One of the most important spaces to keep organized is the home office. It’s not that the other spaces don’t count; it’s because the home office generally contains important papers including household financial information, even if your home office isn’t used for a home business.
It helps to create a system for keeping papers filed appropriately and easy to find. While many simply file things alphabetically, you might find that another system works better for you. You might prefer to file bills and things by date and then also keep separate boxes, which you can stash in the closet, to organize papers you need to save by year. Some people also like to color code their files or use different types of containers for different types of documents.
It also helps to rearrange the contents of your home office so that items you use frequently are within easy reach, and stuff that you don’t need all the time is moved to the back of the closet or the top shelf of the bookshelf.
Also, separate work from play. Even if you just bring work home occasionally, it’s best to keep your workspace separate from spaces used for hobbies, crafts, or your favorite magazine or shop at home catalogs. Add magazine racks or file boxes that magazines and catalogs will fit into to keep the leisure time periodicals separate from industry catalogs and brochures. This way, you won’t have to search through stacks of materials when you need a particular magazine.
You might also want to use a separate planner or calendar for work and keep another for everyday reminders. Keep both in a prominent place so you can compare them when determining your schedule. If this proves too much to keep up with, use only one, but use different colors to mark dates and appointments for work and family, so you’ll know at a glance what is on each day’s itinerary.
Resources for Organizing Your Home Office