One of the best ways to keep yourself focused on work at home or in the office is to organize your desk for a de-cluttered lifestyle. Although it may seem like a huge project to tackle right now, if you listen to our ideas for a home office, you’ll find it to be easier than you think.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get organizing!

1. Categorize

You can stay focused on work better when your desk space is clean and organized. You can easily do this by separating your desk into a variety of different categories.

This way you know where everything is:

Tools (stapler, hole puncher, staple remover)

Sticky Tools (stickers, tabs)

Writing Tools (highlighters, pencils, pens)

Budget Tools (calculator, calendar, chequebook, wallet)

Labelling Tools (label tape and labeller)

2. Container Storage

Instead of having massive piles of stuff on your desk, set up storage in either baskets or containers. Not only will this keep your tools out of your eye line, but also help with house cleaning and organization. Feel free to label these containers as well, so you’ll never forget where your items are.

3. Color-Code Yourself

An organized desk is a functioning desk. To help organize yourself, setup

A well-organized filing system is a good indication of functional office space. To organize your desk, follow these colour-coding examples:

Green- Personal

Red- Finances

Blue- Medical

Black- Insurance

Yellow- Housing

4. Invest in a Label Maker

Investing in a label maker can help to label your containers, files, and drawers a whole lot easier. No matter what, you’ll always be able to find where you left your items. It is a key item to making your desk a more functional workspace.

5. Organize Your Paperwork

You papers are one of the easiest things to mess up your desk flow. Get control of the mess before it takes over your lifestyle. File all of your paperwork through a three-option system: toss/shred, file, or take action. Not to mention, you should be filing your more important papers in a colour-coded system.

6. Keep Your Books Organized

To facilitate your domestic cleaning, organize the books you own around your desk. The best ways to do this either by color, size, or genre. However, organizing them by color can offer a cool, clutter-less look.

7. Use Your Walls

Walls are often the most forgotten when it comes to home office desk organization. Utilize the space on the walls surrounding your desk by hanging up shelves, filing systems, calendars, cork boards, and more.

8. Important Documents

Consider sorting through all of your family’s important documents and separating them into individual folders or binders. This way, all of your papers and information can easily and quickly be found.

Here are a few separate folders that you should have:

Home : In this folder, store all of your important house-related documents including your lease/deed, maintenance info, and documents about your home security system.

: In this folder, store all of your important house-related documents including your lease/deed, maintenance info, and documents about your home security system. Medical : Store all of your family’s important medical records in this binder. This will become especially handy in the case of a medical emergency.

: Store all of your family’s important medical records in this binder. This will become especially handy in the case of a medical emergency. Auto : Put all of your documents on your auto insurance, loans, registration, and maintenance records in here.

: Put all of your documents on your auto insurance, loans, registration, and maintenance records in here. Pet : If you have any house pets, place every document that involves in this folder, including their medical and vaccination records, as well as their registration and microchip info.

: If you have any house pets, place every document that involves in this folder, including their medical and vaccination records, as well as their registration and microchip info. Instruction Manuals : In this binder, put any and all instruction manuals for appliances and electronics around the home.

: In this binder, put any and all instruction manuals for appliances and electronics around the home. Miscellaneous: If you have documents that do not fit into any other category, place them in here.

9. Optimize Your Printing Space

Choose one area to house your printer and all your printing supplies. If you do not already have one, consider getting a wireless printer. This way it will not take up that much-needed desk space.

10. Organize Your Mail

Though most of your work will be done digitally, you will likely still receive some paper mail. To organize this influx of papers, try creating a mail station. Use paper bins or folders to separate your papers into four different sections: incoming mail, bills, papers to file, and outgoing mail. File mail as it comes in and set aside a time every week to sort through each section of the mail.