Summary: My home office is a cluttered, unorganized mess lately. What tips can you offer home business owners like me about organizing a home office or even just our desks so we can work more productively in an area it can sometimes feel like we live in?

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I work in a home office. My work area (most specifically my desk) usually looks like a complete disaster area. It’s not “dirty” per se, but heavily cluttered. I may have any number of things cluttering my home office on any given day, including:

• Papers
• Calendars and planners
• My cell phone
• My desk phone
• Various program discs
• Piles of used index cards
• Piles of unused index cards (I’m an index card junkie for certain planning projects)
• My dishes or drink remnants if I’ve been eating meals while working for the day
• Binders
• Piles of large envelopes filled with band press kits for review
• Books that I need to reference for blog posts or pull up for reviews I’m writing
• Basic office supplies like a bunch of pens and dry erase markers
• Sometimes a white board added to the pile of stuff on my desk return if I pulled it off the wall to use it

And then of course there are the other basics that are “supposed” to be there – my keyboard and wrist rest, mousepad, monitor, computer speakers, desk lamp (two actually for the different desk sections), my water fountain, my fish bowl, my file tray, and the little office organizers that are supposed to help me keep the rest of it contained.

These things really add up / pile up quickly. Some of it I clear out each day (like dishes), and some things I tackle on the weekend when I have more time (like filing papers).

Despite the mess that is my desk, I’m actually an organization addict. Everything really does have it’s “place.” I just like to keep a lot at-hand when I’m working. I’m also one of those people who knows where everything is in that mess.

Yet, I prefer a clear desk, clear floor, etc. where I’m working. I simply work more productively. I keep things close because it feels like that should be more productive, but the reality is that it makes it more difficult to focus on what I’m writing or doing for a client when I’m surrounded by countless visual stimuli in front of my face.

Do you face the same problem? Or do you actually prefer the cluttered work environment (some do)? Right now I spend my weekends cleaning up so I can start Monday morning “fresh.” But I’d love to be that way week long. This weekend I’m planning to do the most thorough organization I’ve done in a while (belated Spring cleaning for my home office I guess you could say).

Do you have any tips to share? Anything that you find indispensable in keeping on top of home office clutter? When you get to that organized point, what do you do to keep yourself there?

One of the biggest reasons many home businesses fail is that the home business owner faces home office distractions not necessarily present in other work environments, from kids to pets to their kitchen. If you find yourself struggling or not working as productively as you need to because of home office distractions, developing a regular work routine might help.

Planning and organization in general can increase productivity, also increasing your chances of keeping your business afloat. I personally started using all of the tools below when I felt like I simply wasn’t getting enough done in a day, and they can really help:

• Calendars – Keeping an oversized wall calendar is great for having a constant reminder of upcoming important deadlines.
• Planners – Planners are great for more detailed calendars on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. I find that it can help to plan not only work tasks but personal appointments as well (like doctor’s appointments or even scheduling in your workouts).
• To-Do Lists – Personally, I’m a to-do list junkie. I have daily to-do lists, weekly to-do lists, blogging to-do lists, and master to-do lists (just things that need to get done and be scheduled in general). I take a little bit of time in the evening to update them, and they really do help to keep my focus where it belongs in most cases. I keep some in composition books, others on large note cards, and others on large whiteboards. Do what works for you.
• Goal Sheets – Make a list of your goals – how much money you want to make in a month or year, how many products you want to sell this month, how many blog posts you want to write this week, etc. They can help you work more productively by reminding you why you need to get your work done in the first place. You can ask yourself at the end of each day whether or not you’ve done anything to get you closer to reaching your goals.

I’ve always personally preferred hand-written calendars, lists, and notes. You can certainly do this on your computer, PDA, or similar device. The “how” isn’t important. What’s important is that you get yourself into a regular routine, which these tools can help you do. Once you get yourself into actual “habits” with your work, you’ll feel much less inclined to push projects aside for a fridge run or day in the sun.