by Daved Brosche

Created on: January 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 17, 2007

Does your home office lack organization? Use these six simples steps to get your office clean and organized.

1. Use good old fashion hanging files.

Believe it or not, in this digital age, the classic green hanging folder is still a great organization tool. Using manila folders to organize your bills, invoices, and receipts is a good start. It is a lost cause however, if you don't have an organized place to put them. The hanging folder is the perfect place to put them.

Don't have a filing cabinet to put the hanging folders in? Not a problem. There are several options available at your local retail store. I prefer the clear Rubbermaid bins. They are about 8 inches wide. This means they are easily stored in closets or on a bookshelf.

2. File your files

A great way to keep your files organized is to keep a file of all your files. What do I mean by this? Keep a piece of paper with all of your file folders on with their names. If the folders have sub-folders, list those too.

This will let you see if you have folders that overlap so that you can condense your folders. For example, there is no point in having car file and an automobile file.

You could have this list written on a piece of paper, but that would just be one more piece of paper to file. Try keeping this record in a word or excel document. That way you have one less piece of paper in your office and you can update it much easier when you add new folders and files.

3. Throw things away

For some reason most small business owners have a fear of throwing client paperwork away. There are certain things that you just don't need to hang on to. On the other hand there some things you need to hold onto.

Tax items is one thing you should hold onto. You should save your tax returns forever. The rest of your tax reports and receipts should be save for no longer than six years.

Throw away papers that you don't have an immediate need for, can get a copy of easy, or that don't have any tax or legal reason to hold on to.

If you feel like you need to hold on to all your paperwork than try scanning it all onto a portable hard drive. Then you can throw all the papers away. It will take more time than growing through all the papers away, but at least the hard drive will take up less space in your office.

4. "Assorted" Folders

How many other, assorted, or misc files do you have? You know, the folder that you put everything in that you just don't know where else to put it. That isn't organization. Odds are you can just throw it away altogether. A good rule of thumb is, if you haven't needed it or touched it in a year then toss it.

5. Get rid of business cards

There are so many ways to organize all your business cards and contact information. There are plenty of ways to get rid of it altogether as well. A simple approach is to take the business card and tape it or staple it the file folder it is associated with. At least then it is filed away instead of in a pile on your desk or in a drawer.

There are lots of gadgets out there made for scanning in business cards to your computer. If you don't have the money for one of these than just take some time to enter the contact information into your electronic address book. Outlook has a great address book or you could even use your email clients address book. Anything is better than having them just laying around waiting to get lost.

6. Use the computer

Try using your computer as much as possible. Use it to make your to-do lists, create address books, file documents, and more. The more you keep or put into your computer the less you have in your office.

As I mentioned before, there are plenty of gadgets out there that can help you scan your files into the computer. Take advantage of them!

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