Tips to Manage your Home Office for the Busy Family CEO

The biggest organizing problem in every American household today is coping with the clutter and paper on the kitchen counter. Research shows that 80% of what we keep we never use. Elizabeth Hagen’s Principle: If you do not know you have it, or you cannot find it, it is of no value. Keeping information, supplies, equipment, and other resources which do not contribute to the household and not being able to find the information you do have can cost valuable time, space, and energy.

Here are some tips to clean up your family’s paper clutter and/or your home office:

1. Today’s mail is tomorrow’s pile. Do not worry about the piles from yesterday – they’ll take care of themselves in time. Your road to success starts by establishing a “paper management center” in your house – a place to put new papers where you will go regularly to manage your mail. Caution: Make sure it is a place you like to be! If you pay bills and make phone calls while you’re cooking or watching the kids, a corner in the kitchen may be best – but if you only work in solitude, creating a cozy office in a corner somewhere may be more effective. Eliminate everything from your paper management center except what you know you will use.
   
   
2. Clutter is postponed decisions. The key to your new system is to decide now! As you take papers out of your “In Basket”, remember The FAT System. There are only three decisions you can make: File, Act, or Toss. In other words, if you want to eliminate the “fat” from your desk, think “FAT”!
   
   
3. Practice The Art of Wastebasketry. Determine whether you want to keep each piece of paper at all by asking yourself these Art of Wastebasketry questions:

   	•	Does this require any action on my part?
   	•	Does this exist elsewhere?
   	•	Is this information recent enough to be useful?
   	•	Is there a specific use for this paper?
   	•	Are there any tax or legal implications?
   If you answer “No” to all the above questions, but are still not comfortable throwing something away, ask one last question:
   	•	What is the worst possible thing that could happen if I did not have this information? If you can live with your answer, toss – or recycle it – and live happily ever after!

   
   
4. Create a “Finding System”. Does just the idea of filing give you knots in your stomach? Not surprising – most filing systems don’t work! Why? Because the same information can be filed under “Car”, “Auto” “Vehicle” or “GMC” – and it’s highly unlikely that any two family members would agree on what to name a file, much less be able to remember it when they want to find it later. The solution to this age-old problem: A File Index – a list of the names of your files. You can create a File Index as a word processing document – or you can use Taming the Paper Tiger software to generate an alphabetical list of your files automatically. (The system is so simple, your kids can help you file!)
   
   
5. Develop clear understandings and guidelines with others in the household to minimize misunderstandings about your home office. Avoid "living" in your office -- make commitments to family time and keep them!
   
   
6. Choose a location for your office where you like to be. If you have a formal living area you use only a few times a year, but are working at home every day in a place you don't like -- think again!
   
   
7. Choose furniture and lighting to suit your individual preferences. If possible, create an L-shape for your desk area with filing space within reach. Consider ergonomic design to protect yourself from fatigue or even injury.
   
   
8. Set up your desk so you can process mail quickly. Most people need at least three containers within easy reach of their desk:
       a. In - for mail you haven’t yet looked at
       b. Out - for items that need to go someplace else
       c. File - for items that need to be filed outside the reach of your desk
   
   
9. Put wastebasket or recycling containers wherever possible – for example, under your desk, near the filing cabinet, or next to the fax machine. If you are concerned about confidentiality issues, purchase a paper shredder. The larger your wastebasket the more you’ll throw!
   
   
10. Create a system for filing paper and electronic information, so that you (or someone else, if necessary) can find any information you need quickly and easily.
    
    
11. Divide your files into “Action” (for things you are currently working on) and “Reference” (for information you want to be able to refer to easily).
    
    
12. If you are short on filing space, create “Archives” in a less accessible or off-site location for files you are legally required to keep, or for files you rarely use. Keep a list of those files at your desk for easy reference.
    
    
13. Look up for more space! Make good use of wall space for bookshelves or cabinets for resources such as books, notebooks, magazines, and office supplies.

This article may be reproduced with the permission of the author, author credits, and the inclusion of this paragraph:

©Elizabeth Hagen, Professional Organizer/Speaker, wants to make your life easier! You can be more focused, organized, and productive. Elizabeth can be reached at 605-357-8767 or at www.ElizabethHagen.com.

Elizabeth Hagen
Professional Organizer/Speaker
605.357.8767

Your life just got easier!

Elizabeth Hagen is a professional organizer/speaker who loves to help others get organized and will help you Establish Excellence in your Environment.

Contact her at elizabeth@elizabethhagen.com or visit her website at http://www.elizabethhagen.com and learn how you can find anything in 5 seconds or less...guaranteed!