Whether you’re a small business owner, a would-be entrepreneur, or simply someone who can’t stop taking their work home with them (you know who you are!), the home office is an increasingly common sight in people’s homes and apartments. And if you or someone in your family has a home office, you’re probably well aware of how hard it is to keep a home office clean and organized. There’s papers and pens everywhere, there’s cables coming out of your computer, and sometimes it feels like it’s harder to keep your home office clean than it is to keep your kid’s rooms clean! If you’ve been struggling to keep your workspace neat and tidy, we’ve got some fast tips here to help find a place for everything by Monday morning! Get A Filing System Now, before you say anything, we mean a real filing system, not just three separate piles where you sort of remember where everything is. Start by purging anything you truly don’t need - irrelevant receipts, outdated documents, and the like. If you don’t need it, shred or toss it, and if you do still need it, make sure it goes somewhere safe so you can get working on it (and throw it out when you’re done!). And whatever you wind up keeping, try to set up some kind of organizational system; color-code your filing cabinets, buy a desk organizer to file incoming and outgoing mail, and remember where you put everything going forward. Clean Up That Desk! Alright, now that you’ve finally purged yourself of three years’ worth of office supply receipts, the next step is to clean up your desk. Find somewhere to keep all of your pens and pencils to free up room, and if you have to keep a notebook or writing surface around make sure to give it adequate space - and a place to keep it when you’re not using it. Get some cable ties to keep your computer’s cords tucked safely behind your desk where they can’t get tripped on or pulled out by accident. And not everything has to be kept on your desk either - printer stands can be used to keep wireless printers nearby without taking up valuable desk real estate, and wire shelving can be used to store bulkier computer or desk items (phone chargers, extra keyboards, etc) without taking up a lot of valuable space in your office. Give Yourself Room To Work This last tip will kind of depend on the size of your office, but it’s still important to keep in mind. Plenty of studies have shown that the best way to work is in a space you feel comfortable in, and it’s hard to feel comfortable when you’re surrounded by a mess! Make sure your office is arranged as such that you have room to wheel your chair around, room to store and reach everything you need to work - and, of course, room to get up and stretch when you just need to take a break. These tips should get you off to a good start - now get out there and get to work so you can...well, get to work!