Getting Your Home-Office Organized with Dotmine

Running a business from home has its benefits - that's a given. However, working from home can also have major setbacks; one of them being structure and organization. Without the structure of an office outside of our homes, it is easy to scatter anything work related all over the house. However, having an organized home office will make for a faster and more pleasant workday.

Here are a few ideas to get you and your home office organized:

1. Once you have your designated office space, you should have all of the office essentials - your computer, paper, files, pens, ect. - within reach. Doing so avoids wasting time having to walk around the house looking for the things you need; it will be much easier having all your papers and files in one central location.

2. Now that everything has its place, create an "in-box" and an "out-box". These boxes should be used for the projects that need your immediate attention; using the out-box for all of your completed work. At the end of the day, empty out the out-box by placing it in files or shredding it, if it's something that is no longer needed. The inbox should have the work that you need to complete the very next morning.

3. Get yourself a detailed daily planner.   Having a user friendly day planner is a MUST have for everyone - even if you work outside of the home.  My recommendation : a dotmine day planner.

Not only are they stylish but these planners have everything you need to help you be more organized:

• A seventeen month planner (The one I have covers August '12 - December 2013)
• Four Master Scheduling Planning Guides for Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer Seasons - This worksheet can help you coordinate your weekly schedule (meetings, special events, or project deadlines).
• Each month has its own calendar so you can easily keep track of the days during the month.
• In between each monthly calendar, there are individual weekly schedules.

These are my favorites because the weekly plan can actually be torn out of the planner itself which makes it easier to carry along with you if needed, especially if you have a few meetings scheduled for the same day.

• On the side of the weekly planner there is also a shaded margin designated for making lists - this can be used to make a list that outlines your workday. Having this to-do list will bridge the gap between your motivation and productivity - in other words, seeing what you need to get done will motivated you to finish everything on that list. As if that were not enough, at the very bottom of each weekly schedule there is a motivational quote to help guide you through the week. I love that!
• In the rear portion of the planner, you will have a "notes" page as well as a few pages available to list important contact information for clients, teachers, customers, schools, family members, ect. Having this section included in the planner certainly makes it easier to find someone's contact number right when you need it.
• Included with the dotmine daily planner is a sheet of small stickers.

These stickers have cute little figures on them for birthdays, date nights, games, recitals, bill due dates, house/car repair dates, vacations, anniversaries and appointments.

These are great visual reminders to have posted throughout the planner. You can place each sticker on their particular date and just by looking at the sticker, you're immediately reminded of what needs to be completed that day.

4. While having a detailed planner (such as this one from dotmine) will keep you organized, it is also important to allow yourself a little "breathing" room during the day - this will help you in those moments when unexpected circumstances arise. Your "breathing" room does not need to last for long periods of time, but having this room to breathe will allow you to adjust your day accordingly without loosing your cool!

Following these four steps will help you maintain the structure and organization you need to run a highly successful business without having to leave your home.

To see the wide variety of daily planners offered by dotmine, please visit their website / pinterest / facebook / twitter

Now it's Your Turn: How do you like to keep your work office organized? Which dotmine planner do you like best? 

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments - We enjoy hearing from you!

Disclosure: I received the above products through Sublime Media Connection in exchange for an honest review. In no way was I asked to give a positive review. All photos and opinions stated in this article are 100% my very own.