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How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Home Office
Follow these steps to get rid of the paper piles and make room for beauty and better organisation
Whether you work from home part time (or full time), or use your home office for keeping track of household accounts, this space is likely to be a magnet for paper clutter. In this series, we’re approaching each room in the house from the perspective of identifying what sparks joy. Here we look at ways to clear the clutter and create a beautiful, well-organised space in your home office.
More in this series: How to Achieve a Blissfully Clutter-free Bathroom l How to Create a Welcoming, Clutter-free Hall l How to Create a Blissfully Clutter-free Bedroom l How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-free Space for Children
More in this series: How to Achieve a Blissfully Clutter-free Bathroom l How to Create a Welcoming, Clutter-free Hall l How to Create a Blissfully Clutter-free Bedroom l How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-free Space for Children
Take action: Begin the clutter-clearing process by gathering all your paper piles and files and removing the unnecessary and outdated.
If you’re not sure whether you must keep an item for tax purposes, don’t guess, and don’t keep it “just in case.” Check with your accountant or HMRC and find out for sure. Keeping too many papers will only make it more challenging to find what you need when you’re looking for it.
Find all the pros you need for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
If you’re not sure whether you must keep an item for tax purposes, don’t guess, and don’t keep it “just in case.” Check with your accountant or HMRC and find out for sure. Keeping too many papers will only make it more challenging to find what you need when you’re looking for it.
Find all the pros you need for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Calm the visual noise
Just looking at piles of papers and overstuffed files can be stressful because these are visual reminders of what those papers contain: bills to be paid, taxes to be filed and business that needs attending to. Clearing the decks with a paper clutter purge is a good first step, but it’s also important what you do with what’s left.
When possible, keep paper piles and files behind closed doors. If that’s not an option, choosing visually similar containers will also have a calming effect.
Just looking at piles of papers and overstuffed files can be stressful because these are visual reminders of what those papers contain: bills to be paid, taxes to be filed and business that needs attending to. Clearing the decks with a paper clutter purge is a good first step, but it’s also important what you do with what’s left.
When possible, keep paper piles and files behind closed doors. If that’s not an option, choosing visually similar containers will also have a calming effect.
Take action: Looking at your home office setup, what needs to shift in order to quiet the visual noise? Here are a few ideas.
- If your home office is in a corner of another room, see whether you can contain most of the papers and files behind closed cabinet doors or in drawers.
- On open shelving, choose storage containers with a uniform look, in a style that’s easy for you to use. Filers can use file boxes; pilers can use baskets or flat document boxes.
- Keep some drawer or shelf space open for stashing your tech gadgets and chargers, so you don’t need to look at them when you’re not working.
Streamline systems
Without a good system, your lovely, organised home office is bound to regress into chaos, but if you’re proactive, the positive habits you put in place will make it easier to maintain a clutter-free space.
Without a good system, your lovely, organised home office is bound to regress into chaos, but if you’re proactive, the positive habits you put in place will make it easier to maintain a clutter-free space.
Take action: Think through each step of your work (or household accounting) and choose a simple solution to stick with for each part of the process.
- Choose one spot where you can collect incoming post and paper.
- See whether you can handle more bills and statements online (and paper-free).
- Decide on a regular time each week to process paper and check online accounts.
- Simplify your filing system and use labels that make sense to you.
- Create a dedicated spot to keep small items contained.
Add home comforts
There’s no reason your home office should be furnished with items from a office supply store – this is your home, after all. Consider whether a bold colour scheme, fantastic light or fresh artwork would enhance your experience in this space.
There’s no reason your home office should be furnished with items from a office supply store – this is your home, after all. Consider whether a bold colour scheme, fantastic light or fresh artwork would enhance your experience in this space.
Take action: While new furniture and wall colour are high-impact, there are also plenty of small ways to create a more comfortable, inspiring atmosphere in your home office. Here are a few tips.
- Keep a small vase of fresh flowers on your desk.
- Put up a string of fairy lights to create a warm glow.
- Pin art postcards to your noticeboard.
- Drape a luxurious throw over the back of your desk chair.
- Use found items from the kitchen (a china sugar bowl, a cake stand) to organise your office supplies.
Tell us…
How do you keep your home office pleasant and uncluttered? Share your tips in the Comments.
How do you keep your home office pleasant and uncluttered? Share your tips in the Comments.
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When your home office is crowded with paper clutter and files, it can be hard to focus. Take this opportunity to step back and envision what your space might be like if you could wave a magic wand and make all the clutter disappear.
What would improve? Your record keeping, your ability to find what you need, perhaps even your mood? Give yourself time to clearly visualise what a clutter-free home office would look like, and keep it in mind as you clear clutter.