May Makeover Challenge

HOME OFFICE SPACE

As I mentioned last week, this month we will be reorganizing home office space.  This is such an important area of our home regardless of whether you have a designated room or little nook of space.  This is where things happen that keep the home running smoothly.  Bills get paid, schedules are made, and important papers get filed in this area.

Here are just a few things you might consider in case you are wondering why you might need to take on this challenge:

• Your office space has become a "catch all" for other household items that don't pertain to home office.

• You can't locate items that you need because of the chaos in the space.

• The filing system that you currently use is not working efficiently for you.

• The overall look of the space makes you wish for something different.

By the way, this is not an all inclusive list and you certainly don't need to have all four to qualify!!

Now that you've established that you are a good candidate for this challenge, let's discuss a process to implement so the end result is a home office space that you wonder how you ever lived without (or at least puts a smile on your face when you see it)!

The Process

First, don't over commit yourself.  Try to devote a certain amount of time each week to completing this challenge.  The last thing you want to do is overwhelm yourself.

Designate your Space

• This may mean that your office space will stay right where it is.  However, you may determine that there is a space somewhere else in your home that will work better.  Look to Pinterest and other websites for inspiration.

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Declutter your Space

• Remove any items that don't pertain to the office.
• Get 3 large containers/boxes and label them as follows:  SHRED, FILE, TRASH
• Go through paperwork!  I know this is not a fun task, but one that is necessary.  Use the boxes to separate the papers.  You will go back to these boxes later.

Clean Your Space

• Now that you have removed all of the items from your workspace and placed into boxes, you will want to clean the space.  Move furniture if possible and sweep and/or vacuum the space.  
• Wipe down work surfaces; desk, shelves, etc.

Create Stations/Work Centers

Mail Station

• I shared in a previous post here how I made the file folders. I wanted something pretty on my credenza because these are files that I go to daily.  My file folders are labeled as:

Calvin

Kim

Incoming Mail

Outgoing Mail

Bills to Pay

Coupons

Reimbursements

Reconcile Receipts

If you have children at home, you may want to make a file for each of them for items that need to be signed and returned to school and/or any other pertinent information.  

Supply Station

• Decide on an area to keep all of your office supplies.  You may want to use items that you currently have around the house like decorative containers and baskets or consider The Dollar Store or Target for inexpensive solutions.

Filing Station

• It may be a file cabinet, box, credenza.  Whatever you decide, make sure its easily accessible.  Filing usually isn't high on the "fun" list, so don't make it more difficult to complete the task.  I previously posted here about Freedom Filer!  Have I mentioned how much I love this system?  Okay, I LOVE this system.

Add Personal Touches

• This is an area that you spend significant time in.  Make it personal by adding family photos, artwork that you have collected and/or from your children.  You may want to include some type of inspirational quote.  Hobby Lobby carries lots of different options for inspiraton.

Other Things to Consider

1. Conceal Cables & Wires - Command has a fairly inexpensive option here.  Additionally, you may want to identify what your cables are for by using a label system.
2. Invest in a shredder or rubber stamp to go back to that box that you have filled with papers in need of proper disposal.
3. Surge protect your computer.
4. Consider some type of magazine file system for those magazines that keep piling up but you aren't ready to recycle.
5. Develop a manuals binder(s) to centrally locate when needed.  

So, are you ready to get started?

Have fun with it!

Get creative!

Take lots of pictures and send them to me!!

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