organizing a home office can seem overwhelming. If a home office worker doesn’t consciously make an effort to stay organized, things can get out of hand for several reasons. The first reason is that home offices generally have a small amount of space. The second reason is that sometimes care is not taken to keep personal aspects separate from business aspects.
Here are some tips to get organized now.
Maintain a Separate Home Office Workspace
Maintaining a separate workspace not only helps organization but it also may entitle the worker to use the IRS home office deduction. This workspace should only be used for business purposes in order to reduce clutter. Additionally in order to qualify for the tax deduction the office must be regularly used for a certain period of time as determined by the IRS. Family members should know not to use the room, or workspace, for watching movies or entertaining guests. Also the space should not be used to store household items.
Make the Best Use of Office Space
Small spaces can be very efficient if used properly. Large equipment such as computer processors, printers, and filing cabinets can be stored under the desk to make more space. Additionally papers and other documents can be stored electronically either by using a service, or by copying files to DVDs or CD-ROMs. This will help to reduce the amount of space needed for paperwork that should be saved, but is not needed on a regular basis.
Stay on Top of Business Tasks
Handling responsibilities as they occur is key to home office organization. Paperwork should be filed immediately instead of being left to sit on the desk. Mail should be read and acted upon the first time it is received. The same goes for emails; there is no need to read an email and decide to respond or delete it later. Read emails once and then either respond, save the email for future reference, or delete it. This will greatly increase productivity.
Keep the Desk Clean
If all of the tips above are followed, the home office desk should remain relatively clean. However weekly checks should be done to make sure there are no extra papers on the desk or other unnecessary items such as coffee cups, cleaning supplies, and recent purchases. Every item should be put in its proper place as soon as its purpose has been served.
Getting organized now will take the weight off of anyone’s shoulders. Maintaining an organized home office is a process, but with consistency it can be obtained.
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