7 Best Ways to Organize Your Home Office

 

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You’re preparing for an important meeting that’s due in 10 minutes. All that’s left to do is put the notes in the right order and you’re good to go. But, no, you’re missing one note that’s the pinnacle of your presentation! Maniacally, you start to look for it all over the home office. The meeting’s about to start and not being able to find the note has thrown you off the balance. This is a problem most employees face when working from home. The solution is simple — keep the office organized at all times. Here’s how to do it. 

Make Use of Natural Light

Are there any windows in your home office? If there are, you should make use of any natural light you may have at your disposal. Natural light increases productivity and satisfaction and reduces eye strain and fatigue. In brightly lit rooms, you don't need any artificial lighting. To take advantage of the light, direct your desk towards the window or parallel with it. In case you don't have any windows in the room, then move the desk closer to the door. By leaving the door open, your room will get some light from the hallway or other rooms.

Use a Monitor Stand 

When setting up their workstations, one rule most people don't follow. Their laptop or monitor height isn't on their eye level. That's the reason why they mostly suffer from eye or neck strains. Also, the keyboard should be flat or slightly tilted, so your wrists stay straight. A simple monitor stand or a desk mount can help you make the necessary adjustments. When you put them up on the desk, make sure to keep the screen at least 20 inches away from your eyes. This way, you won't have to squint when visiting a website or doing your work.

Clear Your Desk 

No matter what kind of work you do, you need no more than 10 to 15 minutes to declutter your workspace. When your creative juices start flowing, it's only natural to keep the work area messy. But, once you finish work for the day, you should spend some time putting everything back in its place. Otherwise, you might misplace some important files or even worse, throw them in the bin. You don't have to tidy the office every day, although it's highly recommended. An organized and neat workstation is all the motivation you need to dive into your daily tasks.

Hang Some Shelves 

If your desk isn't facing the window but a wall, you must have some free space above it. This is a great place for hanging some shelves and creating extra storage space. Also, when combined with some wooden boxes, it adds a nice decorative touch to the room. You can keep those supplies you need often. All you have to reach for them instead of searching the whole home office for something you need right away. In case you don't need shelves, you can hang a wall calendar or a bulletin board as a reminder of important dates and deadlines.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Items

When organizing your home office, there's one question you have to ask yourself. Which items will help me stay productive? Then keep only those items that are essential to your work and maximum productivity. Find a new place in your home for everything else. You don't need extra chairs, piles of magazines, or souvenirs. The same goes for the TV. Take it to another room unless you're a journalist and you need to stay up to date with current events. Otherwise, they'll distract you from your daily tasks. 

Organize Drawers

Drawers make our lives easier. That's at least what most of us think. If you open your drawer right now, chances are it's one giant mess. Take some time and sort through your drawer's contents. Throw out pens that no longer work and return all misplaced items to their original place. Then go to a nearby office supplies store and get yourself an organizer. They contain various sections where you can place all your office supplies and keep them separate. The next time you open the drawer you'll easily find what you need. 

Hide All Loose Cables 

What irritates most people working from home is seeing loose cables and power strips laying around the office. If you're one of them, then it's time to hide them away. For example, you can hide the power strip behind or beneath the desk. Then, use zip ties to tie all loose cables together. You can also find cable clips to keep the cables you occasionally need near your desk. To reduce the use of cords in your home office, switch to a wireless mouse or keyboard.

Wrapping Up 

Misplaced supplies, disorganized drawers, and lack of storage space are the features of most home offices these days. They’re also the reasons you feel unproductive and unmotivated to get stuff done on time. If you just declutter, use zip ties, monitor stands, and drawer organizers, your home office will soon turn into a productivity hub. 

Home improvements that may not pay off when you sell

As a home seller, you'll want to make the most of the sale. Before putting your home on the market, there is a lot of work to do. It's in your interest to invest in upgrades that add value to the house. Thus, after estimating your budget for maintenance, cleaning, and improvements, make a list of what you want to change. Then, calculate which changes will benefit you most. As a homeowner, you may be biased and not realize that you've chosen home improvements that may not pay off when you sell.

Expensive kitchen elements

A renovated kitchen can significantly add to the value of your home. Still, it's important to stay realistic in your expectations. If you have a big home with luxurious features, it's appropriate to invest in such upgrades in every room of the house. Still, focusing on a specific area, like the kitchen, and spending a lot of money on new appliances, cabinets, tile, and countertops won't pay off. No buyer wants a single area that stands out. When exploring their options, future homeowners lean toward homes that offer the most in every field. Marble countertops and expensive tiles are home improvements that may not pay off when you sell. Instead of such investments, go for energy-efficient home upgrades - they are much more sought after among buyers.

Marble countertops would be appropriate in a spacious kitchen, but not so much in a small one.

Luxurious bathroom upgrades

Bathroom improvements that may not pay off when you sell usually include fancy tiles, marble countertops, bathtub and shower replacement, etc. These upgrades are unnecessary if you have a functional and well-maintained bathroom. Instead of spending your remodeling budget on non-essential upgrades, replace the shower curtains, bins, refresh cabinets, and thoroughly clean everything. If you scrub the tiles, grout, and utility areas, your bathroom will look brand new. Add a few decorative pieces to it, and you're done!

Master bedroom expansion

Even though a large master bedroom provides comfort, you should ask yourself whether the future homeowner thinks the same. Moreover, calculate if sacrificing additional space is worth the hassle. If you join two rooms into one, you'll have one room less. The number of rooms is a frequent keyword buyers use when browsing houses for sale. Thus, before deciding on this remodeling step, research which option benefits you more - a huge master bedroom or an additional room? When it comes to value-adding home improvements you should tackle before selling, the ones worth considering shouldn't cost too much. But they'll be worth the mention in your listing.

Instead of expanding the master bedroom, investing in closet and storage space might be a better idea.

Floor treatment 

Quality flooring is a significant feature of every home. Therefore, investing in this area is recommendable before putting your house up for sale. Still, some types of flooring are considered more valuable than others. If you have quality floor-to-floor carpet in the living room, your home probably doesn't lack any coziness. However, carpeting often looks dated, and it requires a lot of maintenance. If this is your primary flooring, this could drop your home value by approximately $4,000. Make sure to hire professional cleaners to thoroughly scrub your flooring in case you cannot do anything else about it.

A swimming pool can be a double-edged sword

In an area with a warm climate, a swimming pool can add up to 7% of your total home value. Still, its maintenance can be incredibly time and money-consuming. Additionally, if you don't have a big backyard, the pool will take up most of the space, which the buyer might want to use differently.

Homes with swimming pools only pay off if the owners can use them all year round. Moreover, it can pay off if you're to a specific group of buyers. According to relocation experts from centennialmoving.ca, families with kids avoid homes with swimming pools. However, in neighborhoods with many vacation homes and rentals, adding a swimming pool is a good idea.

Expensive mosaic tiles and pool upgrades are home improvements that may not pay off when you sell.

Going overboard with landscaping

Dedicating some attention to curb appeal and landscaping is essential if you want to attract buyers. Poor maintenance of the property leads to early decay, and such homes only attract fixer-upper enthusiasts. However, fixer-uppers usually have lower price tags since they require significant investments. If you want to sell your home at a realistic price, improving the exterior matters the same as the interior. Usually, home sellers invest in lighting, repainting the doors, windows, pressure washing the stairs, porches, and driveways. Such home improvements can take years off the property, giving it a clean, new look. Still, nothing makes a house more welcoming than tasteful landscaping.

You can do many landscaping projects on your own. But without the right information, a backyard makeover can cost you more than you'd expect. So, before starting with this project, research native plants for your garden. They are affordable, need less water, and are more sustainable exotic flowers. Keep in mind that seasonal plants might not be a great idea since your home could stay on the market for a while. No homebuyer wants to see photos of a booming yard and face the grim reality of a dying garden.

Conclusion

Selling a home for the first time can be difficult. It requires a lot of preparation and a practical approach to attract potential buyers. If you're uncertain about some of your choices, there are experts that you could consult about home improvements that may not pay off when you sell. Alternatively, you can get inspired by comparing home features with similar properties on the market or visiting open houses.

Photos used:

https://www.pexels.com/photo/contemporary-bathroom-with-mirror-and-big-tub-6315803/

https://unsplash.com/photos/eUvshcvtULI

https://unsplash.com/photos/hCU4fimRW-c

https://pixabay.com/photos/pool-house-luxury-swim-that-blue-5055009/