Home Office Organization Tips

I’m still on the organizing kick around here.  Man-oh-man, it feels so good to get things squared away!  I don’t know why I have putting it off for so long {oh, yeah, something about trying to grow 2 tons of veggies?}.  This time, I tackled the home office.  I spend A LOT of time in here blogging and what not, so I really wanted to make sure to both organize it and make it pleasant to be in here.

I started off with bare walls.  Which, I guess you could argue, is clean and organized, but it definitely left something to be desired aesthetically speaking.  I decided to hang canvas prints that I had made by CANVAS PEOPLE of my favorite garden  and travel photos.  I got the idea when I visited Botanical Interests last year.  Co-President, Curtis Jones, had pictures of plants people had grown from his seeds all over the walls–and I decided that since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I would copy the idea.  I have to admit, looking at them makes gray indoor days seem happier and full of potential.

The first step of actually cleaning the office was to declutter.  I put everything into three piles:  give away, throw away {or recycle}, put away.  I don’t know about you, but piles of old seed catalogs pile up around here.  I took care of the first two, and then set the put away pile aside so that I could put it all back away in an organized fashion after I gave the office a good cleaning.   I cleaned out all of the drawers {wiped them out}, dusted, and wiped down everything else.

After I decluttered, I moved onto creating a file system.  It is one thing that I have been lacking until now. There are tons of options out there.  You can use the standard file drawer with manila folders.  You can put paperwork into labeled binders {Auto, Manuals, Medical, etc.}.  If you like to keep back issues of your magazines, a magazine organizer keeps clutter down, and makes them easy to find.  Or you can go modern, and scan and file everything electronically.  I know the last option is a big task, but once you do it and maintain it, you really have NO CLUTTER to deal with, which is awesome.

Since I had already decluttered, I had clean empty drawers in my desk.  I wanted to organize them so I would have everything I need, organized and easily accessible.  Think about your individual needs, but here are some ideas:  a sticky pad, stapler {and extra staples}, paper clips, rubber band, hold punch, sharpies, envelopes, calculator, blank CD’s, pens, etc.  Drawer organizers are super inexpensive and keep all of those little items in their own spot–plus, it’s pretty much a one time purchase since it’s not like they’ll wear out.

For me, part of the office is organizing my day.  I work in here.  I need to know what’s coming up and what I need to accomplish.  There’s about a million ways to keep track of your life, you can use Outlook or tons of other really cool online personal organizers, or you can go old school and get a desk calender that you can also doodle on when you are on hold for hours at a time.  Either way, knowing what I am supposed to be doing and when is essential for me staying on task–otherwise, I get distracted by anything even the slightest bit shiny.  Ha!

I have to admit, now that everything has a place, my mind feels less chaotic.  Now, here’s to actually keeping it that way!

~Mavis