Having an organized and complete office is important to productive and efficient work. When organizing your office, it is vital that you arrange your space so that you can have quick and easy access to all of the essential items that you use on a daily basis, such as pens, staplers, paper clips, rubber bands and other typical office items. In addition you will want to be able to have access to those items that you may not use on a daily basis, but that improve your work life greatly to have nearby, like your printer, phone, filing cabinet and paper.
Here are some ideas to help you organize your home office so that you can maximize the efficiency and minimize the clutter that you have to sift through on a daily basis.
First, like when you clean any other room of your home, it is important that you eliminate unnecessary items. These items may include obvious things, like junk mail. But they also include unused office supplies, such as too many rubber bands and binder clips. When needed, these infrequently used items can be purchased from an office supply store.
If you find that you have too many items that you do not use regularly, but use enough that you do not want to throw them out, then consider setting aside an office supply closet. This closet will be situated in your office space, if possible, and will hold paper supplies, ink cartridges, rubber bands, blank CDs, envelops and other items that you need, but do not need lying around on your desk.
Once you have gotten your office supplies sufficiently in order, then you can focus on arranging your daily office items, such as your desk printer and keyboard. Many people enjoy having their desk space clean so that they can write or do other things with it.
If you have a desktop computer that uses an attached keyboard (as opposed to a notebook computer), then consider purchasing a drawer shelf for your computer keyboard. This shelf will fit neatly underneath the tabletop and can be pulled out when you need to type on your keyboard. Using a drawer shelf will help you to maximize the space on your desktop so that you can use it to do other things.
Next, arrange a filing cabinet so that you can neatly and efficiently store papers, such as project notes and bill records. This filing cabinet can either be a tall tower with several drawers, or it can be a small cabinet with just two drawers. In any event, if you desire, you can purchase one that can fit neatly underneath your desk for quick and easy access to all of your files.
Make sure to clearly mark your file folders and project binders clearly so that you do not waste time rummaging through all of your files to find the ones you desire. Taking the time to clearly mark and organize your materials in advance makes accessing your files easier when you need them.