Lifestyles by Estelia…… Your Home Office

It’s a fact – a home office is usually the last place homeowners want to spend money on. But did you know that “home offices” or desktop spaces in the kitchen or bedroom niches afford great opportunities to accessorize and add a touch of personality?  Designers suggest bringing color to the space.  This is important since standard office equipment (computer, printer, etc.) can be cold and dull. Additionally, most experts agree that when designing a home office, the desk is the best place to start and work from there.

No matter the size of your home office, what is most important is to make the best use of your space by assigning a place for everything. Here are a couple of tips that work for me:

• Supplies: A work space requires a place to store supplies.  A small box on your desk can hold a stapler, tape, sticky notes, pens and paper clips.  You can store overflow items in a closet.  Remember:  Don’t stock up. Lose the “just in case” mentality.
• Papers:  Sort your mail every day and throw away junk mail immediately.  Pay bills as they arrive. Designate a spot for papers that need to be filed and another for those that will require further action.  File every other week and go through your action pile weekly.
• Files:  Go through and purge last year’s bills, statements and school papers so you have room for this year’s records.  Put away papers that you need to keep in a labeled filing box and store in a closet, garage or storage area.