How to Organise Home Office Paperwork Like a Pro: Expert Tips
Remote working is very convenient for a variety of reasons. Being in our own surroundings gives us much needed flexibility, saves a considerable amount of time and boosts efficiency.
However, a home office setup does not come without its own drawbacks. Paperwork leads to a lot of clutter and keeping a home office desk organised is no easy feat.
If you’re wondering about the best ways to organise office paperwork effectively and the basic filing steps to maintain home office organisation going forward, you’re in the right place.
Our guide sheds light on the secrets of having an organised office space at home. Keep reading to discover our expert tips on how to organise home office paperwork like a pro!
Declutter your paperwork
The best place to start when organising office paperwork is with a good declutter! It’s important to declutter your office of any unnecessary paperwork, especially if your home office is small and short on space. Regardless of the size of your office, the less clutter the better!
Start by gathering all paperwork into one place before sorting. As you’re going through it, sort your paperwork into two piles; keep and shred.
This will reduce the amount of unnecessary paperwork you have in your office and allow you to focus on keeping only what’s important and necessary.
Go paperless
Much of the clutter in your home office is likely to be paper-based: documents, sticky notes, lists, business cards, and more, taking up a great deal of unnecessary space.
Instead of keeping all of these items around on the off-chance you may need them one day, why not digitise this paperwork by creating electronic copies, either by scanning them or typing them out instead.
There are many apps available on your smartphone to do this including evernote, google keep, and google docs.
Alternatively, you can simply take a photo of any document that is important to you and create digital files on your computer to contain them. A great benefit of digitising your documents is that you are able to search through them quickly and conveniently.
Aim to go paperless for utility bills, banking and any other correspondence you are able to - this will ensure a huge reduction in cluttering paperwork!
Implement a filing system
It’s vital that you implement a filing system to take care of all the remaining paperwork. Every piece of paperwork should have a dedicated storage spot.
Group paperwork into categories that make sense to you and create specific locations for each category using magazine files, binders, filing drawers; whatever works for you and your office space.
You will need to come up with a system to organise your files. It can be alphabetical, numerical, colour-coded - again, whatever works best for you.
You might consider setting up an inbox tray where you can put bills, letters and other projects on your to-do list (but always remember that this is a temporary spot for every single piece of paper!).
Get into the habit of filing away paperwork to its designated location on a regular basis e.g. once a day, or a couple of times a week to ensure that it doesn’t build up into unmanageable piles.
Utilise organising products
One of the best things you can do to organise your home office paperwork is invest in organising solutions.
Magazine files, paperwork trays, zipper pouches and storage boxes are an easy and affordable way to contain and store paperwork. If you’re organising a small office and are worried about space, you can choose stackable filing drawers.
Alternatively, why not place boxes of archived paperwork in lesser-used areas, such as a corner, on top of a bookcase or under a desk.
You can also use containers to maximise existing storage space inside cupboards, using them on shelves and inside cabinets to neatly and discreetly organise paperwork.
Be sure to choose products that are functional and stylish and that will encourage you to keep everything where it should be! Below are some of our must-have products for paperwork organisation.
Add labels
When organising your paperwork at home, it’s important to add labels to your storage - trust us, there’s no such thing as too many labels. Labelling items in your home office is the key to having an organised and functional desk.
Whether you choose to handwrite adhesive labels or you create your labels using a label maker, just make sure that you have a consistent labelling method for all of your paperwork to ensure items are always easy to locate.
Deal with paperwork as it comes in
To avoid the dreaded piles of letters and paperwork that can so quickly build up, take a couple of minutes each day to sort through the post as it arrives. Discard what is not needed and deal with anything important as soon as possible.
By doing this, you’ll always know that you’re on top of important bills and other documents, plus you’ll help out your future self and reduce potential stress too!
Maintain your organisation
Your paperwork is now organised and looking great, but how do you keep it this way?
The systems you have implemented will help greatly here; just remember to explain them to all family members who will be using the office.
We know from our clients that paperwork can be one of the hardest things to keep on top of in an office, but don’t worry: our home organisation experts have you covered.
Follow these 5 tips to maintain organisation at your home office and you’ll find controlling your paperwork a breeze:
Schedule a time on your calendar once a week (or once a fortnight) to go through the papers in your pending station.
Go digital for your household bills, household manuals and magazine/ newspaper subscriptions.
Refuse unnecessary receipts. Most companies now offer digital receipts (you’ll find these easier to keep track of too!).
Rather than taking the physical copy of a business card or flyer, photograph it instead. Create an ‘information’ folder and save it in there.
Get into the habit of regularly shredding and recycling unnecessary paperwork.
How we can help you organise your home office paperwork
Feeling inspired to get your home office paperwork organised and create a productive working environment in your home?
Check out our Home Office How-to Guide for more in depth guidance, tips and product recommendations for organising not only your paperwork, but your entire home office the Homefulness way!
However, if the prospect of getting your paperwork organised on your own feels overwhelming, don’t worry, Homefulness is here to help!
We offer professional paperwork organisation services specifically designed for your needs and create organisation systems that are easy to maintain.
Get in touch with us today to find out more!
