One of the hardest parts of starting a new remote career is finding your organizational groove. With so much flexibility and no hard time or space limits, it can be difficult to know where to start. If you are in need of remote work organization ideas, Virtual Vocations offers 20 organization hacks to help you be your best self while you work.
1. Get a Personal Assistant App
A variety of low-cost and free smartphone apps offer a simple way to get organized. They can:
- Schedule and remind you of meetings
- Take dictation
- Organize your email
- Assist with research
Making your hectic day much less stressful, personal assistant apps work by collecting and managing your information across multiple software systems and devices. Some assistant apps even use your habits to change how they respond to requests and what information is collected. Regardless if you are Team Android or Team iOS, you can find a helpful assistant to help keep organized.
2. Create Your Own Desk Calendar
Technology isn’t the only way to stay organized on a daily basis. Sometimes the best reminder is the one staring you in the face. Use a wall calendar with photos of your favorite things, get the large paper calendars that double as desk blotters, or express your DIY side and create one that is uniquely you. Incorporate stickers and colored markers to highlight what matters most you.
3. Use Google Calendar
If digital solutions are more your style, you can use Google Calendar to create a comprehensive planner. Not only does Google Calendar come with notifications and reminders, but you can also use different colors to indicate various event types to further add to your organizational strategy.
4. Organize Your Files
If have recently started working from home, you probably have an array of paperwork, files, and folders spread around your workspace and maybe even your entire home. One of the most important home office organization hacks is simply to create an effective filing system. It’s easy to misplace or lose important documents if you don’t find a safe place to store paper documents and establish an effective filing system.
You also need to review your files at regular interviews. At least every three months, take some time to go through your paper document files and be sure that your current system is still working for you. Make adjustments as you go to better fit your work style and career choice.
5. Create a Digital Filing System
Along with a physical filing system, the documents stored on your computer should also be organized in a logical manner. Oftentimes, multiple versions of the same document can add disorder to your digital system. This can also make it very difficult to quickly find the documents you are looking for.
Organize your Word documents, PDFs, and Excel sheets by creating easy to understand categories and pathways to get access to your frequently used documents. Try to mirror the categories you established for your paper filing system to ensure you can find all associated paper and digital files quickly and easily.
6. Organize Cables and Wires
Work from home organization ideas don’t have to be complex! One easy organization hack is to reduce the chaos and wire clutter in your home office. Get yourself a cable organizer and hide your cables under your desk. If you find your current cords are too short, invest in a surge protector with a good amount of space to plug in all your necessities. Or better yet, invest in wireless technologies for peripherals such as mice, printers, and headphones.
7. Invest in a Rolling Cart
If you are one of the many without a formal office space at home, optimize the space you do have. Consider purchasing a rolling cart for your work files and supplies. You can organize this cart as a mobile office to hold your technology, files, stationery, and supplies that you need throughout your workday. Then when you’re done, you can tuck the cart away in a closet or another room. This has the added benefit of putting a hard stop to your workday.
8. Get a Monitor Stand
Organization is as much a mental strategy as it is a physical practice. As you work during the day, it’s easy to begin to slump, putting pressure on your back and neck. This stress on your physical body can reduce your productivity and make any quest for organization obsolete. Additionally, having your monitor up higher leaves more room on your desk. Clear space is a great way to promote calm while you work.
9. Buy a Keyboard and Wrist Rest
Another part of your body that can cause discomfort and pain are your wrists. Investing in items for your home office that assist you in feeling positive about your work, can give your productivity a big boost. A keyboard and wrist rest can help prevent strain on your hands and wrists so you can work for longer periods. Having pain-free wrists and hands is a great way to promote your overall comfort when telecommuting.
10. Create a Privacy Curtain
Just because you have a small office area doesn’t mean you can’t have privacy and separation between the various functions of the household. Privacy curtains can be hung from your ceiling and drawn down while you work to distinguish your office space. You can also use a folding screen divider or get creative and make your own solutions.
11. Try Woven Baskets
If the idea of too many boxes and bins is not your idea of a peaceful work environment, try out assorted baskets you can place under your desk to hide clutter and keep essentials such as pens, staples, tabs, and rubber bands neatly stored. Baskets also add a nice design aspect to any plain office space, displaying your unique personality and sense of style while keeping you organized.
12. Color Code
Color is a powerful tool for organization. It can assist you in remembering important tasks and form associations that create pathways in your brain for long-term memory storage. Studies show that color coding can even enhance memory recall and increase performance. Complementary colors help us differentiate things, whereas monochromatic colors help form categories. In your office space, use color coding to better assemble your workstation. Tabs in particular colors can help you easily find subcategories.
13. Use a Physical Inbox
Some of the best work from home organization hacks are old school. Using an old-fashioned inbox can help keep track of what tasks and activities you need to work on or review. Do you receive both professional and personal mail at your home address? You’ll also want to place any packages, labels, and mail you receive for work in your inbox, separate from the mail associated with your home life. Be sure to create a time limit for how long an item can sit in the inbox. Clearing the box at least once a week is a great way to prevent tasks from piling up.
14. Utilize Email Filters
Your physical mailbox is not the only mailbox that can use an organizational boost. As email pours in throughout your day, important messages can be buried in minutes. Never miss a vital message by applying labels and filters to your inbox.
You can automatically place mail from particular people or with specific subjects in an appropriate folder to be reviewed. Junk mail and nonessential emails can be placed in their own folder to be deleted regularly. Email is a powerful tool when used to its full potential. Review your email settings to find a way to optimize its use.
15. Invest in a Scanner
One way to reduce clutter in your home office is to reduce the number of paper files you use. Aside from legal and financial documents of which you may need physical copies, files can be digitized and stored on your computer or within cloud software. Use a scanner to create PDFs of documents and assign them to the proper folders. You can also scan notes and business cards to get rid of even more paper clutter.
16. Get a Shredder
Once you’ve made use of your scanner, you can shred the unneeded documents and recycle the paper. Shredding documents you don’t need each week is a great practice not only for organization but also for security. The paper can be recycled, and your office space can maintain its minimalist shine.
17. Use a Time Management App
Free and low-cost smartphone productivity apps are one of the most popular organization hacks. These amazing apps can assist you with organizing your day, keeping track of how much time you spend on daily activities, and encouraging you to focus on a single task. Apps such as Focus Booster help you block out distractions and get down to work, while Toggl helps you track your speed and productivity over time and delivers weekly reports to help you continue to improve.
18. Rely on a Digital Budget Sheet
As a work from home employee or contractor, you’re on the hook for tracking expenses. Many mobile banking apps and websites include a feature that maps your monthly spending. If your bank doesn’t support this, you can download a variety of smartphone budgeting apps that assist in tracking weekly, monthly, and quarterly spending so you can better organize your finances for tax season.
19. Use a Mileage Counter
If you travel for your job in addition to working from home, you should keep track of the miles you are racking up on your car. You can use an app or an in-car device to measure each work-related trip and log miles, distance, and the nature of the trip. This will save you the hassle of weeding through receipts to put all the data together when you need it.
20. Consider a Meal Planner or Meal Delivery Service
Health should still be a major priority even when working remotely. At times when you work from home, going grocery shopping after a long day can seem impossible. Reduce the stress of healthy eating by planning out your meals by the week or by month. Purchase unperishable items to last the month and then shop for fruits, veggies, and other fresh items each week.
Some organization hacks are a real treat! These include taking advantage of a food delivery service. These services will deliver fully prepared meals or ingredients for meals right to your door. If you have mobility issues or struggle with finding time or inspiration to cook, these options will allow you to still get your recommended daily nutrients without becoming exhausted.
Get Organized Today!
Remote work is a lifestyle. The more you invest in finding the organization hacks that work for you, the better your work from home life will be. Remember, all organizational tips for work won’t be perfect for you! So experiment with these suggestions to find the strategies that empower you to be organized and productive.
Do you have any organization hacks as a remote worker? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your advice. We’d love to hear from you!
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