A Home Office Gets Organized

I really want to re-do my office space. I would post a photo of it but I am in the states right now. Actually, I wouldn't post a photo of it because it is just one big mess. My desk is the catchall for everything that is connected, even if it is loosely, to me. It accumulates pile after pile of paper, newspapers, magazines, bills, arts and crafts supplies, toys, teaching materials, books, and more. Under the desk you can find boxes of yarn. Next to the desk is an ugly storage bookshelf where I store everything from my school books to my underwear.

This article, A Home Office Gets Organized, from Real Simple breaks the reorganization down into 4 simple rules.

Separate personal from professional. This is a hard one but I can definitely see the need. I really like how the photo above (from Real Simple) used different colored boxes to separate the categories of materials. All of my paperwork is mixed up so when I am in the middle of trying to plan class, I will start thinking about an assignment of my own because the information is there staring me in the face. Everything needs to have its place and it needs to be easy to find and use.

Clear the desktop. Oh.so.important.for.me. I cannot work with a messy desktop so often I just don't work. Instead I find myself browsing the internet (like I am now...hmm) or just walking away. When my desk is clear, my mind is clear and I am ready to work.

Create a station for incoming and outgoing. I love this one. In the photo you can see that they used something mounted on the wall. I think that would work really well for me. Not only does it give things a place but it also get them off of the desk!

Consolidate, consolidate, consolidate. Here is where you need a photo. I just have piles everywhere. I need more storage and I love the ones above. I want to get things off of the floor, out from under my feet, away from the sides of my desk where I am constantly tripping over them.

But like the spontaneous creativity I struggle with when I am trying to entertain Felix, I also have trouble doing projects like this. Once again, from afar it seems so easy to do but when I get there, in front of my desk, I just feel overwhelmed. Then I end up doing nothing.

If only I were rich and I could pay someone to come in and clean all of the nonsense out of my house and redo all of my spaces that need work. But, I'm not so I need to figure out some way to get motivated. Help! What do you do to get motivated?

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Tags: renovation, realsimple, homeoffice, lazy, diy, organization, ideas, motivation

Comments

[andie]

If I had the secret to motivation, I might actually be rich by now! When you spend your day doing the housewife thing running after kids, cooking meals, cleaning up at least the surface, and then doing your own thing by studying or preparing classes or teaching, you are too tired to find the motivation necessary to take on the bigger projects. Proof: We are still sleeping on the floor on a mattress that's 20 years old! Our 'project' is to build our bed this Fall, so hopefully our backpain will be motivation enough to do it!

This sounds silly, but a lot of my motivation comes from blogs! When I see cute pics of an interior or even food pics, it makes me want a neat and tidy house from the inside out. Or, with the PhD exams, when I find myself having an intellectual conversation with someone, it makes me want to go study. Weird that others can influence our motivation in such ways.

[Aimee]

I need to do this too. My goal is to get a desk like the one in your photo where the keyboard can go under the desk and be pulled out when needed and I can work on top of my desk on knit projects, sewing projects and I actually have room to write. I've been trying to hold out to see if I can find something used or for sale at a brocante but I doubt I'll find what I want so we'll probably go to Ikea to find what I want. Off the floor is essential. Use wall space to it's full capacities. I know we don't do that enough chez nous.