Organizing for Your Next Chapter: Home Office Ideas for Retirees

A lot of what I do as a professional organizer comes down to helping people create a vision for their space or simply bring their current vision to life. Sometimes that looks like setting up a kitchen that functions only for food storage, prep, and company, instead of a drop off zone for mail and toys.  

But what happens when you experience a sudden change in your life that requires you to redefine the purpose of your space? For example, if you have recently retired, you may be considering a new use for your home office! 

Retirement can be one of those life-altering shifts that changes up your routine and encourages a new way to live in your space. It may be time to make your space function differently in this new chapter of your life.

I’ve worked with many clients on their home offices, and even interviewed one of them on my blog here, so I’ve learned a lot about the meaning they hold. But good organizing means being flexible, because no one’s life is ever fully settled for long. Here are my best tips for what to do with your home office after retirement, and perhaps more importantly, what to do with the clutter now that the space isn’t needed in the same way.

How to Prevent Clutter from Building Up

First, know that professional organizers will never be judgmental about your clutter status. It’s our job to help you keep what you want to keep and discard what you want to discard, and it’s all guided by your goals and what you value. 

That being said, I’ve never worked with a client who wants their home office to become a place to dump clutter from other areas of their life. It usually just ends up happening as a response to wanting to avoid clutter piling up in higher-traffic areas where it would be more visible. Mail stacks up here instead of by the entryway; boxes are stored here instead of the hallway; items you want to discard eventually are kept here until you have time to actually get rid of them. 

Tucking clutter away is a good instinct (visual clutter does weigh on us mentally), but in the long run, it doesn’t do us any good to simply stow without making time to confront what we’re hiding. Instead of prolonging the decision to deal with it and making more work for our future selves, we can get on the offensive!

You can move forward with more energy and momentum by sorting through your belongings with a caring professional. Move on to the things you actually want to be doing instead of just coping with how things currently are. 

As Sara Bozich put it in our interview about her home office a few years ago, “It’s undone things that prevent me from doing what I need/want to do.”

Be realistic and get rid of things that you know you will never take care of, or take care of them as soon as possible. This helps build confidence in your ability to follow through on promises to yourself. Don’t be hard on yourself by keeping things around that make you feel unnecessary guilt or stress. Not everything requires your attention or your time. When your space has a clear focus, your mind will, too.

It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your home office yet. It can help to just start decluttering. Throwing out trash and starting a donation bin uncovers more freedom and mental space to imagine the room’s possibilities. Seeing the space cleared out can help you see the space in a new light and help you release the emotions that have built up around your stuff.

If you’re struggling to get rid of things, here are some quick tips to clear out clutter with more ease:

• For papers, ask yourself: Can I find this online (or scan it) instead of keeping the paper copy? If you’re not yet confident in your tech skills, try reaching out to Harmony Tech Allies, a local service that can help teach you the tools you need.

• Take pictures of sentimental items that you no longer want to keep.

• Label where you store things so that you don’t end up adding random things into that space.

You spent a lot of time in this room in the past. What feelings and emotions does it hold now as a result of that dedication? Decluttering this space is a powerful way to reflect on those feelings and memories. 

Make Your Home Office Your Sanctuary

Your home office is unique because it is often your space, where you can be alone and undisturbed for extended periods of time. Although you may not have the same responsibilities in this space anymore, you can still think about this room as serving a similar purpose. Your home office is a place to accomplish a particular task. You can, of course, choose to open this room up to other people now, but that would still ultimately be a decision based on your needs– perhaps the task you want to accomplish is deepening your connection with family. Or maybe you want to maintain your solo space and reserve it for a special hobby.

What kind of space do you want for yourself? What do you need at the current moment? How are your current needs different from your needs before retirement? You have the opportunity to make it into whatever you need it to be. Read some ideas below for inspiration.

Home Office Ideas: Repurpose your space

• Hobby space: for crafts, models, passion projects, volunteering

• Learning space: for reading, writing, taking notes

• Gathering space: a small area to relax with loved ones, a guest bedroom, a room for pets

• Health space: a home gym, a relaxation studio, a plant room

• Intentional storage space: for storing things with a specific purpose, such as heirlooms and seasonal decor, or perhaps a personal “museum” with some of your most sentimental items displayed

In the past, you set up your office in a particular way because you knew how you worked best: with a lot of light or a little, in an open space or a private one, with minimal decor or with an eclectic style. 

Now consider what you like when it comes to whatever new purpose you are going for. Maybe that means swapping out the overhead lights for something more subtle, or adding more artwork to the walls.

Remember, while you may be retired, you are still doing important work!

Your Next Steps

Now that you have a bit of guidance, keep the motivation going by taking action. As you get started, you’ll realize how cathartic it can be to work through your past and show yourself a new future. 

Here are some small steps you can take to start the process:

1. Click here and scroll down to book with me to help transform your space into something new. Let me know what you’re looking for, and we can work together to help fulfill your vision.

2. Click here to get access to my free printable decluttering worksheets, personalized to help you declutter and organize based on your goals. They’ll walk you through prompts, questions, and tiny steps to help with topics like “Envision Your Dream Space,” “Holiday Organizing Checklist,” and “Downsizing and Swedish Death Cleaning.” Click here to get them sent to your email address, and you’ll also get signed up for my bimonthly emails from me with fresh organizing tips (unsubscribe at any time).

If you found any of these tips helpful, be sure to send this post to a friend and let me know! You can always reach me at mara@morespaceorganizing.com, (717) 925-0930, or book here. 

Mara Clements is a professional organizer, small business owner, and mom based in Lancaster, PA. For over 15 years, she has been empowering clients with the tools they need to maintain a simple and peaceful environment wherever they choose to live and work. Mara works alongside you through the decluttering process to organize what matters to you so you can live a life aligned with your values.