In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many have shifted operations from their typical offices. Moreover, the work from home policy has made it hard for some to work. Trying to strike a balance between working and taking up house chores is difficult. Those that had an extra room in their homes opted to convert it into a home office.
Clutter has a negative impact on a person’s ability to concentrate and be productive. Therefore, working in a messy room divides your attention, and this makes your roles a little too difficult to handle. Not only does it increase stress, but also reduces your performance when working.
source: fully.com
Arguably, working from home may be more challenging than the usual office setting. This shift in environment has made some employees suffer the inconvenience brought about by COVID-19. Thus, you’ll need to declutter your home office space to improve efficiency and productivity. Effective junk removal will create room for smooth workflow, and help clear your to-do list quicker.
We have seen an increase in home office renovation during the Pandemic where people were advised to work from home. In Australia, home renovations that are identified as necessary for work or business can be filed as one of your working from home tax deductions. This can greatly help you financially in building your dream home office that can enhance productivity and work
Does Junk Affect Office Hours
According to psychologists, clutter can affect the way we work and concentrate.
How Does It Affect Work?
- Time wastage – mixing up home and work items will bring about confusion. Imagine a scenario where you are looking for an invoice in a pile of clothes. When you have a messy home office, you tend to take more time searching for work necessities. Time is valuable, and you need to guard it.
- Distraction – clutter causes distraction, thus, preventing you from fully concentrating on work. You might find it easy shifting focus from your tasks occasionally.
Since we are all advised to work from home, then we need to make the best out of it. Wondering how to declutter? We’ll show you.
How to Declutter Your Home Office
source: usatoday.com
It’s not too late to reclaim your home office from the chains of clutter. It’ll all depend on your first bold step to learn. Follow these simple steps and get your workspace in order:
Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
You don’t need to have everything inside your workspace. Therefore, accumulation of unnecessary items leads to clutter. Take an example of a pair of scissors – you may need it for cutting documents, but can store it elsewhere.
Remove Outdated or Broken Items inside the Office
Be selective with the items you store inside the office. You don’t need to have outdated items and broken stuff around. Immediately you purchase a new device, take the old one away. You don’t have to throw it, literally, but you can store it somewhere else.
Organize Cables
Often, many have wires and cables crossing around their offices. Take the ones that don’t perform any important role out of your workspace. If at all you must have all of them around, try and organize them in an orderly fashion. Besides, we are in the technological era, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea trying out cordless devices.
Clean Paper Piles
source: pardeehomes.com
Perhaps one of the typical workspace offenders is paper. Having paper all over the flow will create a mess too big to work with. Try splitting the piles into three categories – recycle, shred, and keep. Again, technology here plays a vital role in reducing clutter.
Consider storing documents as word files or Google docs. Better still, you can scan the existing pieces of paper with important information, and store them in your computer. If at all you must retain a hard copy, then try out a storage unit.
How a Productive Home Office Looks Like
Ultimately, your home office should:
Have Storage Units
You don’t need a complex storage compartment – just a simple one to declutter. They’ll help you store every other item you don’t need urgently in your workspace. Something as simple as a file cabinet with labels can improve the efficiency of storing and tracing office stuff. In addition, corner bookcases may also help if you have books all over your space.
Have an Optimized Layout
source: diyannihomes.com
Your office design has the power to distract you, and affect workflow. You might want to ensure enough light and air gets into the room. You’ll evade eye strains and any stuffiness inside your workspace.
Besides, it would be best if you kept your desk away from the window due to distractions. However, this tip doesn’t apply to all, as some people work best with sceneries. Another golden tip is to add plants into the room, as this helps to improve oxygen circulation.
Have the Ideal Furniture
Comfort is key when working. Not only does it help you to focus, but also reduces body strain. Working with uncomfortable equipment for extended periods can take a toll on your body. To increase productivity, consider ergonomic options that take care of your body while you take care of daily tasks. A comfortable desk and chair should be your priority.
Be Quiet
source: camelothomes.com
Noise is another common distraction. Your home office should be as far from your family as possible. This helps to cut down distractions and interruptions. If you lack a spare room to use as your office, then consider one of your rarely-used bedrooms.
Be Clutter-free
We cannot emphasize this enough. Therefore, try and ensure you have a clutter-free workspace at all times.
Final Thoughts
In summary, we hope that the above points paint a good picture of how your home office should look like. Thus, try and implement as many of these tips as you can, and see the difference.
