It’s spring cleaning time! And, that includes your home office or home business work space too—now that you can swing open those windows and doors and see all the dust and crud that’s been accumulating all winter, how about taking an afternoon to deal with some of the home office clutter?
Take a look at your space and start by figuring out what can go and what can stay—maybe you’ve been living with an inefficient space or uncomfortable furniture. My own cleaning and de-cluttering style is to remove everything, sort and then toss, file or put back items as I decide what really needs to stay and what needs to go. One of the fun parts about spring cleaning your office or work space is that it gives you a good excuse to make a shopping trip—to purchase storage items, filing systems, or other necessary organizational elements that can make your home office far more functional.
I think a real difficulty comes for those of us who have our home offices in a room or space that does double (or triple duty)—it may also be a dining room, family room, or bedroom. The very fact that the room is used for multiple purposes truly magnifies the possibilities for clutter and inefficiency. The experts suggest finding a way to keep “like things” and “like purposes” together. That means—keeping all your work and office supplies in one place, while collecting all the DVDs, toys, magazines and books, or other items into their own grouping. It is when things get all smashed and mashed together that it can really feel like dysfunctional space and be tough to get work done.
So, go ahead…get tough on your home office clutter! You may be surprised at what you find (I actually know someone who found a forgotten $3,000 check when she cleaned out her home office, which just happened to be housed in her garage), and you may find your productivity goes up once your office or work space is less cluttered and more functional.
See Also: Do You Have an Ergonomic Home Office? and Home Office Feng Shui for Families