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It’s easy to gradually accumulate clutter in your home office. There’s just more stuff around when you’re working from home: personal paperwork, piles of books, coffee cups, kids’ school admin, miscellaneous items…and probably the long-lost Sellotape and all the pairs of scissors beneath it all.

But decluttering and organising your home office is not an easy task, and you may be a little intimidated at the thought of it. Do you feel defeated by clutter? Read through our tips to help you to declutter your home office.

Why is a clutter-free home office important?

A clutter-free home office is not just aesthetically pleasing. An organised desk will encourage organised work. Having a disorganised office is more likely to take your focus away from your work and you're more likely to lose things. But the importance goes deeper: studies have found that , procrastination, and have a generally negative impact on mental health. The impact of stress on productivity has been well-documented. Stress can lead to reduced creativity, a lack of focus, a lack of energy and changes in personality that can make teamwork harder (and, in turn, can affect the productivity of your peers).

How to declutter your home office for maximum productivity

Organising a home filing system for paperwork

Start by creating three categories: file, action and waiting on action. Then keep the paperwork for ‘waiting on action’ in a tray on your desk and file the others away. Any paperwork that you can throw away, shred before recycling, for data protection. The aim is always to go as paperless as possible, so don’t forget about your electronic filing system — computer desktops can become cluttered too.

Categorise and label everything

Buy a label maker and get labelling — such a simple thing to do, but it will make you feel more in control to have a set place for everything so that the clutter doesn’t build up again. Plus, labelling will increase your productivity by saving you time because you don’t need to hunt for anything.

Don’t forget to label all the cables and plugs under and around your desk so you never need to scramble around for the right plug again or wobble the cables around trying to figure out which one has a loose connection. Use wireless devices (mouse, keyboard) where possible, to reduce cable clutter.

How to organise a small office space

A small office space can quickly feel enclosed if you don’t keep on top of the clutter. But there are things you can do to keep a small workspace neat and clutter-free. Organisation is key: everything has a place. To help you to do this, you need to carefully select furniture and storage designed to maximise space.

Use a space-saving desk in a small office as a traditional desk takes up more floor space. Take a look at floating desks, corner desks, ladder desks, shelf desks and folding desks.

Opt for tall, narrow bookcases or corner bookcases; wall-mounted shelves; or a room-dividing unit with shelves.

Use storage baskets, trays and boxes to keep shelves clutter-free. And don’t forget to place trays and boxes inside cupboards and drawers, so that even out of sight, things are orderly.

How to declutter a kitchen office

Here we have four steps to get you started on decluttering in the kitchen and to give you more inspiration for your kitchen office:

Organise the kitchen to meet your office requirements. Consider how you need to use the kitchen office and what’s working and what’s not working about your space.
Ensure that everything you need has a place and put everything away. Anything you don’t need, or don’t have space for and rarely use, relocate or give away. Be ruthless.
Keep all surfaces clean and clear and streamline where you can. Swap your busy kettle area for a steaming hot water tap (and as a bonus you’ll no longer be drumming your fingers waiting for the kettle to boil in time for a Zoom call).
Now the kitchen office is set up to cater for your needs, put a new daily routine into place to prevent things from becoming messy and disorganised. However tempting it is to simply push a pile of paper to the side when you log off, it’s much more efficient to do a quick tidy-away each day for a few minutes. And you’ll have to adjust and adapt this routine as needed in future. Focus on asking yourself questions and making quick decisions: ‘Do I really need it?’ If you do, put it back in its place.

How to organise your home office on a budget

Sometimes too much research can be a bad thing. Scrolling through Instagram, Pinterest and interior design apps can serve to inspire, but they can also intimidate if your budget is tight and you have no time (and no experience) for DIY. And where do people put all their stuff in these glamorous home offices? The spotless desks in these photos never look like they have done a day's work! So here are some more realistic tips so you can organise your home office on a budget.

Choose a space and repurpose — a recess, nook, landing or corner of the kitchen.
Look out for second-hand furniture in shops and on social media. Take a look at chalk-paint inspiration on social media (such as Frenchic) — it’s amazing what a lick of paint will do to transform a second-hand piece.
For anything you can’t find second-hand, take a look in IKEA and browse designer ranges in more affordable stores such as Habitat or Argos.
For office wall decor, grouping together frames to create a multi-aperture gallery wall will look much more expensive than it costs. Consider the backdrop to your video calls — a gallery, some original art, an antique map, or something personal to create a talking point when needed (if you have kids, you can ask them to create some artwork to frame!)
Take advantage of special offers and sales for office supplies, storage solutions and decor: January, August, and Black Friday.

Use office inspiration and style to your advantage and make decluttering part of your daily routine for a happier, more productive home office.

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Tips To Declutter Your Home Office