Organizing a Home Office With a Lot of Clutter

Having a home office can be a great way to work from home, handle paperwork, make sure bills get paid on time, and just generally stay organized.

But what happens when the environment where organization is supposed to take place for the entire house gets cluttered and disorganized? That can lead to things getting overlooked, and can also add to stress levels.

There are ways to reduce home office clutter, though, in order to have more peace of mind and make sure things can get done the way they’re supposed to.

Here are some tips to consider when it’s time to organize and declutter that home office.

1. Paper Isn’t Usually Necessary – Go Digital for Nearly Everything

Some things need to be kept on paper, such as certified copies of marriage and divorce records, birth and death certificates, etc. But for the most part, everything can be digital and still be accessed when needed.

Scanning all the paperwork in the home office and then shredding the paper copy means all the information is available easily and there isn’t a big stack of paper to deal with.

Just be sure to make a back-up copy of the scans, in case the device they are on gets damaged or destroyed. Digital documents can also be stored in the cloud, so they can be accessed anywhere, at any time.

2. A Minimalist Office is a Tidy, Clutter-Free Office

While having decorations can be nice, too much of it can make a room feel crowded, cluttered, and hard to use. There’s no reason to get rid of something that’s really cherished, but maybe it would be better off in a different part of the house.

Additionally, a lot of the decor in a home is just there to fill up space, and it doesn’t really get looked at or noticed much. If that’s the case with the home office, selling or donating things can be a better choice than relocating them to another area of the home. Decluttering an office can lead to some decluttering in the rest of the house, as well.

3. Some Home Offices Require a Lot of Equipment

People who have a lot of equipment for their job can have a more difficult time keeping their home office neat and tidy. Still, there are things that can be done in order to make the decluttering process easier.

Having a space for everything is important. For example, a photographer may have a number of different cameras, accessories, and lenses. Having good cubbies, shelves, or cabinets for all of that gear is a good idea, and tripods can be folded up and placed neatly in a corner or a closet. When everything has a place, it’s much easier to put things away and keep them organized for next time.

Another way to declutter a home office that has a lot of equipment in it is to use tools and techniques that can make cable routing easier.

There’s nothing like a giant cluster of cables to make things look messy and cause frustration. But with the right tools and a little bit of patience, most of those cables can be hidden or at least clustered together neatly so they aren’t in the way and don’t look messy anymore. Moving or adding an outlet is one way to do this, but there are far less expensive and simpler ways to get the same or a similar effect.

Cleaning frequently can also help stop clutter before it builds up.

4. Having a Plan Can Be the Most Important Aspect of Organization

When decluttering a home office, making a plan is the first step to getting the result you’re looking for. Whether a weekend afternoon is the right time or a weekday evening is better, there are options to get started.

Cleaning surfaces, removing anything that isn’t being used frequently, and only keeping what’s really needed are great ways to stay organized and declutter a home office.

Start in one section or corner, or with one aspect of the room. That way the job doesn’t feel overwhelming, even if there’s a lot of clutter to be gotten rid of.

Plans for getting clutter out of a home office don’t have to be highly detailed. Taking time to make a complicated plan for clutter reduction can cut into the time that would be spent on the reduction of the actual clutter. Making things too complicated can also make it difficult to get started on any kind of plan, so keeping it simple is a better idea overall.

Look at the basics of what needs to get done and how the home office should look. By doing that, it’s much easier to find a starting point and tackle the reduction of clutter and the organization needed to make sure a home office looks great and is fully functional.