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Working from a home office can be a challenge if you don’t have a lot of workspace. It is important to maximize your space so that you do not feel cramped or overwhelmed. The less clutter and more free workspace you have the less likely you are to feel frustrated or have accidents. Here are some simple ways to create more workspace in your home office.
#1 – Work With What You Have
It does not matter if your home office is a corner in your bedroom, a wall in the kitchen, or its own dedicated room with a door, make use of all the workspace you have available. This may mean that you need to get creative. If you have a small desk, utilize your wall space. You can hang cork boards or paint the wall with dry-erase paint to free more work area. Using hanging baskets or bins for papers or utensils will help free up your desk and help keep you organized. You may even want to invest in wall shelves if you have more wall space than a workspace. This will help you get books, files, and sometimes even computer accessories such as printers or routers off of your desk and in their own spot. If you don’t have a desk with drawers and need the extra space, slide a filing cabinet or small set of storage drawers underneath your desk for files, tools, stationery, or whatever else that you may need.
#2 – Re-Thinking A Small Workspace
If you have a small workspace or find that things are getting cramped, you may need to re-think your furnishing ideas. Look at the space that you have and be realistic about the furniture and accessories that work with your work area. Use a desk and chair that fit the space, but still give you ample room to work. If you are working with a small desk, make sure that your computer and other equipment fit the desk. Using over half of the desk for a screen won’t leave room for you to get much else done.
It’s always best to plan ahead. Measure your space before you make your purchases and know what you are going to be using most. If it is too late for a plan, then take a look at your work area and see what items are taking up the most space. Are those things that you need? Are they things you can downsize? It doesn’t have to be traditional, you just have to make it functional. You don’t have to use standard office furnishings. You just need to find something sturdy that fits your space and needs.
#3 – Toss It
Don’t just toss it today, toss it every day! I don’t know how many times I’ve looked for something at my desk only to find papers stacked up, my coffee mug, the kid’s homework, and usually some junk mail. Keep it clean! Throw out papers that you don’t need, don’t mix in personal papers and mail in your workspace, and don’t keep things in your workspace that you don’t need for work. It only takes up space and again leaves you more frustrated in the process.
Make sure that you have a filing system. If you aren’t going to file it or use it immediately, you probably don’t need it. File things so that you can easily find them and easily toss them when they are no longer needed. The main idea is to keep the clutter and unnecessary items off of your primary workspace; whether that’s a desk or a kitchen table. I try to make it a habit to clear my desk every day. The next day when I start again I feel organized and ready for the day.
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