Organised desk, organised mind: Maximising space in my home office

 

Space always seems to be an issue in my home office. The room isn’t tiny, but it’s not huge either, and I really struggle to fit in everything I need, despite being acutely aware that I’m lucky to even have a room at home that I can use as a workspace. I work from home, and it’s a constant battle to keep on top of the clutter. I’m one of those people who needs the space around me to be in order for me to be able to work productively. That well-known phrase ‘organised desk, organised mind’ totally applies to me, and I’m often found wasting valuable time when I should be working, tidying up instead.

Rather than frittering away my working time moving piles of clutter from one spot to another, I decided I needed to tackle the root cause and find ways to better maximise the space, starting with my desk area. Since investing in my much-loved set of String shelves for the wall above my desk, I’ve tried to keep them decorative, but I’ve finally come to accept that that’s a luxury I just can’t afford – they have to serve a practical purpose too. I needed to use them to store more practical office gear, but it was also really important to me that they also looked good. The HP DeskJet 3720, a new, compact, all-in-one printer that’s small enough to sit on a shelf was a good starting point. The DeskJet 3720 lets me print, scan and copy like my old inkjet printer, but it’s half the size – it makes my old one look like enormous and replacing it has freed up some valuable surface space elsewhere in the office.

I also moved my notebooks and planners over to the shelves so that I don’t have to keep getting up from my chair to retrieve them when I need them. Otherwise they were always stacked in a pile on my desk, adding to the overall mess and clutter. Other practical things that have been given a new home on my shelves are a pot of pens, other stationery supplies (in the wooden cigar box), and SD cards (stored in one of the apothecary jars that only served a decorative purpose before). Obviously I needed to allow space for some green friends – not only do plants add colour and life to the shelves, but their presence in an office space has been shown to increase happiness and productivity (two things that are always high on my wish-list).

I linked the DeskJet 3720 with my mobile and downloaded the HP Social Media Snapshots app so that I could print out some of my favourite Instagram pics on the special 4x5inch sticky photo paper to put up around my desk. They don’t actually need the washi tape to keep them up, but otherwise they get a bit lost on my white wall. I am now completely addicted to this app, and have already had to order more paper to feed my addiction.

The lighting garland strung over a DIY hook on the wall next to the shelves isn’t new, but it is a great way of keep the desktop a bit clearer, as it means I don’t need to find on my desk for a lamp.

I’m already feeling the benefits of a clearer, more organised desk area – changing up the shelves has given the room a welcome refresh that’s had an positive impact on my mood and productivity levels. The next challenge is to maximise space in the rest of the room – a task I’ve been saving for this weekend. Hopefully I’ll be able to share the results of my efforts with you very soon!

Fancy nabbing the world’s smallest all-in-one printer for yourself? Share your own desk or shelf space on social media using the hashtag #HPShelfie, and I’ll select a winner each month during the course of July and August to receive a new DeskJet 3720 printer, plus a year’s supply of HP Instant Ink (HP’s ink replacement service monitors the ink levels in your printer wirelessly and sends new ink cartridges out to you when you’re running low). I can’t wait to see your shelfies!

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with HP, but all views and content are my own