You may have heard the saying, “strategy wins wars.” In the battle for peace of mind in a life that attracts clutter, nowhere is this more relevant than in the home office. Today we are going beyond furnished housing to ask the question, “What is it that makes clutter so challenging in the home office?” Answering this question will also help us create a strategic approach to clutter that will ultimately help you win the war. That’s the focus of this third furniture blog in our series on managing clutter.
We bring things with us. If you notice, we tend to carry things absent-mindedly from room to room, and then set them down where they don’t belong. As a result, our rooms collect objects that appear out of place. Unfortunately, no matter how beautifully our homes are furnished, housing uncontained clutter can create an unwelcome and chaotic environment. One approach to resolving this matter is to have a holding-zone for items that don’t belong. A small table near the doorway can serve this purpose. When you are in the office and notice that an object is out of place, move it to the holding zone. When you leave the room, take the item with you and put it back where it belongs.
We do not always create a place for everything. As home staging experts and interior designers are well aware, a home office–including office furniture rental pieces–may serve multiple purposes, including providing space for personal administration, hobby supplies and professional supplies, materials and files. But if each of these items does not have a specific and distinct home, they will quickly become disorganized. To resolve this problem, schedule time to go through each loose item in your office. Put each item away in its home. If the item does not have a home (and you can’t throw it away or store it outside your office), start a pile for items like it. When you have finished going through all items, look at the piles of un-housed belongings. Create a home for each type of item. Small items can be stored in opaque containers to keep them from looking busy.
We like things to be easy and fun. If the file folder or box of paper clips that we use every day is stored in a location far away from the desk, changes are, it will be left on the desktop. Taking time to think about how and when you use things can help you avoid this problem. Store things according to where and how frequently you use them. If keeping things organized seems like hard work, we are less likely to do it. Keeping things fun and simple helps us stay on track. Well-placed photos or quotes can provide inspiration, focus or comic relief. For example, try placing a photo of a happy child on your filing cabinet, or your favorite marketing quote over your phone. And let’s not forget the furniture. CORT has a wide selection of pieces that add a beautiful and inspiring look to a room. These small touches can go a long way toward keeping your space uncluttered and inspiring.
We’d love to hear your comments and ideas about clutter, so please feel free to comment below, or join us on Facebook or Pinterest.