When setting up a home office, you may well ask yourself, "How did I accumulate so much stuff?"

Let’s talk about every tidy businessperson’s worst nightmare: paper, paper, paper. Where does it all come from and what do you do with it? For most of the busy professionals I work with this is the most challenging part of keeping their office organized. Before you can design and set up a functional office, you’ll need to edit all that paper. Keep your long-term vision in mind as you slog through the piles of files, the mounds of old discs, and stacks of newsletters that you meant to read one day.

So where to begin? If you’re looking for instant gratification to keep you motivated, the best starting point is with the visible surfaces. If you have piles in various places, start by taking a banker’s box for each area and putting all the paper in a box and labeling it “stuff from the credenza,” etc. Or, you may decide to start with your filing cabinet if it’s stuffed to the brim and can’t possibly hold another piece of paper.

Take one piece of paper at a time and ask yourself the following questions:

1. How old is this—is it recent enough to be useful?
2. Does this require action?
3. Can I really identify a specific use for it?
4. Is it difficult to obtain this again if “someday I might need it?”
5. When was the last time I used this?
6. Are there tax or legal reasons why I must keep this?
7. If you still feel that knot in your stomach—ask yourself: What is the worst possible thing that will happen if I toss this?

As you go through individual pieces of paper, start your filing system by taking a pencil and a plain manila file folder and writing a series of words on the folder describing the contents. Separate ‘Action’ files from all other ones in a pile or box. Label ‘Action’ files with words such as Read, Bills to Pay, etc. As you work through magazines, tear out the images or information you will use and place them in a temporary folder or box so that later on you can set up a binder.

As you continue to purge, work through one pile at a time, one drawer at a time, and one shelf at a time until you’re through everything. It’s especially important to try not to get distracted as you move through each area of your office. Be sure to tackle a manageable area each time you sit down for your organizing session.

As you set aside your daily organizing time, be also aware that you will need 10 or 15 minutes every day to deal with incoming. Follow the same system by separating items into ‘Action’ or ‘File’ or send them straight to the file known as the recycling bin!

I wish you good luck and much purging and look forward to the next phase, which is designing and setting up your home office space.

Jane Veldhoven is a professional organizer and owner of Get Organized! Professional Services. She can be reached at janev@get-organized.ca; www.get-organized.ca.

Read the second part of Jane's home office tips here.

Read the third part of Jane's home office tips here.