Even if you don’t have a complete home office, these tips will help you keep your desk and work area more organized.
10. Separate personal items from work items. Select separate drawers in your desk or use separate storage units for household bills, important papers, bank statements, etc. It also makes sense to use different colored checks and checkbook covers for home and business so you can tell them apart at a glance.
9. Speaking of bills and papers, sort your mail immediately instead of piling it on your desk. In fact, if you sort it over the trashcan, instead of allowing junk mail to reach your desk in the first place, you will minimize clutter dramatically.
8. Keep business cards and other contact information organized so you can easily access important numbers and addresses. Try a small file box such as those intended for index cards or use a mini photo album. If you have lots of leads or cards, opt for a business card organizer.
7. It also pays to keep your office supplies organized instead of dumping them in the top drawer. It’s way to easy to start a junk drawer. If you do keep supplies in the drawer, find a good drawer divider system to keep things neat. You can also find various desktop organizers to contain those staples, paper clips, pens, and other office supplies.
6. Most people file items alphabetically, but to make finding things easier, also file in colored folders or add colored tabs according to projects. For example, as a writer, one might have all the items he or she wants to submit to a particular magazine filed under the magazine name. However, that person might add a blue folder or tab to humor items or red for consumer tips, so specific items can be found quickly and easily.
*See next page for five more tips!