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By Lisa Kanarek
 | | Lisa Kanarek is one of the nation's leading home office experts and the author of several books including Home Office Solutions: Creating a Space That Works For You, and is the founder of HomeOfficeLife, a firm advising corporations and individuals on all aspects for working from home. |
The new year is upon us, which means it's time to make resolutions, evaluate your goals for 2007 and get organized. Start your quest for an organized new year by considering these four areas: home office location, paper management, storage needs and time management.
Every home needs a home office or a family communication center. Even if you don't run a business from home, the business of running a household can be overwhelming. Find a place within your home to set up command central - the place where information comes in and goes out on a regular basis.
Evaluate your space and environment
If you've had a home office for many years or you're ready to set up a home office for the first time, start by evaluating whether the space is a place where you'll be inspired to work. Is there enough light? Are there enough outlets? Is this space in a high-traffic area or too isolated to let you accomplish anything?
Organize your clutter with stylish filing cabinets
 | | Villa Florence lateral file |
When you've found a place that works, whether it's in a spare bedroom, a corner of your family room or even a converted, formal living room, make sure to include a functional desk or workstation with file drawers, a file cabinet (ideally a lateral one to give you a larger surface), an adjustable desk chair, and a bookcase. After you've set up your home office, create a filing system for information that relates to you and your family. Each family member should have a hanging file folder labeled with their name, and interior (manila) file folders inside. Assign a different color to each family member to make it easy to locate his or her files. Create additional files for projects you handle regularly including bills to pay, upcoming meetings and events, and papers that need your attention.
Today's offices blend with home décor
 | | Preston Ridge home office offers stylish design |
Home office furniture has come a long way from bland, flimsy desks, hard-to-assemble bookcases and small storage units to stylish, functional, and attractive furniture. Now, your home office can blend seamlessly and beautifully with the rest of your home. For example, each of the best-selling collections and most upscale finishes in the line of leading home office producer Hooker Furniture include home office selections. | Bookcases are storage heroes
 | | Waverly Place stacking bookcase |
The next area to evaluate is storage. The key to making a home office work is to have plenty of storage space. Oftentimes adding a bookcase to a home office can make the difference between finding the information you need when you need it and wasting time sorting through books and magazines. A bookcase can be invaluable for storing reference materials, extra supplies and books. Not only will the bookcase be functional, it can serve as an interesting design element within your home office.
Take control of your time
 | | Writing desks from Hooker are laptop, keyboard and wire-management ready |
A functional home office or family communication center located in the right place will help you control the constant paper and information flowing into your home. The next step is to take control over your time. Rather than rely on your memory for tasks to accomplish, use a planning system, either paper-based or electronic. Whether you use a daily planner, a PDA or your computer to get organized, find a system that fits your needs and develop the habit of using it.  | | Detail view of keyboard drawer |
Decide whether to use a daily or weekly to-do list and keep the list handy. Divide the tasks on your list between tasks to do and calls to make. It's less overwhelming if similar tasks are grouped together. If you're used to writing lists and notes on any available scrap of paper, gradually move to a list. Loose paper is hard to track and easy to lose.
Although you can't change the amount of demands on your time, or the number of hours in each day, you can get a head start on the new year. Take the time to evaluate your home office or make this the year you set up a family communication center. Then turn piles into files, move magazines and books off the floor and into bookcases, and keep a clear list of your tasks to do. Before you know it, you'll have the home office you want and the time to enjoy using it.
To view a complete online catalog of Hooker's home office selections, click here.
To learn more about setting up your home office, visit www.homeofficelife.com.
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