Have you heard the saying “a cluttered office means a cluttered mind” or something like that? Having your own home business means having your own home office. This can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing.

As I looked around my office and noticed a pile of papers about to tumble onto the floor, I kind of figured I had better do something or I was going to be run out of my home office. I thought it was hopeless considering how I like to pack-rat things and keep every scrap of paper, but I decided to tackle the problem head on and just tried to keep in mind that my home business would be so much better for the effort!

First, I decided that I needed a separate place for personal papers and business papers. About the only personal papers I needed for sure were bills and receipts and possibly a couple file folders for interesting articles I keep. I also decided to keep a separate file for my recipes that I collect. I purchased a 1-30 day file folder and started to sort the current bills into that folder and the previous months bills went into the file cabinet under the debit company name and the month. The recipes were simply filed according to main courses, vegetables, desserts, and misc. I also made a file folder for important papers for personal use and kept warranties, purchase papers, social security reports, pay check stubs, things of that nature. I made another file for the 1040’s IRS forms and things like copies of social security cards, marriage license, kids birth certificates, my birth certificate as well as my husbands, etc. The originals of these important papers I placed in a safe deposit box.

Once all of my personal information was put away for safe keeping now it was time to work on the business side of things

This turned out to be some trial and error to see what worked best, but the following is what I believe will keep me organized in an ongoing manner.

Beside my computer, I have a file holder with files of current projects I am working on. That might be a website, some research, some prospects, anything that might need my attention in the next week or two. I also got a large desk top size calendar and kept it on the other side of my computer to record the meetings, events and follow ups I needed to do for that month. This way I could see at a glance what the week’s goals were to be and what was needing my time that day or week. Yes, you could use a Franklin book to keep all that in but I find myself that I will not write in a little space and did not like the having to open and close it all the time…My method works best for me…find what works for you to keep your time spent on what matters most to working your business.

I also took a clip notepad and put a sheet on it that said “Things To Do Today” and every evening I make a list of things I want to accomplish and rank them in order of importance. I keep that close to my desk as well.

In the file cabinet, I put all past commission statements, my research folders, my sample headlines and ads I like, my business receipts for each month, my income records for other than affiliate programs, anything I had printed out that needed a separate folder, business supply catalogs, and as I came across things I wanted to keep, I made a folder for those as well.

The next project was to organize my software discs. I purchased a CD/DVD file organizer and started to put all my software in there as I came across the discs. I kept a folder along with the organizer for instructions I had printed out, receipts I had printed, and other papers necessary for the discs as well as the software boxes.

I dragged an open shelf unit in from the other room and started putting supplies on the shelves. I put business cards, floppy discs, cd discs, business magazines in holders,
cell phone adapters and covers, business check books, etc.
I also took the top shelf and put in business books, inspirational books, and other books I like to keep on hand.

Now that I was beginning to make a dent in the paperwork around the office, I decided that the whole thing needed a paint job. It is important to have a work environment that makes you feel good and I decided to paint the walls a nice color that made me feel lively and cheerful. It was much easier to move things out of the room now that they were organized.

As I took a look around the office after the painting of the walls, I decided a little art work couldn’t hurt. I went to a world market store and purchased a few items that I felt would add to the ambience of my office and hung them on the walls.

The next thing I decided that was needed was a few wall shelves. I purchased some ready made shelves and put them up and used the shelves for my binders where I kept business contact names and prospects lists. I also put a small speaker set, cd player, and radio on the shelf so that they would be easy access to make the day go more pleasantly.

As I look around the office now, I can’t imagine letting it get back to the former condition. It is a real joy to work now that I have a cheerful and relaxing space where I can find all my “essentials”.