Today we have a guest post by the lovely and talented Marissa from Beautifully Organised to help you organise your Mumpreneur office space no matter how big or small!
The life of a Mumpreneur can be a hectic one! Chances are you share your office space with toys, games & tiny people, and more often than not you need to cram a full day’s work into just a couple of hours between making lunches, playing hide & seek and doing the washing.
If you’re a Mumpreneur looking to find more work life balance there are a few things you can add to your office that will make your life much easier:
1. An Inbox with a lid to dump your paperwork in as you receive it: This is the best tip I picked up from the book Paper Flow and it’s one I share with every mumpreneur because it saves so much time in regards to looking for lost papers. Think about where you put your incoming papers right now – wherever that is, pop an A4 sized box with a lid in that spot so you can collect it all neatly and never have to rifle through your desk again for that invoice that needs paying. Then pick a day of the week to spend a half hour sorting and actioning the papers inside.Tip: The lid is the secret to success here – when people come in, or when the kids play, putting the lid on the box keeps your papers safe where they are and looks tidy at a glance. Add a smaller box inside for receipts to make it even easier!
2. A labeller or Post-it notes: The quickest way to tidy your office is to know exactly where everythings goes. Labelling every box & drawer – even just using a Post-It as a label – means you can find things easily when you need them & put them back quickly when you’re done. Tip: It’s also a good way to get the rest of the family to put things away – no more “but I don’t know where it goes..” as an excuse
3. A monthly planner: Reduce time and stress by not over-committing! You can see everything you have coming up for the month at a glance with either a paper or digital monthly planner. Just keep it at eye length so you remember to use it every day – you can stick one on your wall or just use Google Calendar as your home page when you log into your computer. Easy!
4. A rubbish bin: It may sound obvious but it’s easy to overlook, especially if you have young ones in the house that love to sort your waste basket. Use a small one and put it higher on a bookshelf if you need to, then empty it once a day and you’ll find your desk and floor stay clear and clutter free.
5. A ‘put away’ basket: Spend less time tidying and more time working productively by having a pretty box or basket in the room, specifically to hold random toys, books & anything else that finds it’s way to your office throughout the day. Then all you have to do at the end of each day is grab the basket and wander through the house, room by room, putting the everything inside back where it belongs.
