Chic Office Organization For Your Home
Having been a professional organizer and an interior designer for the last decade, I realize that a home office can get messy — fast!
During the week it becomes a dumping ground for mail, bills, and other paperwork. It typically houses books + office supplies. And along with our favorite electronic devices, comes a jungle of wires! Why can’t every electronic device be self-charging, stored in a drawer + wireless? Right, sis?!?!
Not to mention, if you’ve got toddlers running around the house then you’re likely closing + locking the door so that little hurricane of yours doesn’t blow through *wink*
I know the feeling, you’re eager to clean + organize your office + you’re determined to get it done. But then the doorbell rings, you answer. It’s an Amazon delivery which you can’t remember what you ordered, so you unbox it. The dog’s now barking at the door because she needs to go out to the bathroom so you slip on your shoes, grab your jacket, the leash + stand in the rain while she takes what feels like an hour to go to the bathroom.
Fast forward.
You’re now back inside + ready to conquer your office organization once + for all — but you realize it’s lunchtime + the children need to be fed (who knew kids needed to eat?!?). So you whip up lunch, eating while you make theirs. Finally, you’re ready to do this, the kids are quiet, the dog is sleeping + everyone is happy.
And then, the phone rings...
Does being pulled in a thousand different directions sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.
Like anything good in life, office organization takes time + prioritizing that it gets done. But there are a ton of benefits to organizing your office (at home or at work) so its functional, inspiring + gorgeous. Psst… if you need help getting started, holler at your girl :)
Let’s look at a few benefits of getting your office organized + some things you can do to make it happen...
BETTER ENERGY + LESS STRESS
When you have a well organized + tidy office space, you’ll see an immediate change in positive energy + how you feel while working.
That’s because the affects of clutter in our homes, in our lives + on our minds can be overwhelming. While a lack of order can weigh you down, having the right place for everything can be quite calming.
Getting organized allows you to manage things daily so all those piles of clutter don’t happen. And heck, when things do get out of whack (because let’s face it, that’s life), you’ll know exactly where everything goes to put it all back.
Don’t believe me about the stressless life of being organized? A few months ago, I shared a study at Princeton University which looked at exactly how people performed tasks in an organized or disorganized environment.
What they found was that clutter in your surroundings is constantly competing for your attention + not only does it actually decrease performance but it also increases stress levels.
CLARITY + FOCUS
There’s a fantastic book by Gretchen Rubin that’s called, Outer Order, Inner Calm + its a focus on how decluttering + organizing makes room for happiness in our lives.
I’ve often described to clients that organizing is a therapeutic process, you begin with a goal of decluttering but uncover the clarity + vision for your home through the process.
I don’t believe in multitasking, in part because I’ve never been very good at it but over the years I’ve been convinced by studies that say task switching is super inefficient.
If your mind becomes as cluttered as your office, how do you focus?
John’s a big reader + writer (I know, a true renaissance man *wink*) but before he can focus in + gain clarity on an idea — the office must be meticulously organized. No papers, magazines, or project materials lying around. Simply one space to focus on one task where everything in the room has a place.
And boom, like magic — the task is complete.
That’s because if he tried to work in a cluttered environment his mind would immediately focus in on all the things he needs to do beyond the actual task he’s trying to complete.
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY + EFFICIENCY
Clutter not only causes a distraction or steals our focus but when you’re not fully present it limits our ability to be productive. The cost of clutter is real + uncovering for ourselves how a cluttered home can have a real impact on your life is important.
But there’s a flip side to the “cost of clutter” which is the benefits of being organized.
Knowing exactly where things are eliminates the anxiety + struggle of finding them in the moment. Not to mention, it also saves you a ton of time.
With so much to do + what feels like less-and-less time in the day, who wouldn’t want to get more done + be happier while doing it?
KEEPING YOUR OFFICE ORGANIZED YET STYLISH
Picking the storage bins, labels and folders is the fun part but we’ve got work to do before we get there.
Know Your Why
How does this space need to be set up for you to: maximize productivity + efficiency?
And, what needs to happen for you to maintain clarity, focus + be inspired while working?
Remove The Excess
I love this quote by Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago who studies the causes of clutter and its impact on emotional well-being...
“Clutter is an overabundance of possessions that collectively create chaotic and disorderly spaces.”
If you truly want to get your organized set up for success, you want to remove all your belongings in each zone by category. What this allows you to do is to understand everything you have that relates to this particular activity zone in your office so you can clearly make decisions on what you need to keep vs what you’d like to get rid of.
Create (or recreate) Activity Zones
Here are a few important activity zones that we typically setup with our clients in their home office.
Desktop: Because this is where most people typically work from in your office, we don’t want to overload it with office supplies or decorative accents to the point that you can’t actually work. As interior designers + professional organizers, we’re going to make this space look + feel inspiring but we never want to sacrifice function to do so.
TIP: We suggest considering what you typically need while working at your desk + making those items easily accessible mixing in the pretty when possible.
Drawers: Desk drawers should be functional not a place we swipe all the clutter from your desk + slide it into a hidden space…
TIP: one way to ensure the junk drawer never happens again is to use drawer inserts to setup each drawer with pens, notepads or sticky notes + other office supples. This way, everything has a place within a place :)
Wire Management: Earlier, I mentioned how fabulous life would be if everything was cordless + self-charging but until we get there taming our technology will be a part of office organization.
TIP: use the velcro cord wraps to gather all the excess wires + stop them from creating a messy knot.
Containerize + Label
So you’ve done the steps above + you’re ready to containerize + label everything. There are a few areas in your home where going the extra step beyond containerizing + actually labeling everything out is really important.
HINT: your office is one of those spaces.
Typically, offices are full of things we use on a fairly infrequent basis when we’re doing a specific task. So, we need it now but won’t need it for some time. If you can’t easily spot where it is, you’re wasting time.
If you haven’t decided where those scissors or glue sticks should live or labeled where they go, then you’re unlikely to hold yourself accountable for putting them back where they belong.
Showcase The Things You Love
Finding ways to display the things that make your heart go pitter-patter is one of the final steps to organizing a stylish office that you’ll love.
TIP: These could be decorative accents from your travels, a few family photos or inspiring books you loved reading.
Clutter is working against us. Eating away at the dream of having a beautifully organized home + living the life you envision creating…
The place you want to retreat to after a long + exhausting day.
The place you want to raise your family in.
The home you’re working so hard to create.
The place where there’s endless love.
Endless laughter.
And yes, chic office organization.
There should be no other place you’d rather be, then home.
Until next time…happy organizing!