If you have a home office, there are a few items that are essential if you want an organized space. They will help to keep your workspace clutter free and organized, which is essential if you are looking for a stress free working environment.

The key item

The key piece of equipment is a file, or diary that contains your to-do list for the day. It is a great idea to fill this in the day before to enable you to focus on the tasks needing to be completed, rather than being bogged down, for instance, in the emails that might require some attention.

Spend 10 minutes at the end of each day to go through your files and make that list of all the tasks that need completing. You will start the day focused; if new tasks have arrived in the morning, you are more aware if you are going to be able to complete them or if you need to re-schedule an item.

A filing system

You need to keep your items filed; this will keep your office space clean and tidy. This makes finding items quick and easy. The system that you adopt will depend on the filing that is needed in your home office. It can be filing on your computer or filing paper; having a system where you can find items quickly and easily will save you time and money in hunting out a required file.

Dedicated space

If you can find a dedicated space in your home, where you can have your files and other necessary items, you will save precious minutes when you need to move from work-time to home time. Having to pack away items completely can be time consuming, increasing the time before you are able to move from office-time to home time. A dedicated space can ease the transfer and can increase productivity in both areas.

Time constraints

It can be difficult to work from home. Many distractions can make the transition from home to work difficult. But by adapting your needs, it is possible that you can meet the demands of both aspects of the home working where you have time for both.

It is important that you consider the time that you have in both areas, getting the balance right can be difficult. If you use some of the time that you have scheduled in for other activities, you will need to make the time up in other areas; sometimes this is when you would have spent time with your family. Getting the balance right is not easy; many people think that if you work from home, it means you are available night and day for that quick chat or a cup of coffee. It can be difficult for others to understand how much time that you will need to complete your daily work schedule. This is why it is important that you are able to plan a time frame for your working day, which will allow you to work out the balance between work and home life.