Home Office Organization

by Lake, Bookkeeping Essentials
(northern British Columbia , Canada)

If you are looking for advice or ideas on getting your home office ready for business, you may be interested in a series of articles in The Mompreneur Magazine at www.themompreneur.com.


Sylvia Daoust, the owner of Sort It Out, helps organize home offices, among other things.

Part one of this series can be found in the November/December 2009 issue on page 54. Dedicating one space in your home and setting boundaries is discussed.

Part two is on page 52 of the January/February 2010 issue. Sylvia introduces two ideas ... Creating two zones in the office itself ... and organizing the paper into three categories

  • File it

  • Act on it

  • Toss it


As a bookkeeper, I'm a little nervous about the "toss it" category when dealing with bookkeeping ... please don't get too zealous with this with your financial paperwork ... or you may lose tax deductions.

Part three is slated for the March/April 2010 issue where time management, time stealers and strategies to overcome procrastination will be featured.

Let me know what you think ... or if you've come up with some solutions of your own that work.

My office started out great ... organized. But as I look around, I can see stuff is beginning to make its way into my office ... and it doesn't seem to want to leave!



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Aug 25, 2010
 Part 3 Time Management
by: Bookkeeping-Essentials

The third article of Home Office Organization can be found on page 57 of the March/April issue of Mompreneur at www.themompreneur.com .

In part 2 of Home Office Organization, Sylvia Daoust suggested that your home office should have two distinct zones ... your "desk" zone which should be clear of clutter and office supplies ... and a storage zone for office supplies, reference books, or promotional material.

Sylvia says, "Don't be afraid to use wall space for cork/white boards and wall pockets." Small labelled bins or baskets are suggested for storing mailing supplies, electronic equipment, and manuals.

In time management, Sylvia suggests you create a structure for your week. She suggests you choose three priorities for each week.

Once you have selected your three priorities, divide your day into blocks of time. Work on your top priorities during the block where your energy level is at it's peak. This should be your own uninterrupted time space where you maximize your effectiveness. Respect it and yourself.

Keep emails, phone calls, and scheduling meetings outside of your peak energy block. Consider using a timer so you don't spend all day on your emails.

Create templates for repetitive tasks so you aren't always reinventing the wheel ... and stick to your plan during the week so you stay focused.

Have one calendar that schedules everything ... work, family, and personal time/appointments.

If you find yourself procrastinating on a task, break it down into manageable time blocks. If that doesn't work, consider outsourcing the task.
Oct 03, 2010
 Small Business File Organization and Filing Tips
by: Bookkeeping Essentials

Natalie Conrad of Organized Habits has a very simple system ... sort your filing into one of three types:

  1. Action files ... are files you use on a regular basis ... minimum of once a week. Keep them in your desk drawers or on your desk top.

  2. Reference files ... are files you use occasionally throughout the year. She cites your auto insurance policy as an example. I would include any permanent files in this group. These files should be kept in a filing cabinet or shelf in your office.

  3. Archive files ... are files you are keeping for record retention purposes. These should not be in your office but in a storage area like the basement.


You can find her article at:

http://www.organizedhabits.com/small-business-file-organization-and-filing-tips/
Jan 04, 2011
 Kick off 2011 right: organize your home business
by: Bookkeeping Essentials

Exchange at www.exchangemagazine.com has a great article by Jamie Sutherland titled, "Kick off 2011 right: organize your home business ".

It is worth a read. You can find the article at http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2011/week1/Tuesday/010411.htm#anchor

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