Hello from my home office in Arizona!
Can you believe it's 2025? Wow! Me either.
Today I thought I'd share some practical tips, products, and strategies I have used in my own life and home for years to help you along if you feel challenged with managing your home, home office, and life during these challenging times. If you feel overwhelmed, you are not alone. So let's make your life a bit easier.
HOME OFFICE SUITE OFFICE
There are lots of nooks and crannies in my very small office corner space above, yes? Those help keep everything sorted. You want sorted too, yes you do! And to do that you need a place for everything. In other words, all your supplies need their own home.
Below are some of my favorite things to help keep my desk and home office organized and my supplies sorted. You will likely choose different supplies, but this will give you ideas.
Of course, supplies and ideas only work if you use them. You can't just buy bins and baskets and then never put your supplies away in them. The reason I bring this up is because it's not uncommon for people who struggle with disorder to buy bins and baskets and bags and .... never use them.
And then ...
Your clutter problem is just worse. Not to mention you have spent money on those things. So declutter first and then choose your office supplies carefully for what you think you will actually use, and forget the rest.
Always remember that functional comes first, then beauty. I love pretty things as much as the next person, but they must be functional first to earn a place in my home and office so be aware of this as you organize your home office.
Favorite products for my home office are below. Search Amazon, Walmart, Target etc. for these types of supplies.
Revolving caddy holds my scissors, biz cards, pens, etc.
Riser shelf that saves space on my desktop
Basket that holds my papers until I can process and scan them if need be
Small drawers to hold binder clips and rubber bands etc.
Holder for my cell phone
Post it note cube
Calendar with tabs-by-topic dividers for my planner
Baskets for misc. office supplies
Bin for postcards
Card file for my contacts (I like a paper card file because I never have to worry about my computer going "poof" and losing all my contacts. Kind of like I still carry a paper boarding pass to the plane. Old school? Yep, and I don't apologize because some things just work better. I mean, do you really want to be stranded in Timbuktu because some computer ate your boarding pass? Not me!)
I also love quotes and motivators. This one that I clipped onto my calendar here with a pretty binder clip was the cover of an old journal and I cut it out and kept it because I love it:
"Don't let the noise of other opinions drown out your inner voice."
Amen, sister!
CALENDARS AND PERSONALITIES
I have pretty floral tabs throughout my calendar planner. Some of my section/tab categories are TO DO, TO BUY, MONEY, FAITH, etc.
That's the fun part; you get to choose your own categories so that you can find things quickly. Your brain and my brain think differently, so the tabs are the "sorting principle" and what you label on the tabs are your brain so you can find your info. quickly. BTW, If you are not sure how you think, try the fun 16Personalities test for some insights into your personality.
Back to desks. When I am organizing my desk, I always pretend I am in the cockpit of an airplane. I grew up the daughter of an airline employee and I remember going into the airplane cockpit as they would do that back then for airline employees' kids. (This was before the days of airport security so now you know how old I really am! 66 in case you are curious. Not as old as Amelia Earhart, but pretty close.) :) I was about seven years old back when I first visited the airplane cockpit and I remember thinking how cool that certain buttons in the cockpit were in just the right place to make flying that plane easier!
Yeah I know, I was a really fun little girl!
The point being, when you organize your desk, think of how an airplane cockpit might be arranged -- i.e. so that everything is "handy" to the pilots so the plane doesn't crash. You're the pilot of your desk so you don't "crash" it into a big mess because with my "airplane cockpit organizing method" everything will have a proper place on your desk/in your home office.
Okay, so now that you have some tips for your home office area, let's talk simplifying your whole home space too in 2025.
Simplifying is no longer just a buzz word, my friends. It's necessary for survival/a good life because you don't need me to tell you that the world is super complicated these days and you have to find ways to cope with it.
In other words, you don't want to "crash" your "life plane" with clutter and chaos!
This means you will have to say NO to some things like:
Too much paper on your desk that you should have scanned into your computer and organized by topic into folders
Yet another committee that will take time away from your family or other priorities
Constant requests for monetary donations to about everything
Too many toys housed on your living room floor that others are dangerously tripping over
Etc. etc.
To quote our eloquent former Episcopal priest:
NO is a holy word.
Amen, brother.
Steve and I have always tried to live our version of a simplified life, but in 2024, we ramped it up.
Why? Well, as the old cliche goes ...
We aren't getting any younger, baby!
We take many steps on this path* called life, and we personally want our life to be the simply beautiful version.
How about you?
Kathryn :)
*I took this photo in Southern CA many years ago and it still makes me smile.