Tackling and taming the
paperwork that comes in and out of your home can feel like an unsurmountable
task if you’re looking around at piles of mail, documents from work, bills to
pay, and papers to get to from school and social outlets. Clear the clutter by
implementing home office systems that keep those papers in line.
Have a designated space to work with. Not all homes
have a room for a home office, but in that case, set aside a workable area to
store what you need that allows you to work, type, and write when you need
to. That could be a low counter in the
kitchen or laundry room, a nook of a guest room, or a small writing desk you
place where it suits your space.
Get your tools in order. A small
rolling or stationary metal cart or stand is a great sized piece to have a
printer on top and document cases or magazine files on the shelves below. There are also rolling filing carts that have
a top portion allotted for hanging file folders and two metal drawers below for
office supplies, and they roll right under a desk beside your chair space. A designated desk or slim foyer or sofa table
can house a laptop or desktop computer and your basic supplies like pens,
stamps, and your everyday planner. You
can designate a kitchen, laundry, or mudroom cabinet for supplies like paper
and office supplies out of sight. If
space allows, an open cubby system that doubles as a nice piece of furniture is
great to hold office supplies in bins, magazines, stationery, files, and books
right near where you will use them. Use wall space near your work area for a
dry erase or chalkboard calendar for family schedules and a peg board for
reminders, invitations, and notes.
Create a flow for paper. Mail that
comes in the house needs a streamlined process to go through to avoid the issue
of piling up. Sort mail where you can
throw away the trash, recycle, and move important documents into bins, trays,
magazine files, or folders that are designated for action: To Pay, To File, and
To Do. This can work better than having
one in-box for some. Then tend to those
containers consistently to avoid having a lot to attend to in one sitting. File documents in a way that works for you –
file folders, notebooks, documents cases – that can be easily accessible when
you need something out or need to file something away, while being easily moved
on to inactive storage at the end of the year.
Keep 7 years’ worth of pertinent records for tax purposes, keep a
reasonable amount of keepsake type items, and keep unimportant documents from
taking up your space by getting rid of them.
Yearly records can be stored in labeled document archive boxes or
bankers’ boxes and moved to your storage space and out of your work space.
Don’t let paper overwhelm you
or your home. Create an environment just
right for a little at-home work supplied with what you need in an orderly
fashion. And be willing to properly
store or throw out what’s choking your space.
When you create a home office space you actually enjoy working in, you
might be surprised just how productive you can be. Next week: we’re going outdoors!
DesignInMind column; appeared in the Valley Morning Star March 23rd.
