Echoes of Laughter

Love making a home

5 Great Tips For Organizing Your Home Office

by 58 Comments

One of my goals for January was to get my little office nook back into an organized state, because recently it has been as messy as a bowl of spaghetti….no lie! I was so anxious to start this project, that I neglected to take a ‘before’ picture of it, but trust me, it as a big pile of mess with stacks of paper covering the desk and the lower shelf. When you work from home, as I do, a home office that is both organized and functional is an important part of having a productive day. I was more than thrilled when Fellowes Canada contacted me and asked if I would like to try their new line of home storage and home office products…because I knew that my messy space needed some help in gaining order again. I want to share with you some tips for getting and keeping a home office organized.

In our home, there is no actual room for me to have an office. All of our rooms are used, except for what was a giant nook at the top of the stairs that I claimed as my own little office space.
Before I claimed it, there was nothing there. And first I added a desk with a hutch, but found that the hutch was useless, so I removed it and added some economical shelving with brackets from Ikea and shelves cut to fit from Home Depot. This laid the foundation for the whole space. Which brings me to the first tip…..use a desk and shelves. Shelves take advantage of vertical space, so you use less floor space for storage and hence…less mess on the floor.

1. Use A Desk and Shelves Above As A Foundation.
Having shelves above the desk is so practical. It keeps things within arms reach and mess off the floor. The 3 shelves in my office nook cost less than $50 to install and earn their keep by providing a huge amount of storage space for  things like printers and office supplies. If you have to, clear everything out of your office space and start fresh.
2. Install A Lamp. 
By installing lamp, the work space is better lit and makes the space functional for doing tasks. No one wants to work in a dimly lit area. Plus, a lamp just makes a space feel cozier and more like a place that you want to hang out.
3. Use A Comfortable Chair.
A comfortable chair is a must for any desk. I prefer a chair that has wheels and an adjustable seat. This makes working more efficient as you don`t have to contend with aches and pains that force you to leave the office before you are finished working.

4. Add Functional Organizing and Storage Products.
Using the right storage and organizing products is key to keeping a desk/office space tidy. It effectively provides a home for everything and works wonders at keeping visual clutter at bay.
Let me share with you all of the amazing Fellowes Canada products that helped me tame the clutter that was taking over my office nook. They are not only easy to assemble and very affordable, but look great in my office and contain the clutter like nobody’s business!

Magazine File Boxes. To me, they are must in any office. They keep books and magazines organized, and if you keep the tall side facing outward, they also help reduce visual clutter.

 
 
 

Office Bill Organizer. I love, love, love this. It not only gives me a drawer to store things away, but also 4 slots for holding bills, greeting cards, pictures, business cards and all those little pieces of paper that need a home. And this unit can fit perfectly on a shelf!

Office Drawer Organizer. This 2 drawer item is another piece from this line that I absolutely love. It completes me! It gets clutter OFF my desk.  Did I mention it keep me organized? And this unit can also easily fit on a shelf or bookcase too.
 
Inside, I have storage room for things like envelopes, labels and other office supplies.
Stackable Storage Boxes. This lines includes assorted boxes for any kind of storage. I like keeping supplies in here that I don’t use often, but still need to have in my office nook. I like that the boxes look neat and tidy on the shelves and how they keep messy piles at bay!
Files Boxes. This line also includes file boxes, which I keep in a nearby closet. These boxes are available in both letter and legal size and are perfect for holding files of business papers.
 
The legal size/stackable boxes also have the viewing windows so the contents inside can be seen, which make the box multi-functional for both files or other things as well. And if you look to the left, you can see these boxes also have comfortable handles for lifting.
Literature Sorter. Although I don’t need one of these, there is one available in the line to match the other pieces so you can have a cohesive-looking office space.
So, no matter what your needs for home office organizing and storage, Fellowes Canada has a full range of products for every need.
 
5. Accessorize and Add The Pretty.
The last thing to add to make a home office feel organized and welcoming are a few accessories that add that personal touch that make it your own. In my case, I have added baby pictures of my kids, some flowers, plants and a pretty lamp. These are the thing that I find comforting as I sit at my desk working. I also find that when things look pretty, you want to keep things organized and looking nice because it feels so good to work in that kind of atmosphere.
 
 
I have to say that I have worked both from an office for 12 years, and from home for a few years. When you have a home office space that is clean, functional, organized and looks pretty, there is no better place to work! And this line of products from Fellowes really helped me to achieve exactly the kind of work zone that I love.
 
And now here’s the BEST part!
Fellowes Canada is going to give one lucky reader a fabulous prize of $500 worth of drawers and boxes to use in their own home for organizing and storage projects!
This is the best giveaway that I have ever had on Echoes of Laughter!
 
 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Fellowes Canada. However, as always, I only work with companies whose products I love and use in my own home.

Share the Love!
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Comments

  1. Hi Angie: Great job – I love your space.

    I have a lot which could be organized, but I think my biggest challenge right now is keeping order in my children's bedrooms.

    Thanks for offering such a fun giveaway!

    rafflecopter: Pam

    Reply

  2. Hello Angie,

    I just moved into a new home and have to set up a space like yours. I love your desk and the chair..Please can you share where you got the desk and chair from.

    Thank you for the awesome giveaway! Michelle

    Reply

  5. Hi Angie,
    I love these new products! Functional and pretty! My home office is my biggest challenge… Finding a way to keep it organized is one of my goals for 2014!

    Reply

  6. Looks beautiful Angie! What organization project WOULDN'T I want to tackle! That would be a shorter list. I'm always on a quest to organize and never quite get there. 😉 Great prize.

    Reply

  9. There are so many…where to start?! We have a baby coming in march, so the spare room has to be converted to a nursery…which means I have to find a place to put everything that was in that room.

    Reply

  12. What a fabulous giveaway! My craft room seriously needs some organization…I have lots of baskets and boxes but none of them match so it ends up looking junky. Love the black and white theme of the Fellowes organization line!

    Reply

  15. I LOVE your office space and will refer to it for inspiration because I'm now working on one in my 3rd bedroom. We just do not use the bed, so out it went, in came a comfy chair and table and now for the wall…an office space!!! Do you mind sharing the brand of Lamp with us? We don't have a Fellowes so maybe I can find one in a similar store if I know the brand. Thank you so much!!!

    Reply

  17. I would have to say it is the office which used to be a bedroom. We have a table and couple of chairs in there so far but the table is always filled with papers and I could really use this prize to bring some organization into this room.

    Reply

  22. Beautiful! I'm lucky to have a full room for my home office. At school though I have two desks in two different rooms and that's it. I need to do something to get them organized! I love your read book bookends.

    Reply

  23. I'd love to get my bedroom organized. No matter how many times I've organized and decluttered my house, my bedroom never gets done, and it would be nice to do something for me and my hubby for once.

    Reply

  31. Wow! What a great use of storage boxes. I think the first thing I would tackle is organizing our filing cabinets and our book shelf. So messy, so many sheets of papering lying about.

    Reply

  32. Love your off ice space
    I don't have a room for all my school stuff and scrapbook ing materials but recently started cleaning up a space in the basement. It needs nice lighting too and a few prettys to make it a welcoming space to work.
    Great giveaway
    You are a rock star blogger

    Reply

  33. Wow, I love your office space Angie! It's soo cute and well organized. =)

    I recently started working with my husband and have set up a desk in the corner of our living room. I would love some help getting the area organized. Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply

  41. So so glad I just found this post. I am getting an office soon – 3 weeks ! Yeah Wahoo. Can you tell I am excited?? It's been a LONNGGG time working at the kitchen table, dining room table, corner of basement i.e. anywhere my laptop will go. So I am eager to tackle the madness of setting this beautiful space up. I love your organizers. I adore your bill drop off space. It beats where mine currently end up on the dining room table. So I need this and want it! So adore your little lamp and your pretty style.

    Reply

  48. I need to organize my laundry room. It has recently become a dumping ground for way more than laundry. I need to do some purging, cleaning, and organizing for sure.

    Reply

  51. Many peoples want to earn money on internet without any investment but there is many online jobs which have many investments. Now you can earn without any investment with Just clicking and Earn daily upto 10 Dollars.
    Join this Best opportunity to make money online without any investment or Charges.
    HotProClicks.com

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

Recent Posts

Stay Updated!

Get all the latest posts straight to your inbox!