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Desk organization ideas have become essential in today’s new norm of working from home. Staying organized and productive can be challenging if your workspace is a mess. You might struggle to find a particular note or document that you swear was sitting right on your organized desk, but now it’s gone. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. To tackle this, we have some creative and efficient strategies for organizing your home office desk. Our suggestions include various DIY hacks and specific organizational products that will transform your workspace into a model of efficiency and productivity.
How Can I Make My Desk More Organized?
1. Start by getting rid of clutter.
Go through all the items on your desk and decide which ones you absolutely need to keep, and discard or store what isn’t necessary. It can also help to have designated spots for different items on your desk, like a tray for incoming documents, drawers for office supplies, or folders for papers you need to refer to often.
2. Organizational Tools
If your desk is still looking cluttered after purging excess items, consider investing in some organizational tools. Consider buying trays, shelves, and bins that can be used to organize items, such as desktop organizers, file folders and drawer dividers. You can also use accessories like pencil holders and desk organizers to keep the small items on your desk neat and tidy.
3. Create A Filing System
Another way to organize your desk is to create an efficient filing system. Having a designated place for each type of document makes it easier to keep track of documents, and also makes it easier to find items when you need them. Invest in file cabinets or desk organizers with file folders that you can use to store important documents, such as invoices, bills and contracts.
4. Clean It
Finally, take the time to clean your desk regularly. Dusting and wiping down your desk frequently will help keep it looking neat and organized. Additionally, getting rid of loose paper or other items that have accumulated on your desk can also make a big difference in how tidy it looks.
20 WFH Desk Organization Ideas
Clipboard It
Clipboards are indeed meant to be hung up. They have that little hole there just for that purpose.
Any time you can hang something up, it is a good thing for your desk organization. It means papers are up off your desk. Or your calendar.
Or even, in this case, your scissors, pens and post its. That’s what makes your desk tidy! You can get all the details on this desk organization idea on Tater Tots and Jello.
Master the Art of Cart Storage
First up, we have a practical and movable storage solution: rolling carts. A rolling cart is a multi-tiered, mobile storage unit perfect for creating extra storage space. You can use it to store your writing utensils, sticky notes, and other office supplies. They come in various sizes, perfect for different work-from-home spaces.
Corral The Cords
I’m going to be honest with you. I started with that pretty picture of the clipboards because I thought if I started with this cord organization trick you might think this was going to be a boring post.
There is nothing boring about cord organization, ok? You don’t know how many times my foot has gotten wrapped in my cell phone cord or my microphone cord or my laptop cord as I was getting up to leave the office. I don’t just trip, I take the whole cell or microphone with me!
You can find all of the details on this method of cord organization at One Crazy House.
More Shelving Please
Shelving is a lifesaver when it comes to conserving desk surface area. Install shelves above your workspace to keep items like books, decorative objects, and baskets off your desk but within reach. They also provide room for extra storage space.
Container Store’s Desktop Organizer
The Container Store offers various desktop organizers designed to maximize productivity. These tools help keep your workspace tidy, allowing you to focus on your to-dos. The best part? You can customize them to suit your needs.
Tackle The Little Clutter
If your desk is home to tiny clutter like paper clips and binder clips and elastics and other little bitty things, then a little tackle box might be just what you need.
It will wrangle all of those little bits and it closes so you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping it spilling thumbtacks all over the floor.
Magic No Wire Desk
I’m back on the wires again. And this isn’t even the last time I’m going to talk about cords. That’s how important cord management is to me.
But, not if you can whip up this magical cord-hiding hiding trick. I mean, you can’t even see a single cord! How are they doing this?
It’s amazing, right? You can find the details on this magic cord hack on Jak and Jill.
Home Office Desk Labels
It’s easy to forget what’s where in your workspace. Enter labels. By labeling your storage caddies, drawer organizers, or magazine holders, you ensure everything is easy to find. This simple hack will save you time and reduce frustration.
A Pegboard
It’s all about functionality. Don’t you love the idea of having your phone up off the desk like that? It’s so smart! If you accidentally slosh some coffee all over your desk, you don’t have to worry about it getting on your phone.
You can find the details for how to make your own little pegboard at Love Create Celebrate.
Max Out with Keyboard Trays
A keyboard tray is an underappreciated space saver. By keeping your keyboard beneath your desk, you increase the surface area available for other essential items. It frees you up to implement even more desk storage ideas on this list.
Put It In a Pan
If you have nice deep drawers in your desk, then that is awesome for you. The only problem with deep desk drawers is that if you aren’t careful they will quickly become an abyss of junk. Just like that oversized purse of yours.
But, you probably didn’t think about using mini loaf pans to organize all the stuff you’re going to throw in that drawer! It’s brilliant. You can fit them in and even stack them!
Desk Lamp: Functional Decoration
A desk lamp is not just a source of light; it can also be multipurpose. Choose a lamp that complements your décor while providing ample lighting for your workspace. But, what I think is even more important is getting a lamp that has a wireless phone charger built-in. One less thing to have on your desk.
Labeled Power Strip
I’m back on the cords. I might be at my highest level of annoyance anytime I have to go underneath my desk to mess around with electronics.
If I’m under there it’s because something is probably not working the way I want it to and I have to futz around with the cords figuring out what goes with what.
I won’t have to though once I’ve washi-tape-labeled all my cords. You can find all of the details for this helpful DIY on The Chic Site.
Make Your Own Pen Holders
For a simple DIY project, turn mason jars into pen holders. They’re a charming, eco-friendly alternative to traditional pen holders. Plus, they make your writing utensils easily accessible.
Handy Baskets and Magazine Holders
Utilize baskets for storing larger items like notepads and files. Magazine holders are also great for storing notebooks or important documents vertically, helping you use your space more effectively.
A Stand Up To Do List
This little DIY to-do list is perfect. If I write my list down on paper, forget it, it’s gone in 3 seconds. If it’s in a notebook, then I have to flip pages and that’s annoying.
You can find the details for making the to-dos list on Little Birdie Secrets.
Charger Organization With Binder Clips
Last desk cord organization idea, I promise. I could have written a whole article just on cord organization, I think. But, one of the most annoying things is that they are always flopping off the desk onto the floor. It’s so annoying, right? The so simple solution using binder clips will keep you organized and un-annoyed. You can find the details for this DIY on Every Day Dishes.
Cheap Drawer Dividers
Do you want to divide your drawers without spending a fortune at a ritzy organizing store? You totally can with some DIY cardstock drawer dividers.
Imagine needing a crappy elastic and being able to reach into your drawer and just grab it without having to sift through a thousand other things, some of which are sharp little tacks. You can find the whole tutorial for how to make these drawer dividers on The Crafting Nook.
Use A Desk Riser
One of the best things you can do for your desk is to get your monitor or laptop up and off the desk surface. First of all, it’s then eye level and better for your posture and neck.
But that’s not all. If you make a little DIY Monitor Stand, you create a cute little cubby underneath the monitor that you can also organize.
And you’ll have plenty of room for your keyboard and mouse. You can find the tutorial for this at The Interior Frugalista.
The Obligatory Ikea Desk Hack
Of course, Ikea is going to have a beautiful little perfectly organized desk to drool at.
I don’t know if any of these are really hacks, but that’s a desk I could do some WORK at. Right?
The surface of the desk is almost completely clear, but there’s plenty of vertical space for storage so that everything you need is right nearby.
How do I organize my work from home desk?
There are many ways to organize your home office desk. Here are some tips that might help you:
- Install a spacious corner desk to make the most of your space.
- Build in multipurpose lighting.
- Go high with a desk organizer shelf to maximize vertical space.
- Wall mount your monitor to free up desk space.
- Invest in home office desk accessories and desk organization products.
How can I maximize my desk space?
Here are some tips that might help you maximize your desk space
• Go full digital by moving from analog to digital to reduce clutter.
• Get rid of stuff that you don’t need or use.
• Add a clean desk policy to keep your desk tidy.
• Look above and below your desk and use any available space for desk storage.
• Create some cord control to keep wires and cables organized.
You can also try reducing clutter by throwing away trash and unneeded items, deciding what needs to stay on your desktop and what doesn’t, and downsizing to more streamlined furnishings.
How do you arrange a small office desk?
• Be selective with displayed items and make use of implements to declutter.
• Get a bookshelf or filing cabinet to store items
• Designate spaces while organizing a desk.
• Utilize inboxes and outboxes to keep track of incoming and outgoing documents.
• Create a space for personal items.
How do you designate spaces when organizing your desk?
Designating spaces while organizing a desk can help you keep your workspace tidy and efficient. Here are some tips that might help you:
• Empty your cabinets and drawers of everything so that you can evaluate what you’ve been storing.
• Be highly selective with the number of items that you display in your office or on your desk.
• Make use of implements such as drawer trays, filing cabinet dividers, an inbox sorter, or a cup to hold pens and pencils to separate items into different categories.
• Identify the items that need to be on top of your desk and limit this collection to as few items as possible. Then designate specific locations for each item.
• Keep the demands of your work in mind while designating spaces for different items. Items that you use often should be within easy reach.