Home Office Organisation: How to Declutter Your Workspace and Actually Get Things Done

A cluttered home office drains focus before you've started. Here's how to declutter and organise your workspace so it works properly.

Jo de Serrano OBE DUniv

7 min read

MacBook Pro on table beside white iMac and Magic Mouse
MacBook Pro on table beside white iMac and Magic Mouse

Last updated: June 2026

Home Office Organisation: How to Declutter Your Workspace and Actually Get Things Done

Key Takeaways

  • A cluttered home office is rarely about lack of space; it's about the space not working for how it's actually used, and that often reflects how the rest of the home is functioning too.

  • Every item competing for your attention creates a constant background hum of unfinished tasks, draining mental energy before you've started any actual work.

  • Start with a completely clear desk surface and only return what you use daily; the rest can be stored further away or removed from the room entirely.

  • Paperwork becomes overwhelming because every piece represents a decision. Set aside dedicated time and sort into action, file, shred or recycle.

  • Cable and technology clutter builds up through "just in case" thinking. If you no longer own the device, the charger can usually go too.

Contents

  1. Why cluttered workspaces feel so draining

  2. Create a workspace that supports your work

  3. Start with the paperwork

  4. The problem with cables, technology and "useful" things

  5. Why home offices get left until last

  6. When it's worth getting support

  7. FAQs

Working from home has lots of advantages, but it also creates a challenge that people do not always expect or think about. Unlike a traditional office, a home office often has to share space with the rest of your home and life. It is not only a place for work, but it sometimes becomes the dumping ground for household paperwork, deliveries, charging cables, children's school forms, printer ink and all the other things that seem to appear without anybody consciously putting them there.

By the time many people contact me, their home office is no longer functioning as a workspace, and it has gradually become a storage area/dumping ground for everything that does not have a clear home elsewhere. It's rarely down to a lack of space, but more often, the space simply is not working for the way it is being used. And that's not just the office space, it's the rest of the home that is contributing. If things are finding their way onto your desk it means that there isn't a home for all the other things that are accumulating. So, whilst your office is the bit you call me about, the problem has to be looked at holistically, in order for any solutions to work.

Why cluttered workspaces feel so draining

People often assume a cluttered desk is simply an aesthetic problem, but it goes much deeper than that. Every item in your line of sight is competing for your attention, whether you realise it or not so whether that's the pile of paperwork you have not dealt with yet, the notebook you keep meaning to organise, the charger that belongs to something you no longer own, or the stack of documents waiting for a decision. Individually, none of these things seem particularly important but together, they create a constant background hum of unfinished tasks. That can make it harder to focus, harder to relax and harder to know where to start. Not only haven't you got the physical space, you haven't got the mental space either.

For people who are neurodivergent, managing ADHD, executive dysfunction or perimenopause brain fog, the impact can be even greater because there is already a lot of mental energy being spent on simply staying organised and focused throughout the day.

For me, being autistic, I find not having a clear desk as well as having the things I need around me to make work easy draining. I need to know exactly where everything is, so that I can reach it easily. My notes are especially challenging. I have huge memory problems due to my neurodivergence and I rely on notes to replace the memory capability I am missing. If I can't find my notebook, I literally cannot find my brain! This is one of the reasons I have built an array of strategies designed to offset that, from the physical to the digital. But first..

Create a workspace that supports your work

One of the biggest mistakes people make when organising a home office is trying to fit everything into the space rather than prioritising the things they actually use. I usually encourage clients to start with a completely clear desk surface and then only return the items they need on a daily basis... It will soon become clear what is in regular use, so that needs to be easy to reach, the things you use occasionally can be stored nearby and the things you rarely use probably do not need to be taking up valuable space in your office at all. That said, everyone is different, I like to know that everything is within arm's reach, but I also have the space in an dedicated office to do that, for you that may not be possible. All things office, stationery and office adjacent are in my office and that's the way I like it.

Start with the paperwork

If there is one thing that causes people more frustration in their offices than almost anything else, it is paperwork. One letter arrives and gets left on the desk, potentially unopened, and another arrives the following week, then before long there are piles forming, and nobody is entirely sure what is important, what has already been dealt with and what still needs attention. The reason paperwork becomes overwhelming is because every piece of paper represents a decision

Do I need to keep this? Do I need to action it? Can I recycle it? Where should it live?

When people are busy, those decisions get postponed, and eventually they build up into a pile that feels far bigger than it actually is. So rather than trying to tackle paperwork little and often, many people find it easier to set aside a dedicated block of time and deal with it in one go. A simple approach is usually best, something like action, file, shred or recycle as most paperwork fits into one of those categories. If you haven't got a shredder, a confidentiality / privacy stamp works wonders.

Weekly is optimal for managing your incoming post. Anything longer and you risk missing deadlines, fines that need paying, renewals etc. Plus, it needs to be frictionless. If you can manage doing everything but hate the filing, it might be that your filing box is not serving you. For example, I absolutely hate those expanding folders which are like an envelope. In theory they are great, but the act of opening it up and having to battle the flap whilst simultaneously trying to find the correct section from the miniscule tab and avoid your piece of paper getting crumpled beyond recognition is just a pain in the arse. I love an expanding folder, but you can get ones without the flap, that stand up, unlike the other version and you can clearly see each section and pop your paperwork in easily. They are an absolute game changer.

The problem with cables, technology and "useful" things

Every home office seems to have a collection of cables, chargers and bits of technology that nobody is entirely sure about, and most of us have that drawer somewhere containing mystery leads for devices that disappeared years ago. I wonder how many times round the world those spare cables would go.

Technology clutter tends to build up because people worry they might need it one day and sometimes they will but most of the time they will not. If you no longer own the device, it is usually safe to let the charger go too. Another reason, is that most technology is now standardised, everything is moving to USB C and every bit of tech arrives in the home with another, usually low quality USB C cable. When a new bit of tech comes in the house, look at the cable, is it better quality than an identical one you already have, if not, it goes. If it is better quality, or a better length, then it can stay, but another one has to go to make way for the new one coming in. I have two of those cable tidy boxes. One handles my USB C, minis and iPhone cables, the other holds the HDMI, USB hubs etc. Two small boxes with about 8 sections in each. I still have cables around the home, obviously, e.g. ones by my armchair to charge my laptop and phone, and by my bed to charge overnight, but apart from those, all my cables fit into those two small boxes.

Why home offices get left until last

One thing I have noticed over the years is that people are often surprisingly reluctant to ask for help with their home office.

Kitchens, wardrobes and playrooms tend to get prioritised because they affect the whole family, but the office sits in the background, becoming more cluttered and more frustrating over time. Yet for many people, particularly those who work from home, it is one of the most important rooms in the house.

When your workspace functions well, everything feels easier... You can find what you need, focus on your work and finish the day without feeling surrounded by unfinished tasks.

When it is worth getting support

Sometimes the challenge is not knowing what to do, but it's finding the time, energy or motivation to do it. If you are organising where you work from home, you won't be actually working from home. But short term pain, means long-term gain in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, as well as work-life balance.

There is no expectation that your office should look a certain way before I arrive. My role is simply to help you create practical systems that make life easier.

If your home office is making work feel harder than it needs to be, a discovery call is a good place to start. It is simply a conversation about what is not working, what you would like to achieve and whether I am the right person to help. No pressure, no obligation and absolutely no judgement.

FAQs

How long does it take to organise a home office? For most home offices, a single four-hour session is enough to clear the backlog and set up working systems. Larger spaces or several years of accumulated paperwork may need a follow-up session.

What should I do with old paperwork I'm not sure about? If you're unsure whether to keep a document, current HMRC guidance sets out how long to retain financial records. Most personal paperwork has a clear retention period, after which it can be safely shredded.

Can virtual sessions help with a home office? Yes. A home office is one of the spaces that works particularly well for virtual sessions, since much of the work involves talking through systems and decisions rather than physical lifting.

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