4 things people with a tidy home office always have – work from home essentials to boost productivity and banish clutter

I know I’m extremely lucky to work from home, but there’s no denying that it also has its downsides - especially if you have a small house like me. My ‘home office’ also serves as the spare guest bedroom, junk room, and the just-about-anything-else room, and the constant clutter seriously impacts my productivity (sorry, boss).

And while I’ve been making a conscious effort to add things that people with a tidy home always have to my house over the past few months, my work-from-home space has always slipped to the bottom of the priority list. But now I’m finally putting myself - and my work first - in an effort to make my home office more streamlined, efficient, and organised.

That’s why I’ve been taking stock of the things people with a tidy home office always have and adding them to my basket to boost productivity, organise my desk and create a workspace to be proud of. And I thought I’d share them with you, too.

1. A cable management system

It’s surprising how something so small and unassuming can make such a big impact, but wires and chargers can instantly clutter a home office. This is something that really grinds my gears, as I have a desktop computer, a laptop, a clock and a lamp on my desk - which means I’ve also had to add an ugly extension lead into the mix.

The result is a messy work area covered in wires, chargers, and leads, which are all very distracting. That’s why I’m going to invest in a cable management system to hide the wires without hindering their practicality. My first step is to buy a much prettier extension lead, like this sage green Cube Extension Lead with USB Slots (£17.99 at Amazon). It comes in three other colourways, too.

People with tidy home offices also make the most of cable tidies and boxes to keep these extension leads out of sight, and I’m also considering where I can cut cords out of the equation altogether. Dunelm’s new cordless lamp range seems like a good first step to do that.

2. Desk organisers

Although I work primarily online, a lot of my personal life also seeps into my office space. It’s the place where I store all of my stationery, printer and printer paper, and a lot of paperwork in general. And since I don’t have much storage in my home office, it tends to get dumped on my desk, which means almost all the clutter is limited to one small space.

Not only is this not conducive to a productive work environment, but it also means that a lot of things go missing. In fact, I’m notoriously bad at losing important documents like utility bills and bank statements, and I’ve even lost my marriage certificate before (thank goodness for spares). That’s where desk organisers can come in.

Desk organisers make up one of the best home office storage ideas as they’re small but effective. They also come in so many different shapes and forms, from stationery pots to paperwork trays and more.

3. A wall-mounted memo board

For me, my home office is so much more than just a place to work. It’s also the place I venture when I want to sort out my calendar for the month, and tackle any household admin tasks that need to be ticked off the to-do list. That’s why I’m going to invest in a wall-mounted memo board, too.

I was inspired to do this by Jenny, our Senior Digital Editor, who bought one for her family command centre to banish clutter in her home, and I think it can work just as well in a home office, too. It’ll become the place I hang up any important documents, post reminders to myself, and even keep track of any work ideas that come to mind throughout the day.

This should banish the pile of Post-It notes that get stuck to my desk and the other clutter that fills the rest of the room. I’m also hoping that by creating a system where I choose what goes onto the memo board and what doesn’t, it’ll also help me get rid of things that I would often keep hold of just because.

4. A desk with storage

One of the biggest mistakes I made when buying furniture for my home office was buying a desk without storage. It’s the largest piece of furniture in the room (aside from a sofa bed and an overflow wardrobe that’s filled with clothes), and I assumed that a smaller, sleeker design would suit my home office idea.

The reality is that no desk storage means all of the ugly-but-practical items in the room have to stay on show, making the space look extremely cluttered. That’s why I’m going to follow in the footsteps of things that people with a tidy home office have and invest in a new desk with storage - whether that be one with drawers or cupboards.

The beauty of having a desk like that in a workspace like mine is that it can be used for work items and home items - and serve as an extra piece of storage when I’m dealing with a multi-purpose room that has to be a home office and a spare room at the same time. But more than anything, it will free up space and banish clutter… hopefully!

My once-cluttered home office won't know what's hit it when I'm done with it!