Sloppy home office? Get professional help

McClatchy Newspapers

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

As home offices go, Dianna Lovelace’s work space wasn’t the messiest. But every time the Rancho Cordova, Calif., mother and pastor’s wife wanted to pay a bill, do some writing or work on a project, the clutter crowded out her ability to concentrate.

Like many of us, the energetic mom, who also runs a women’s ministry and teaches motivational workshops, could never find the time to get on top of her home-office clutter.

And in her otherwise spotless home, it showed. The desktop was covered with family photos, piles of paper, bills, school notices. The wall-to-wall shelves were crammed with books, binders, old phone books, family mementos, magazines, even a wedding bouquet. And the floor? It was a holding station for accumulated household stuff: last year’s Christmas wreath, a bedroom comforter, the vacuum cleaner, Goodwill donations, a bag of to-be-shredded papers and 15 years’ worth of women’s conference materials.

“All I want is peace ... and to be able to multitask a little easier,” exclaimed Lovelace, who said she procrastinated several years before hiring Tonya Piper, a professional organizer.

That’s a typical response. “It’s overwhelming for many people. Sometimes they just need permission to get rid of their ‘stuff,’” said Piper, owner of Control C.H.A.O.S., a former engineer who has been a professional organizer for churches, homes and offices the last five years.

A home office, whether it’s a corner table or an entire room, is the place where every document, from bills to health care to school, needs a place to roost.

Getting it organized can free up usable space, and result in less time and money spent looking for lost items or buying replacements.

The mantra of every personal organizer: Everything in your house needs its own home, including every piece of paper you keep. And even then, we keep too much.

“People like to pile, instead of file,” said Ann Nagel, the Elk Grove, Calif., owner of Organize With Ann, who has seen clients’ homes with paper piled on window sills, dining room tables, bathroom floors and just about any flat surface. The most typical — but worst — place, she says, is the kitchen counter, where papers easily get wet or spilled on.

When tackling a home-office organization, there are two necessities: a good filing cabinet and a commitment to purge paper. And an understanding that it’s often ugliest at the start.

To begin, spread your piles on the bed or floor and sort by category: taxes, insurance, bills, owners’ manuals, etc. Put a sticky note on each pile as you go.

Once they’re sorted, create subcategories. Under “Insurance,” you might have separate files: “Insurance-Health,” “Insurance-Life,” “Insurance-Home.”

Ultimately, those piles should go into a permanent home inside labeled folders in a filing cabinet.

“It’s not rocket science. Everyone has the same stuff, but with their own special needs,” said Nagel.

Create a filing system that works for you. Some like organizing files alphabetically, by color (green for finances, blue for medical, etc.) or category.

Another tip: Have a single place to store incoming papers. It can be a letter tray, a file folder, a basket or even a box. “If it’s all in one spot, you stand a much better chance of dealing with it when you’re ready to take action,” says Nagel.

She gives clients two brightly colored file folders: a red “Take Action” (phone calls to make, letters to write, insurance companies to contact) and a money-green “Bills to Pay” folder.

They’re intended to sit prominently on a desktop as visual reminders.

“So many people don’t pay bills on time and get late fees,” said Nagel, “because they lose their bills or they’re hidden in a pile somewhere.”