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Here’s part two of how you can stay organized in your home office.

Now that you have your home office organized, set aside a few minutes at the end of your workday to keep it that way. Try to end the day with a clean, empty desk. You will appreciate it the next morning. This will also prevent you from ever coming across a huge pile of papers again.

Add a personal touch to your office. Bring in some pictures of the kids; add some pretty plants, inspirational quotes, or anything else you can think of that will make your office a pleasant place to work in. In addition to getting and keeping you in a good mood whenever you step in your office, you are more likely to keep it clean and organized if it is a place you treasure. So splurge a little on some special office dÈcor. Keep a shelf of your favourite books. I have a section where I put my health books, from weight loss pills that work books to detox program references. I also have some magazines that I can flip through when I’m taking a break from work.

Let’s talk about the files on your computer. You can waist just as much time searching for an online document as for a piece of paper. If your computer is used for work as well as for personal use, create a work folder and use subfolders for particular employers, projects etc. Again, come up with a file system that works for you and keep your work files separate from your personal files. This is particularly important if other family members access the computer as well.

In addition to your regular files, you also want to keep your emails organized. Let’s be honest, we have all wasted time searching for a particular email that contained some vital information we needed fast. Setting up folders for different clients and projects has worked well for me, but again find a system that works for you and stick with it. Sort the email as soon as you read it. It only takes a second or two to drop it in the appropriate folder, but will save you a lot of time if you have to find it later.

As we start to clear the clutter and throw out all that we don’t need in the home office, it just amazes us how much we accumulated over the last six years Without the structure of an office, it is easy to scatter anything work related all over the house. If you are working from your home, you still need to complete your work in a timely and efficient manner so staying organized is important. An organized home office will make for a faster and more pleasant workday.

Planning for a home office, you don’t necessarily need an entire room, but you should have a well-defined space to contain all your office essentials and files. A working desk in your bedroom that will hold your files, paper, pens, calculator and of course computer will do fine, especially in the beginning.

If your ‘home office‘ consists of the dining room table, some of the drawers in your kitchen, a file cabinet in the basement and the computer in the bedroom, you may want to think about organizing everything in one spot. If you don’t put in efforts to stay organized, you will feel frustrated when you get busy. Imagine having to search your documents and important things in the pile of fast weight loss pills and supplements, it can be time consuming looking for things! Are you spending a lot of time searching for a particular document, running from room to room to find it? Consider moving all your files and papers to one central location, preferably close to the computer if thatís where you are doing the bulk of your work.

Keep your personal files and papers separate from your business things. You will eventually have enough paperwork to deal with without having your personal bills, magazines and the kidsí after-school schedule mixed in there. Create a separate spot for those somewhere outside of your home office space.

The talk and discussion on eco friendliness is becoming common in our home lives and work lives. In our home office, we do our best to observe a green environment by following some simple principles.

I’m planning to buy a new adjustable home office desk and chair made of eco friendly materials. We have been checking out some articles, references and even a green study too see how we can do our part in small and big ways. In our home office, we have a tray of recycled paper which we used for scribbles and test prints. If possible, we avoid printing out any documents and prefer to send them electronically. Not only do we save on paper stock, we are encouraging more of our associates and friends to use less paper too.

It’s Sunday today and it’s a day of break from the office. We are half way with our packing and everything is looking good at the moment. What I need is a good rest and some extra sleep and I’ll be well on my way for a good week!