What Works for You: Home Office Part 3.2

~~  I'm not sure what happened to my post!  I wrote it up and had it set to post yesterday, but something happened.  I don't know if I hit the wrong button, or if there was a hiccup with a Google, or the computer, or what . . . but the post is gone!  All I was left with was the first paragraph.  Weird!  So, I'm really sorry that this post didn't come out yesterday as planned.  ~~


So, after the other day's longer than planned post, I opted to break the Bringing it All Together into a couple of posts.  Yesterday I showed you some pictures I found around the web, to give you ideas for how to make a home office work for your space and your needs.  This is all about what will work best for YOU!  I'm just sharing my thoughts on matter.  Today, I thought we'd jump right into more fun stuff, organizing your supplies and the equipment you need.

I mentioned in the first post (here) that I used two lists to figure out what I would need.  The first is by tasks. For example:  One of the things I need to do in my "office" is to keep track of our family's schedule.  To accomplish this I need:

• HMB
• Planner
• Family Calendar
• Pens
• Dry Erase Markers
• Paper Clips
• School Notices

I also need to be able to plan our meals.  For that I need:

• Kitchen Binder
• Planner
• Family Calendar
• Pens
• Shopping List
• Dry Erase Markers
• Paper Clip
• Folder of New Recipes to Try

Next step for me, is to compare all the lists to figure out what I use most to least.  Using the above examples I know that the most often used items are:

• Planner
• Family Calendar
• Pens
• Dry Erase Markers
• Paper Clips

These are items that need to be at my finger tips or in a centrally located area.  They're going to get the prime "office" real-estate because I'm going to be using them more often than any of the other items.  The next items to get assigned space are the ones I know I don't use as often, but still get regular use, like my HMB and Kitchen Binder.  These need to be easy to get too, but they don't have to be front and center.  If I was using shelves above the desk, the first group would be on the desktop or in the top drawers, and the next items would be on the first shelf up.  After that, it's a matter of a) frequency of use; b) my own personal priority system and c) who else in the house will need to use the items.  Everyone will have their own way of figuring this out.  Just remember, the more you use an item, the easier to get to you want that item to be.  The ones you use rarely can be harder to get too.  

Now it's time to figure out how to store those supplies!  Think outside the box here too, and find storage solutions that function for you AND reflect your style.  Don't forget to think about the "how" (post is here) when looking into storage solutions, if you're a piler like me, maybe add pretty baskets to your list.  Maybe you're a filer, and you've been itching to really get those files organized and color coded, in which case add colored file folders to you list!  There are no right and wrong solutions, whatever works for you, is the way to go!

Check out some of the photos and links below for some visual ideas!

Source: BHG

These mailboxes could be used for notebooks, papers, as in and out boxes, or whatever else you can dream up!  Would be great for small spaces, where you want to keep your surface as clear as possible.   You could paint and customize them anyway you want.

Source:  BHG 

Love this idea for storing magazines and newspapers.  

Source: BHG 

Repurpose unique items into In and Out boxes, or even just for storing smaller items

Source: BHG

Absolutely LOVE this idea!  I've tried it myself, and it worked really well.  It's a great way to repurpose an unlikely item found around the home, and it takes up very little space.

Source: BHG

Turn a caddy into great office storage.  You could even take it a step further and have a different one for different tasks.  The best parts about this idea is that its versatile, portable, and makes it oh so easy to just grab and go.  

Source: BHG 

Muffin tins for drawer dividers!

Source: BHG 

 Cover tin cans with pretty paper for holding pens and other tools.

Source: BHG

 Soap dish and tooth brush holder for desk organizers!
 

Source: BHG

 Antique glasses, mugs and dishes make for a pretty and functional desk top storage.

Source: BHG

Egg cups for smaller items!  Great idea.  A ceramic egg tray would work also, and could be tucked into a drawer.

Source: BHG

Use glass jars to hold smaller items.  Affix lids to underside of shelf or cabinet to clear the work area!

Source: Home Made Simple

Glue mason jars together in a pyramid to crate a unique desktop sorter.


Be sure to click the links in the captions of the photos to check out some more great ideas for organizing and storing your office supplies.  They all have some wonderful ideas that reuse items around the house, or are inexpensive.

Next week, I'll share some ideas for storing and organizing paper, and I'll share with you the ins and outs of our old home office.

How do you organize and store your supplies for your office?  Are you thinking of changing things up?  Do you have a solution that seems totally off the wall to some people but makes perfect sense to you?

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend!