We’re back with part two of our tips on how to organize your home office (and keep organized the whole year!) in collaboration with Brother. Let’s recap what we discussed in our last post:

1. Location of home office: establish an area for your office that you enjoy being in. Remote and distant won’t assist you in maintaining the space. Must be inviting!

2. Remove everything from the space: take it all out. Yes, we mean everything!

3. Designating zones: where items should live is a huge deciphering factor for keeping a space organized, plus it reduces the likelihood that a space will feel confining or overfilled.

4. Grouping and editing: adding like-with-like assists in reducing the number of items within the space, plus it assists in purchasing/acquiring organizing containers.

5. Shop: don’t forget your list! Always make sure you have measured the space and have a comprehensive list of what is needed to keep the space organized.

The next step in achieving #NewYearNewYouNewOffice is to get all items to their new location utilizing the proper containment like folders or bins. Once all items have been put away, let the labeling fun begin! This is by far one of the most satisfying and most important steps. Without identification with a label, items tend to get put wherever there is a space, not necessarily back in their home. We love using the P-touch Cube Plus to make creative labels with its Bluetooth® connectivity and easy to navigate app, creating all the labels from your mobile phone.

A few additional areas in the home office that we feel always get overlooked deserve a little attention as well!

• Mail: take control as soon as it comes in the door. Open and sort accordingly. I like to keep my categories simple:

  • Work

  • Incoming

  • Outgoing

    I use wall pockets for my 3 categories. This assists in keeping my desk free of paper, plus the action items are still in sight. Once they are completed, I add the necessary keepers to my “to file” bin in my printer closet, which I file once per week.

• Calendar: even though most everything we do is now digital, I still have the strong need to see my month. I have enjoyed having a business/family calendar where every single activity and appointment is in one place for everyone to see. A tip from the pros: get a calendar that goes with your home’s aesthetic. We love a good functioning gorgeous moment when it comes to items with purpose!

• Cable management: keep your cables under control by keeping out only what gets used on a daily basis. Add the rest to a labeled box for future use.

• Clutter free space: keeping your workspace and office tidy not only helps boost productivity, it prevents slipping back into old habits.

• Weekly tidy: We’re all human, and sometimes life gets the best of us. Create a weekly time to straighten what’s out of place. This not only gets all items back in their ‘home’ but serves as a great way to hold yourself accountable. Remember all that hard work you put into creating such a gorgeous functioning space?!

• Label, label, label: we can’t stress enough just how important a label is in maintaining an organized space. And get creative. One of the great things about the P-touch Cube Plus is the variety of fonts, colored tape, and styles of labels. Say goodbye to boring labels! Have fun with this step, it will ensure you keep your home office organized.

We are certain that if you follow the steps we have given you for home office organization, along with the proper tools from Brother you will be able to keep your home office expertly organized all year round. Remember, #NewYearNewYouNewOffice. You’ve got this!

Label maker and accessories were provided by Brother in exchange for our opinions. All opinions are that of our own.