It’s all well and good to work out of your house, but you won’t be doing yourself or your clients any favours if you’re not set up properly

Now that you’ve started to organize your home office by purging paper and other unnecessary stuff, you’re ready to design and set up your new space. There are two main considerations to take into account as you plan your new space: beauty and functionality. You should always focus on function before décor—there is really no point in having a beautiful office space if it doesn’t function the way you need it to.

Convenience of use, adequate storage, and proper systems are our main concerns when designing any office space. That’s not to say that I don’t think having a gorgeous office space isn’t important—the more you like it, the more likely you are to keep it organized, right?

Begin the space-planning process by making a list of all the activities and categories of ‘stuff’ you might have in your home office space:

• Computer workstation: monitor(s), printer(s), CPU, etc.
• Telephone
• Desktop sorter or hanging file
• Files
• Office supplies: paper, labels, ink cartridges, file folders, pens, stapler, hole punch, etc.
• Electronic accessories
• Books and magazines
• Binders: committees, courses, etc.

Be sure to make a complete list of everything you can think of that you will need to use and store in your office area.

The next step is to figure out if you have the right pieces of furniture to allow you to keep your space organized, if you need to add another piece or two, or if you need to start from scratch with brand new furniture. The biggest mistake I have seen over the years is the tendency to “make do” with whatever you have and then continually adding another bookshelf, another small table, or another filing cabinet. You know the feeling—by the time you’re done, nothing matches and you still don’t have the right piece for storing and organizing everything.

You’ll need something to store your files in, such as a lateral file cabinet or open rolling file cart; a shelving unit for your books, magazines, CDs, boxes of photos, albums, and binders; a work surface to spread out projects; and a surface for your computer and printer.

As you think about the furniture requirements for your space, you need to keep in mind your organizing style. If you are a visual, creative person you cannot hide things away in closed-door cabinets and filing cabinets because you need to see everything in order to function effectively. On the other hand if you are a non-visual person, you can happily put everything away behind closed doors and function very well. It is possible to design a functional and visually appealing space for either organizing style. You should also keep in the mind that the ideal layout for an office space is a U-shape or L-shape setup.

And finally, don’t forget that you’ll need some comfortable seating and good lighting in your office space. A carefully designed office that allows you to have a place for everything will bring you a sense of well-being and help you take control of your work life. 

Jane Veldhoven is a Certified Professional Organizer ® and owner of Get Organized! Professional Services.  For more information visit www.janetheorganizer.com or call 902-229-JANE(5263).

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

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