Tips for setting up a home office from a professional organizer
Professional organizer Laura Gramann Richter, of Pieces Into Place, recommends setting up an organized space for office work, whether it's in a separate room or not.
Among her suggestions for the home office:
Label everything; use a label maker. Also label digital files.
Find a comfortable and ergonomic chair and desk. “You will get a bad back and headaches if you are not sitting properly,” she said.
Set up adequate task lighting.
If the office is a separate room, have a door if possible. Simply closing the door can signal to other family members for the need for quiet and no interruptions.
More:Home offices are here to stay. Don't get left in the cubicle.
For those who lack options for a dedicated home office, Richter had additional suggestions for shared space:
Find something portable to store files, electronics and equipment. File cabinets and tiered carts on casters can be rolled away and out of sight when needed. Ottomans can hold storage inside, too. Richter said The Container Store has affordable storage options that can be wheeled away. She recommended the Elfa line.
Consider a desk on castors as well.
Use noise-canceling headphones.
Optimize closets. “Most closets have one rod and a shelf or two. It’s a total inefficient use of space,” Richter said. “Wire shelving or custom but adjustable shelving systems can be a game changer for maximizing the space you already have.” Richter said some people have even set up a functional workspace in a closet.
Clean up the cords. Richter recommended using bread ties, zip ties or binder clips to corral messy cords. Or find color-coded Velcro cable ties.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tips for setting up a home office from a professional organizer
