Everyone has different office needs. With the overwhelming amount of people that are working from home now and starting their own businesses (especially women) an inspired office is essential to your success.
You may be asking yourself: "Does having a clean, calm, organized office space matter to my productivity and bottom line?" Yes! It actually matters more than you think.
In this article I will touch on some topics that are not the usual "how to organize your office tips" - you've heard all those before and seen all the images of neatly organized desk drawers online, right? Having an inspired office means that of course, it is clean, neat, tidy, and organized... but there are some deeper things to think about.
When you put the thought into why you are doing something in a certain way you tend to keep the habit because you know exactly why the reasons behind it.
First, let's just take a moment to appreciate the fact that you have the freedom to work from home. No time-wasting commute, no idle chat in the employee break room, you can wear more comfortable clothes while you work, etc. If you don't work from home right now take a moment to envision what you life would be like if you did step out on your own and started that business you've always dreamed of. By envisioning it, you will start to make decisions to lead you in that direction.
So, you've ditched the stale corporate environment and your boring cubicle. Everything is up to you now so why is your office a mess of piles of paper, unfinished projects, entangled wires and loads lost opportunity in the form of business cards that are not in your database? If you owned a company and your employee's office was in that state would you be happy with their performance? Would you think they were productive and professional? You would probably not.
The state of your office totally reflects the state of your business and your bottom line. Having a cluttered office with poor equipment and no systems completely drains your energy. I work with creative types all the time who are afraid to clean up their office because they feel that the order will stifle their creativity. But, the exact opposite happens. Once, we put just a little bit of structure and thought into their environment, they have an immense increase in creativity and energy and they have the new clients and customers to show for it.
When you work for yourself you environment is a reflection of you. Your workspace does matter and affects the quality of your work. Even if you are the only one that sees your office - it comes through in your attitude and confidence.
The first step in creating an Inspired Office is to actually carve out a space in your home for your business. No kitchen table office that must be pushed aside every night for dinner. You must give your business the respect it needs to grow while decreasing the distractions that occur when your workspace is not defined.
Even in the smallest homes I've helped clients define a proper workspace for their business. Sometimes we redo a closet or purchase an armoire that actually has an office set-up inside, but none the less we defined a space that can be "opened for business" during working hours and "shut down" for when you are off work.
Defining the space helps you define your hours spent working as well. This is a harder thing to do than most people think who haven't ever worked from home. People who work from home tend to have a ton of guilt! They always have a nagging feeling that they should be working when they are taking some time off. On the other hand, they also feel like they should be spending time with family or having free time to themselves while they are working. Defining the office space helps balance this inner turmoil.
Now that you've defined a space, it needs to be pretty, reflective of your personality and have a life and energy to it. You are not in a grey-walled cubicle anymore! You can actually choose the decor where you will spend countless hours. Even if you are using a re-done closet as an office - make it pretty and fun.
But, before any space can be pretty, it has to be de-cluttered of anything that isn't useful or beautiful.
There are only about eight things that should be on someone's desk:
1. Your planner - you knew that would be one of the items right? This takes the place of all other calendars, scratch paper, to-do lists, reference materials, etc.
2. A task lamp with a white light bulb. Even if you have enough overhead light or natural light from windows, studies show that productivity is increased with a small task lamp with a white light bulb. Besides, it gives your office a comfortable, homey feel too.
3. A coaster to keep drinks from sweating on your paperwork or electronics.
4. Your cell phone and/or landline phone.
5. Your computer/keyboard/mouse. (Mac of course! Who needs the stress of all those PC viruses and your screen freezing all the time? PCs are not productive... or pretty!)
6. A business card holder with your cards only. Raise the professionalism of your home office space with your business cards in an attractive holder on your desk. This also makes them easy to grab to put in thank you cards, etc. Having your business cards available on your desk just makes your business feel more "real".
7. A desk blotter that doubles as a mouse pad. A desk blotter protects your desk from wear and tear, adds color, gives a smooth writing surface, and if it is big enough can even take the place of a mouse pad.
8. A potted plant of fresh flowers. You would be amazed at how much energy just having a living thing on your desk brings. Fresh flowers are not that expensive to switch out every week - just a few dollars at the local farmers market or grocery store for this big environmental and emotional energy boost. Plus, if your desk has pretty things, you will be deterred from cluttering it up with junk!
Bonus item: You may want your favorite photo on your desk. But it must be respected with a decorative frame. Or, hang the photos on the wall and get them off your workspace. Better yet - use your favorite photo as wallpaper or the screensaver on your computer.
Everything else that is currently on your desk should be in a drawer, cabinet, closet, or in a "to sell/give away" pile.
This includes your current projects and client files. They should be brought out one at a time, worked on, and then put away at the end of each work session. This practice leads to greater focus and reduces piles.
When you have piles of "very important" stuff on and around your desk get buried by the next batch of "very important" things that come into your life. With a bunch of piles around to remind you to do something is very distracting and a reactive. You react to a file because you see it - not because it is really urgent or important to work on at the moment. Or, worse yet, a potential opportunity or client gets buried under unimportant stuff. We want to strive for proactively planning our workflow and not reacting to visual cues.
You maybe asking "But what about pens and pencils? Aren't those kept on my desk?" Yes, and no. Your favorite pen and/or pencil should be in your day planner. There is no need for a jar of random, cheap, non-working pens with other people's marketing slogans on them. Throw all those out or donate them, use your favorite all the time with you planner and everything else you write. Life is too short to deal with pens you don't enjoy using. If you must have other colored pens, highlighters, pencils for the type of work you do then neatly have them in a container in a cabinet or in a drawer, not taking up the prime real estate of your desktop.
Only have the things at your fingertips that you actually use all the time. Think about how our work has changed over the last few years with more and more things online or held electronically. I can't remember the last time I used a paper clip, stapler, or roll of tape. If you have these things on your desk still from years ago when they were everyday tools, consider giving them a home somewhere else out of sight and space. If you do use them everyday though, keep them. The space needs to work for you, but define that you need them in your line of work, instead of just having them because you think you should have them on your desk.
What no inbox? I know this sounds crazy! Most productivity experts and professional organizers teach all sorts of paper flow systems and they usually all start with an inbox. However, I think an inbox is just a breeding ground for delayed decisions and procrastination. Usually, they take up quite a bit of physical space on your desk - which is prime workspace. In my programs you will learn how to use your planner and computer to take care of the usual inbox inhabitants on the spot with nothing to pile up to an overwhelming paralysis state.
Another objection I get about my "Eight items allowed on the desk rule" is: "But my coach, guru, up-line, etc. says that I should have a vision board in front of me at all times to motivate me, can that be on my desk?"
I would say no, not the ones I've seen with magazine tear-outs with a third grade cut-and-paste construction. In my opinion these vision boards look a bit junky and often don't really motivate - they become wallpaper - something you don't really notice after just a few days.
What I would suggest instead are two alternatives:
1.Create a slide show of all the images that represent something on your vision board and make it your screen saver set to random order. The movement of the photos keeps them from becoming stale and each time you return to your desk a different vision is on the screen.
2.Print images that are truly motivating and also beautiful and get them framed. Arrange them on the walls around your office or together in a collage on one wall. Switch out the images as your vision changes. With this option, the images are in front of you, but they are more artfully displayed and the quality of the image is probably a little more sophisticated than a magazine tear-out. Besides, do you realize how long it takes to flip through all those magazines looking for photos!
We've covered many topics about the desk area. Now let's dive into just four more topics for having a productive home office over all.
1. First, I would suggest that if at all possible you don't face a wall, have your back to a door, or block any windows. This is a little bit of Feng Shui and a little bit of common sense. There is bad flow and energy to a space if you are facing a wall or have your back to the doorway; it feels un-welcoming for any opportunities to come to you. Windows are not supposed to be blocked with furniture or equipment. Let all the light in you can and hopefully your view outside is inspiring too. If not, maybe you can plant something or add a bird feeder outside to improve the view and add interest.
2. Next, I would suggest having the best equipment you can afford. I am not saying you have to be outfitted like the CEO of Apple, but you may to invest in equipment like a printer that doesn't jam all the time. Babysitting the printer or fax machine is not a good use of your time, drains your energy and disrupts your workflow. Check the state of your chair. If you don't invest in a chair that promotes good ergonomics now - you may have to invest later in chiropractor care. File drawers that stick shut drain your energy every time you try to open them. Use what you have but also reinvest in your company when you can to make each day more enjoyable and productive.
3. Wires - Try to keep the ugly mess of wires and chargers to a minimum by upgrading to wireless equipment when you can. Use what is called a "cable box" (sold at most office supply or organizing stores) to keep cords hidden and dust free. In each home or office I organize there is usually "the box" of all the wires the client is too scared to throw away for they may belong to something. But, chances are if they have been in that box for years, you no longer have the item they go to (or you will never figure it out). Just take inventory that you have all the electric cords that go with everything in your house that you are currently using. Put all the cords with their matches and toss the rest of the tangled mess. If later you find out that you do need one of the discarded cords (and you won't, but if you do) they are easily found online and replaced for just a few dollars).
4. Have an "Air of Portability" to your work. When you are planning and organizing your inspired office, think about how you can make your work portable by using different sections of your planner, a laptop, or other tools. Working from home can get lonely, uninspired and even outright noisy if your family is around when you are trying to work. You don't want to feel trapped in your own home office! Make your work portable so you can escape your chaotic home and go to a library, a park, a beach, or even your front porch. Or, maybe your home's energy is a little "dead" at the moment. You can relocate and refuel at a buzzing coffee shop or take a walk and make all your follow-up calls on your cell phone. Just give some thought to the various tasks what you need to do in your office and how you could make them to go.
One last thought, try to evaluate your surroundings regularly for not just where you are at now in your business, but where you want to be. If you were a six-figure business owner would your office be that cluttered and have non-functional equipment? Start making the decisions and forming the habits like you were a successful six-figure-plus business owner now and you will be one step closer to actually getting there!
