Simplify Your Office, Inside Out

Why over complicate your home office? Simplify your office with these tips and techniques and stop feeling overwhelmed!

"Happiness is a very small desk
and a very big wastebasket."
--Robert Orben

Now that you've done the dirty work (literally), we've come to the fun part! Once you organize and simplify, the office you have intended will start to take form.

Take a few moments to review your intentions again for your office. With those in mind we are going to take a back-to-basics approach to simplify your new space.

Create the foundation

According to Feng Shui principles, certain colors and elements can add to or deplete energy from your home office. This includes choosing an appropriate color scheme for your home office.

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Fast Feng Shui for Your Home Office: Creating a Workspace that Works for You by Stephanie Roberts.

Fast Feng Shui for Your Home Office will teach you how to create a home workspace that is not only functional for your business, but also uplifting to your spirit, inspiring to your creativity, and supportive of your long-term success!

Small changes in color and texture of walls, furniture, and accessories can create better flow of energy and simplify your office.

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Now that you've created a good foundation, you can evaluate each item and add back what is useful, loved, and important to you and your family. You've already decluttered and cleaned, but it's a good idea to evaluate each item once last time to simplify your office.

Furniture Arrangement:

We'll start with re-thinking the arrangement of the office furniture. While many different arrangements are available, you need to pick the one that best fits with the space you have. To organize a home office, take into consideration the location of outlets, light switches, internet connections, and electrical outlets.

One of the most productive arrangements is an L-shaped work space. You desk is one part of the "L", and a side table is the other part of the "L". Have them close to each other, and when positioning your desk and chair, try to make sure your back has a wall behind it when you are seated at your desk. This provides you with a feeling of stability and a good view of the surrounding area.

Once you've positioned your desk, lets add some other important furniture elements back into the room:

Shelves: A great space to put a shelf is over the side table. This shelf can provide for extra storage within close reach. Also, have a bookshelf to store reference books and materials as well as for putting decorative accessories such as a candle holder or framed photos.

Filing Cabinet/Box: Depending on the quantity of paper that you use and store in your home office, you may need a large filing cabinet. If you don't use a lot of files, try going for an almost paperless office, and you may only need a small file box.

Lamps: Place a lamp or two in your home office. Light is a form of energy, so it is important to have sufficient ambient lighting. In addition, you'll be able to see clearly what you are working on without squinting, helping to reduce eye tension and headaches.

A Place to Sit: (other than your desk chair) This part is often lacking in offices. If you have room, have a more comfortable chair in a corner close by where you can take a break and sit away from the desk to think or read. If you see clients in your home office, consider having some stackable chairs that you can bring out when you need seats.

Accessories: Now for the finishing touches! Accessories include all of the other items that serve a purpose and can really help to simplify your office. They should be necessary items (such as storage containers) or be things that create and balance energy by using the our senses.
Here are some examples:
- Sight - color; sources of light; beautiful artwork or framed photos representing your intentions
- Sound - relaxing music; windchimes
- Smell - candles and incense
- Touch - a comfortable and supportive chair
Another important accessory to have is some type of bulletin board. My favorite kind is a magnetic bulletin board because you don't need thumbtacks.

Reduce Electrical Cord Mess:

To simplify your office cords, take a piece of masking tape, label it with the name of the item the cord belongs to (printer, fax, CPU, etc.), and wrap it around the end of the cord (close to the plug end). Then you will always know what you are unplugging without having to follow the cord all the way back to the machine. Then consolidate all of the cords and use twist-ties to tie them together.

Now that you've narrowed down the items in your office to the most important things, feel free to finish arranging and organizing the office until you have formed the space you described in your intentions.

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