The start of a new year is a natural reset—it’s a time to clear out what no longer works and create systems that support how you want to live and work. For many homeowners, that reset starts with the home office. Whether you work from home, manage the household responsibilities, need space for remote schoolwork, or simply require systems to keep life organized, an intentional home office design can make a meaningful difference when it comes to productivity, focus, and the daily stress level of the home.
The New Year: It’s the Perfect Time to Organize Your Home Office
Over time, no matter your intentions, papers begin to pile up, countertops get covered with clutter and the needs of the household shift and change. Suddenly, you realize the workspaces have become less efficient. The new year is the perfect opportunity to get going in the right direction.
- Consider how your home office is being used
- Identify what’s causing frustration or getting in the way of productivity
- Take time to put systems in place for positive habits and goals
It’s time to create a home office that helps you start each day focused and ready to work.
How to Get Started
Getting started on a reorganization process can be one of the hardest things to do. It requires you to take an honest look at what you’ve been doing—what’s working and what’s not working—and make decisions to improve the space to function best in the year ahead.
Questions to Ask:
- Who uses the space, and what do they use it for?
- Is it primarily used for work, or does it serve multiple purposes?
- Which items are used daily, weekly, or occasionally?
Take notes on each family member who uses the office—how it’s used, what is needed to make each usage successful, and how often more than one person is in there at a time. This clarity will help guide your decisions about the layout, storage, and workflow of the space, helping everyone and every thing stay manageable—preventing clutter from piling up.
Important Elements of a Well-Organized Home Office
While everyone will have their own answers for, “Who uses the space, and what do they use it for?,” there are a number of elements that create order, encourage organization and improve productivity in home office spaces.
Clean, Functional Work Surfaces
There’s no better way to start a task off well than a clear, uncluttered workspace. It’s foundational to any productive activity. If desks are bombarded by supplies, paperwork or devices, it’s hard to even get started, let alone sit down to focus. You’ll be overwhelmed before you even begin.
The results of a clear, organized work surface:
- Begin work quickly without cleaning up first
- Allow for effortless video conference calls
- Focus on what’s important, handling current tasks without distraction
Thoughtfully designed layouts and custom desktops ensure that you’ll have a workspace that supports how you actually work, instead of forcing you to adapt to a cluttered, disorganized environment.
Storage That Reduces Clutter (& Visual Distractions)
It’s true that clutter activates anxiety. Therefore, reducing clutter—and visual distractions—is an effective way to make your home office a more productive and calm space. Creating space for reducing clutter includes closed storage options. We will always call this the “everything in its place” method of improving organization. Cabinets (with doors), drawers, and storage containers are all options for typical home office clutter. This is especially important when multiple family members use the same space. When everything is systematically in its own designated space, items are easier to find, supplies stay in better condition, and distractions are reduced. All in all, daily life becomes simpler.
Efficient Vertical Space
One element that should be considered most valuable is the vertical space of your home office. Shelving, bookcases and cabinetry can play an important part of keeping items accessible, while also maximizing the available space in your office. By using vertical space, you’ll have intentionally designed organization that frees up your workspaces and keeps important items within reach. These custom storage solutions are a great way to balance function and style, while also allowing your work areas to evolve over time.
Management of Technology
The influx of technology use has caused a huge evolution in home office design, and it can get out of hand quickly. We love technology when it works, and we despise it when it doesn’t. As if that’s not stressful enough, cords and equipment are often some of the biggest contributors to clutter. Cabinets can be customized to house and charge devices, including laptops, printers and tablets. Desks and workspaces can feature custom cut-outs for cord storage, keeping visual clutter and management of cords under control.
Multiple Zones Without Chaos
Many home offices serve more than one purpose—there can be daytime work, homework time in the late afternoon and evenings, household management in the evenings or on the weekends, and creative projects that could go on at any time. The key to multiple users is flexibility, which takes planning and intentional design. Refer back to who uses the space and what they use it for. Now imagine—what does each person need to make their endeavor successful? Can workspaces transition easily from one activity to the next. By creating clearly defined zones and proper storage, your home office will work for everyone without clutter or chaos.
High Quality Light Control
We feel like we’re pretty lucky to help Denver area homeowners create the best solutions in their homes. In addition to custom storage, we also provide Hunter Douglas window treatments that solve lighting, privacy and energy efficiency challenges, all coming together to set up a beautiful atmosphere.
Invest in Long-Term Organization Solutions
Quick fixes can feel productive, but it’s long-term solutions that create organizational systems you’ll be able to rely on over time. We offer custom home office storage and elements, tailored to the way your family uses the space. Our home office solutions will evolve with your family’s changing needs. The design of the space will balance beauty and function with custom built-ins and desk spaces. If organizing your home office is one of your goals in the new year, investing in solutions designed specifically for your home can make the difference between a short-term reset and long-term success. Get in touch with our team at Rocky Mountain Shutters, Shades & Closets for a free in-home design consultation.