CASE STUDY : CREATING A WORKABLE WORKSPACE


Home Office BEFORE - Dark and crowded… and no room to sit!

Home Office BEFORE - Dark and crowded… and no room to sit!

Home Office AFTER - Lighter, brighter, functional… and happy! Note the “girl boss” touches from awards and flowers to a manicure station.

Home Office AFTER - Lighter, brighter, functional… and happy!

Home Office AFTER - Clean, cozy and arty!

Home Office AFTER - Clean, cozy and arty!

CHALLENGE

Busy working mom and volunteer made time for everyone and everything except organizing her home office. The space became a dumping ground rather than an efficient workspace.

SOLUTION

Clearing the clutter, installing lighter/brighter furniture and creating effective storage systems calmed the chaos and gave her a functional space.

LESSONS LEARNED

1) Clarify the Function - If you don't use it in the space, don't keep it in the space.  We moved seasonal items, toys and other non-office items to other parts of the home.

2) Purge the Paper - Shred or recycle outdated paperwork.  Keep only current files and required documents you can't get online.

3) Create Zones - In this case, we allocated separate spaces to work, family, volunteer activities and kids' supplies.

4) Create Logical Systems -  Assign A, B, C priorities based on how frequently you use items:

  • "A = Active" items used daily or requiring action stay on the desk.

  • "B = Basic" items used for routine activities or frequent reference stay within arm's reach.

  • "C = Classic" items that need to be archived go in harder to reach cabinets.