Home Office: Paperwork

One of the biggest problems when it comes to organizing is what to do with all the paper that accumulates. Bills, invoices, receipts—it usually all ends up in a pile somewhere, often on top of the desk.

Electronic communication makes it possible to eliminate some paperwork. Bills are paid online, email replaces paper letters. And yet it never quite seems to all go away.

Here's how I control the clutter in my home office. I have a filing cart that also holds my printer/fax/scanner:

The files are labeled (color coding might work better for people who are very visual) and alphabetized. Most of what's in there is personal papers—household info, vet records, receipts, that kind of thing. I try to take something out when I put something new in, but some of the folders don't get cleaned out nearly often enough, so every few months I go through it and purge old receipts and what not.

Work-related papers and tax info are kept on this unit, easily reachable from my desk:

The pink folder holds tax receipts, and the file box on the bottom shelf contains invoices and such from jobs that I've done. I also have dictionaries and style books at arm's length, but these days I mainly use online tools to look up words.

I keep some other, less-often-used reference books on another book shelf:

There's no closet in the office, but we have big closet off the kitchen where I keep printer paper and other office supplies. I want to get a Stockholm box (or two) from the Container Store to keep paper and printer refills close by, but for now it works fine.

Houzz has tips (and lots of eye candy) for creating a paperless home office, but I'm not quite ready for that yet.

How do you organize your workspace?

Home Office: Organization

When it comes to organizing, there are generally two kinds of people: Those who like to see all their stuff and those who like to keep everything tucked away. I'd have to say I fall somewhere in between. I like to have things I don't use often or that are unsightly stowed behind closed doors (or drawers), but things I use regularly I like to keep within arm's reach.

So as part of my occasional series on working from home, I thought I'd pull together some inspirational office storage.

These beautifully styled shelves hold books and storage boxes full of office supplies, along with a little eye candy to lift your spirits on rough day:

Apartment Therapy

The Art of Doing Stuff

Better Homes and Gardens

Sectioning off a drawer and labeling everything makes it that much easier to put things back where they belong at then end of a long day:

Better Homes and Gardens

I have my eye on the pink Stockholm flat storage box for keeping printer paper neat and handy:

The Container Store

 I love this idea for hiding those ugly power strips—and I'll bet it would pretty easy to DIY one.

Bluelounge Design

How do you keep your office tidy?

Home Office: Office Space

Whether you work from home full time like I do or you just need a place to pay bills and browse Pinterest, a functional home office is essential. And if you're a creative type, you'll want your space to be inspiring.

My musts for a home office are:

• Quiet. If you can shut the door, that's great, but if you can't, consider investing in some noise-canceling headphones.
• Inspiration. I'm surrounded by things I love and things that make me smile. And throughout spring and summer, there's always a fresh flower on my desk.
• Storage. Some people prefer open shelving so they can see what they have, while others prefer to hide everything behind closed doors. Whatever your style, make sure you have a place for everything (and not all of it on your desktop).
• A comfortable chair. If you work from home full time, don't skimp on this one—it really is worth the price.

With all that in mind, I've rounded up some workable work spaces, from a desk in a closet to a spacious room.

How clever (not to mention beautiful and efficient) is this closet turned office? Even caught a glimpse of it on HGTV this weekend:

IHeart Organizing

Sarah's House 2

This simple and serene desk is tucked into a corner:

Apartment Therapy

I've had my eye on this sleek Josephine desk from Cost Plus World Market for some time:

Nuestra Vida Dulce

This office built for two uses Ikea cabinetry:

The Weekend Homemaker

Gotta love girly and glam, with fresh flowers:

pop.culture

Taming the Cord Monster

If you work from home full time like I do (and even if you don't), you probably feel my pain. I have a full-fledged home office, with two computers (plus my husband's Mac), a monitor, a printer/fax—the whole setup. I dream of having a beautifully efficient workspace with nary a cord in sight. But the reality is that cords are a huge problem. They look terrible, get tangled and are always in the way when I need to move things around.

Of course I run my laptop wirelessly, at least some of the time. While I'd love to go totally wireless, some issues are holding me back, including price and security. And Erik just prefers to plug his computer in.

I hope to get a new router soon, because my gadgets seem to be overloading the one we have. Then maybe I'll be able to cut some of cords entirely. But in the meantime, I thought I'd try (again) to tame the beast living under my desk.

Here's what I was dealing with:

Scary, isn't it? And it my desk is visible from the entryway and living room, so I want to keep it tidy.

I started out with my trusty label maker and a few tools from 3M:

The first thing I did was see if there were any unnecessary cables. Unfortunately there weren't. So I replaced any too-long cords with shorter ones that we keep stashed in the closet. Then I untangled what I could and wrapped the ones going behind the desk in twist ties, and I taped the bundles to the back of the desk leg with painters tape. I covered the wires that run along the floor below my desk in this cord snake I got from Ikea awhile back:

The cables that connect to my laptop are always falling on the floor when I disconnect them, so I used the Command cord clips to keep them in place:

And I made new labels for the power strip, so I'll always know what goes where:

I thought about hanging it on the underside of the desk or the wall, but I need to be able to access it easily.

It's still a bit of a mess, but better than where I started:

I ended up not using the Command hooks. Lots of innovative, useful products are available to help in situations like mine, but it's hard to know what you'll need until you dig right in, and by then I wasn't about to run out to buy new things. But I have a better idea of what I'm dealing with, and I think this will work just fine for now—until once again I can't take it anymore and decide to do another overhaul!

How do you deal with the cord situation in your office or living room?