Angella Gilbert, Gioia declutterer and organisation expert on how to keep your home office separate from the family space.
Working from home can be a joy, but to be truly productive in your work, your home office needs to function well. And this may mean keeping your office area very separate from the rest of your home. The office desk can all too quickly become a chaotic mess of miscellaneous non-work related items, not to mention the kids' toys. Ideally your home office will be in a room where you can shut the door and quietly focus on your work, and close the door at the end of the day when you're ready to join the family.
Whether you are fortunate enough to have a spare room to set up your home office, or have to be creative and set it up in a corner of your living area, you can still create an inviting space that you enjoy and where you can focus quietly on your work. If you have the space, the addition of a comfortable chair or two may allow for small meetings in your office. In this case you will ideally have an uncluttered working space with most of your files and papers tucked away out of sight.
The most important thing you'll do in your home office is to set up your systems, both for filing and storage. You can use a filing cabinet, a cupboard, or an attractive set of drawers for your filing needs. Whichever system you are using, do categorise the areas clearly so you can immediately access client files, stationery, resource material, and any other papers or periodicals you use in your work. A cupboard with shelves is ideal for storage of files in archive boxes or magazine files and can be closed off to maintain a nice clear working space.
An organised and effective working environment will make all the difference in your home office, and you'll love 'going to work' each day.
