In recent years, the way we work has undergone a significant transformation. The rise of remote work and home offices has given us the flexibility to work from the comfort of our own homes. While this shift has its advantages, it can also present some unique challenges, one of which is maintaining an organized and clutter-free home office space. If your home office is in a state of disarray, fear not! In this blog post, we’ll explore practical tips and strategies to help you declutter and fix a messy home office, organize, and optimize your messy home office for maximum productivity.
Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting decluttering specific tasks. Each day is dedicated to spending only 30 minutes decluttering your specific daily task. We will be working 5 days a week, so you can take 2 days to enjoy time with your loved ones.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.
Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price.
How to Fix a Messy Home Office
Step 1: Declutter Your Space
The first step to fix a messy home office is decluttering. Clutter can be distracting and overwhelming, making it difficult to focus on your work. Here’s how to get started:
- Set aside dedicated time: Block out a few hours or even a whole day to tackle the clutter. You’ll need uninterrupted time to sort through everything.
- Sort and categorize: Start by categorizing items into three piles: keep, donate/sell, and throw away. Be ruthless – if you haven’t used an item in the past year, it’s time to let it go.
- Organize your digital clutter: Don’t forget about the digital clutter on your computer. Delete unnecessary files, organize your documents into folders, and clear your desktop.
- Invest in storage solutions: Consider adding shelves, drawers, or storage bins to keep your office essentials organized. A well-organized space can make a significant difference in how tidy your home office looks.
Step 2: Create a Functional Layout
Once you’ve decluttered, the next step to fix a messy home office is to consider layout and design. It’s time to rethink your office layout for better functionality:
- Choose the right desk: Ensure your desk is the right size for your needs. It should provide ample workspace and accommodate your computer, monitor, and other essential tools.
- Ergonomic setup: Invest in an ergonomic chair and position your computer monitor at eye level to reduce strain on your neck and back.
- Cable management: Tangled cables can make your space look messy. Use cable organizers or clips to keep cords neat and out of sight.
- Zones for different tasks: Divide your workspace into zones for different tasks, such as a computer zone, a writing zone, and a storage zone. This will help you stay organized and focused.
Step 3: Personalize and Inspire
A well-organized home office doesn’t have to be sterile and devoid of personality. One way to fix a messy home office is to personalize it. Make your space inviting and inspiring:
- Personal touches: Add some personal touches like artwork, plants, or photographs. These can create a more pleasant work environment.
- Inspiration board: Create an inspiration board with quotes, images, or goals to motivate you during your workday.
- Good lighting: Proper lighting is essential. Natural light is best, but if that’s not possible, invest in quality task lighting to reduce eye strain.
Step 4: Develop Good Habits
Keeping your home office organized is an ongoing process. Another way to fix a messy home office is to organize it better. Develop good habits to maintain a clutter-free workspace:
- Daily tidying: Spend a few minutes each day tidying up your workspace. Put away items that have strayed from their designated spots.
- Regular decluttering: Set aside time at regular intervals to assess your space and declutter as needed. This will prevent clutter from building up again.
- Digital organization: Maintain good digital hygiene by organizing files and emails as you go. Delete or archive what you no longer need.
- Paper management: If you deal with a lot of paper documents, implement a filing system and regularly shred or recycle unnecessary paperwork.
A messy home office can hinder your productivity and create unnecessary stress. By following these steps – decluttering, creating a functional layout, personalizing your space, and developing good habits – you can transform your messy home office into a productive and organized workspace. Remember, it’s an ongoing process, so make a commitment to maintain your tidy home office for the long term. With a clean and organized workspace, you’ll be better equipped to tackle your work and achieve your goals.
A few guidelines to keep you on task:
1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.
2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.
3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina.
4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. Recruit help if you are stuck in the decision process.
5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later.
Complete Home Declutter: HOW TO DECLUTTER:
Supplies Needed:
1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)
2. sturdy trash bags
3. marker/pen to label boxes
Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.
Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.
I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.
How to Declutter:
1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag
2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have
3.Get rid of duplicate items, broken items, outgrown clothes and shoes, anything you’ll never use again
4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest
5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option
We are working in the home office this week. Your task today for today, February 6th is to: Declutter any outdated notebooks, planners, and calendars.
Bonus tip: Scan all your paper files all with your smart phone into my favorite “paperless” phone app – Evernote. Even if you plan to keep some important documents, this a great way to keep those items stored digitally in case of a fire or natural disaster.
Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.
You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get in my Housekeeping Schedule for Home printables.
Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.
Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.
How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.
Happy Decluttering!
To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.
New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:
Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.
Step 3: How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.
Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.
Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.
Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com:
14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered
How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule
How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter
What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?
Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.
For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and kitchen decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.
I hope you have benefitted from my post on Ways to Declutter (tasks you can do in 30 minutes). Leave a comment below to subscribe to my daily declutter task email series.
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