The less time you spend searching for things, the more time you have to complete projects.
So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and work from home. Congratulations! You’ll find the experience rewarding in many ways. One of the easiest ways to set yourself up for success is by making sure your home office is equipped with the things you need to remain productive. By eliminating the time wasters that many people that work from home encounter throughout the day, you’re able to do more in less time.
Here are some of the easiest ways to maximize efficiency when setting up your new home office:
- Limit the distance between objects you use most. That way, you’re able to reach them easily and get back to the task at hand. It makes sense to keep pens, staplers, hole punchers, and tape on your desk where it is seen and used often. By having a dedicated spot for these items, you’re able to keep track of how much is left and order new supplies before the others have run out.
- Routinely go through papers to make sure they are no longer needed. File or shred depending on the nature of the documents. If they’re business-related, make a copy by scanning the receipts or invoices and uploading them to the cloud. That way, you won’t be concerned if something happens to the papers in the meantime.
- Dump digital trash as often as you can. It frees up space on your hard drive and keeps you from needing to sort through unnecessary correspondence and files. If you’re not sure it’s something you’ll need in the future, upload it to the cloud before deleting it on your computer. You’ll have it without it competing for space on your hard drive.
Now that your home office is set up in a way to maximize success, the only thing left to do is to keep it that way. Put systems in place that help you avoid physical and digital clutter. File all important documents away in your filing cabinet and keep operational manuals safe and within reach in your trusty BinderBag.