Anna's Tips

Organizing Home Offices--Part 1

Through the following tips, organizing your home and office will be helpful--and healthful--for you and your family. You can make your office stress-free with "a place for everything" which is the key to successful organizing. Remember that less is more! Being free of clutter will allow you to:

• Think more clearly
• Save time
• Have more time for yourself, family, & friends
• Be more productive on a daily basis
• Find items easily
• Be more efficient
• Have peace of mind

One way to become more organized is to have an office in your home. Making an extra bedroom an in-home office is becoming a popular trend today. We can keep track of our personal paperwork, and many people are conducting business from their homes as well. Bedrooms convert nicely to an office because they often already have built-in storage space. For instance, most spare bedrooms have a built-in closet and, if not, you can use the longest wall in the room to house an adjustable shelving unit with doors. Armoires work well when there is no closet also.

When dealing with a built-in closet in the room you wish to make into an office, first take off the doors or install bi-fold units--this will make the closet look like a walk-in model and you will be able to see all the contents at a glance. Then, install adjustable shelving, from floor to ceiling, in wire or melamine. Don't install any shelving less than 16" deep, or it won't be good for storage. With regards to materials, wire shelving is less expensive and melamine is top-of-the-line, but they both work beautifully. In addition, the top two shelves should be only 12" deep so you can fit boxes for storage. These are fabulous to house reference books, stationery, marketing materials, extra files, software, CD's, and extra office supplies. 

Also, insert compartmentalized organizers wherever possible. You can use baskets of all sizes as well as plastic containers. (The good news about baskets? They don't collect dust!) Remember as well that organizers can be found in many locations other than office supply stores. Be creative and try Pier One, Cost Plus, Ross, T J MAXX , or antique stores. It can be fun to find just the right containers for the items you are trying to organize! And this new closet or wall system will not only be easy on your budget but will prove to be a best friend to you!

Be sure to check back next month for Part II!

Anna Tonkin is a regular contributor to regional magazines. If you are interested, please contact here.