It’s the New Year and time to face reality and get organized. My husband and I finally gave up our office away from home and I need to stop working out of my bedroom in favor of a more permanent home office setup. I don’t have a spare room, but I am lucky enough to have a roomy nook between my entryway and living room. Unfortunately, it has become a dumping ground for us as a family. This cozy nook with window currently houses all our Christmas decorations, so I used the opportunity to go through and declutter all my decorations and organize them into a combination of plastic storage boxes with lids and meori totes and storage bins.
My space does not have a door that I can close but I have found that when I use my Airpods, it really works to keep me focused. The one thing I had to make sure that no one is walking behind me during Zoom calls. That determined where I put my desk so that it is facing away from foot traffic.
Step One: Decide on a desk for your home office setup
I like to have the option of sitting and standing at my desk. I don’t know about you, but it hurts my back to sit for eight hours a day and standing keeps me more alert. So I looked for an adjustable height standing desk, something smallish to fit in the space in my nook that is calling out for a desk. This led me to the adjustable height desk from Costco. It has a glass top, is modern, and comes in white or black to match your decor. It’s also a good price at $329.99.
Step Two: Organize your home office desk essentials
Determine what you need to have on your desk or within arm’s reach. I need the following items for maximum productivity:
- A large computer screen (two is even better)
- Note cards, scissors, pens, reading glasses, yellow stickies
- Air pods, mouse, keyboard, IPhone
- Notebook for to-do lists
I find that it is also nice to have a little space for documents and scribbling so I need all of the above supplies to be corralled and organized. To do this, I use a meori Mini Box to hold the supplies that stay on my desk and the new meori Portable Desktop Organizer for things that I take with me for meetings or when I change my work location.
Step Three: Storage space ideas for home office supplies and “stuff”
Here is where you should take the extra few hours to go through all your office supplies and other things that have piled up and declutter as much as possible. In my case, this meant going through samples of meori products and all my paper files stored in hanging file boxes and getting rid of things that are no longer relevant.
Once I had decluttered all of the items I no longer needed, I grabbed an IKEA Kallax shelf and used it to store all of my office supplies in meori Small Foldable Cubes and Hanging File Boxes.
I found myself decluttering books (I love to buy and collect books) and then used the top of my IKEA shelf to display and store all the books I have purchased but not read and want to read in 2023. I love looking at them from my office chair when I am on the phone or in a meeting!
Step Four: Decorate it and make it look nice
Because I have a window in the nook, I added a couple of plants. I bought the big one at Trader Joe’s for $5 two years ago and fed it lots of Miracle Grow. Look how big it has grown! I nice rug that you won’t trip over creates better acoustics and keeps it all cozier. And a second chair for when someone needs to sit down and meet with me. Since my husband and I work together and both work in the house, this happens a lot. I love the little barrel armchair from IKEA. It’s comfortable and comes in different colors and is very inexpensive.
I have already noticed my productivity going up. I’m ready to work at any moment’s notice, my stuff is where it is supposed to be, and I find myself more motivated because my space is pleasant to sit in. Mission accomplished!
Get your life organized with meori.com! We create classy storage bags and bins to make your house a happy home. Check out the full meori blog , “Organize Life” including specific ideas on how to organize your home room by room.