5 great ideas for organising your desk and home office

From decluttering your desk and having the right equipment, to ensuring you maintain a good work-life balance, take a look at our top tips for a well-organised home office setup.

1. Keep your desk free of clutter

Whether you’re working from home alone, or sharing your desk with others, things can begin taking over your workspace very fast.

• Get into the habit of clearing up your desk at the beginning or end of each workday to help you focus – a cluttered workspace can lead to added stress and distraction.
• Only keep your most frequently used items on your desk and keep smaller items such as paperclips, pens, and sticky notes in small containers.

2. Create a filing system

Resist the temptation to print every document as paperwork will begin piling up very quickly.

• Use a simple filing tray to keep important paperwork accessible if you need to refer to it regularly and use drawer storage, filing cabinets or boxes with labels to file as you go and keep your workspace clear. Handheld label printers are a great option for this as they are lightweight, portable, and can print in a range of sizes.    
• Digitise your storage by scanning your paperwork and saving it on your computer or to the cloud. Take a look at Brother’s scanning solutions.

3. Allocate a break space away from your home workspace

Working from home can quickly blur the lines between work life and home life; make sure you take regular breaks to step out of your home office or workspace throughout the day.

• Set your home office up in a separate room to allow you to switch between your professional and personal life. If you don’t have a separate space, choose a corner of a room that can be allocated as a work-only zone.
• Establish boundaries with a work schedule that is visible to everyone in your home. When possible, communicate important meetings in advance to your family or people in the house so there are no distractions.

4. Choose the right equipment

Making sure you have the right equipment for your home office is essential – it can increase your productivity and help to keep you organised and focused, as well as comfortable. Investing in the right furniture and equipment might seem expensive but the cost is worth it in the long run.

• The key components should include an organised desk, a comfortable chair, a monitor and a computer or laptop. Depending on the type of work, you may also need a printer, scanner, telephone or headset, shredder and labelling device to organise your workspace.
• Sitting at a desk for long periods of time without the right back support will only lead to posture problems. That's why it’s worth investing in a supportive or ergonomic office chair which you can adjust to suit your posture, and keep desktop equipment such as your keyboard and mouse at a comfortable height and distance. Alternatively, studies show that sit-stand desks are better for you and they have the ability to increase productivity by up to 10-20%. It’s certainly worth looking into when setting up a home office.
  

5. Make it a space that you like to work in

As well as the must-have items to do your job, it’s important that you create an office space that you want to work in. It should be light, airy, comfortable and inspiring.

• Ensure you have adequate lighting and a quiet space to help you attend virtual meetings and take calls. With plenty of natural light, your home office can be an enjoyable and calming space, leaving you feeling energised and also reducing strain on your eyes.
• Opt for a room with a window and a nice view to keep you relaxed as you work. If you don’t have a great deal of natural light in your workspace, consider a dimmable lamp which you can adjust accordingly.
• Add motivating accessories such as a noticeboard, inspiring quotes, motivational books and pictures, or flowers and plants to brighten the mood.