If you work from home you understand the craziness that is a home office. While I don’t have children and I don’t cook dinner, trying to get things done throughout the day never seems to go as planned. But don’t fret! It’s normal, and you are not alone. There are ways to re-organize your day and your life to get things moving in the right direction when you work from home. Hopefully these tips for organizing your day when working from home will help you!
Planner
You need some sort of calendar or paper planner or app – something to keep you on task. Paper planners are perfect if you like lists and digital calendars are great if you hate writing things down and like to have something that’s not bulky to carry with you (who doesn’t have their phone with them most of the time?). Anything will work, but doing it is the key. Plan out your day in some fashion so that you know what you should be doing at almost every hour of the day. It may sound silly, but you won’t believe how much easier it becomes to stay on task when you know exactly when you need to start and finish something. And, if you are like me – it’s always nice to √ things off your list! I have a lovely planner that I purchased from Plum Paper Designs. I will say that I use mine as more of a historical record – I like to post stuff there after it happens because I like to use pretty markers and I don’t like to scratch stuff out or use whiteout.
Clear the space
This goes for your work space as well as your mind. Ideally it’s best to have a designated workspace in your house. The couch is great, but your productivity will be higher with an actual work area. Then clear that space of distractions. Knick knacks can go, clutter needs to leave, and that includes on the walls. Keep things that motivate you around, and the rest needs to go somewhere else where it won’t distract you. While these are examples of what you should do in your office – this is not what I’ve done. I like knick knacks and they actually keep me grounded. You have to find the right thing for you. There are just times during the day that I need 5-10 minutes of daydreaming and looking at my tchotchkes (also spelled tshotshke, tshatshke, tchachke, tchotchka, tchatchka, chachke, tsotchke, chotski, or chochke) is the way I do it.
This is where it all goes down!
I actually just redid my home office. When we first moved into this house we had 2 corner desks in the home office – mine was on the left and my dad’s was on the right. He used it a handful of times before deciding he preferred working on his laptop in his comfy recliner at night. I then set up the left desk with my personal laptops and the right desk with my work laptop (my full-time job). Recently I opted to get rid of both desks and get a larger corner desk for the left side and then a tall table. This gives me more room for all computers (yes, I said “all”) and a tall table to use when prepping packages to send out and other things like using my Silhouette Cameo or laminator. All my desk pieces and book cases are from IKEA. The nice thing is the stuff isn’t overly expensive and it’s easy to put together.
I have a shelf dedicated to my dad!
Clearing your mind is as easy as doing yoga or meditating for ten minutes a day. Keep those stress levels down, and you will stay more organized. Keeping clutter out of your head by focusing on daily goals will keep you on track throughout the day. I like to use my doTERRA essential oils to stay focused as well. You can put InTune roll-on on the bottom’s of your feet or use a diffuser throughout the day with lavender or lemon which are both great for concentration.
Sometimes I sit in quiet and read
As far as your physical space goes, make sure that everything has a place. Your pens should all be in a holder, notebooks in one place, create shelving if you have to. Clutter around you will clutter your mind. It might take a few try’s to figure out what form of organization will work best for your physical area that you work in. My friends and family will tell you that I’m crazy when it comes to stuff in it’s place. One time when I was working at the office (not my home office) I got to my desk and instantly noticed two things…my stapler was out of place and my favorite mechanical pencil was missing. I put out an APB on Facebook and come to find out one of my work (and Facebook) friends had stolen it. He said it was the best he had used – I was like “Yes it is the best…now give it back!”
Everyone needs to find their “right” space. Not everyone can function or focus with the knick knacks like I have in my office. You have to find your own balance.
Are you ready to organize your day?
