How To Organize An Office Desk

If you are looking for some great ways how to organize an office desk get ready for a list that is pretty amazing. Use any of these tips for your home office organization list and fix your messy office once and for all.  

how to organize an office desk (2) (1)

You know the saying: a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind. If you want to be productive in your office, you need to organize your desk. But this can be a tall order since you may not have any idea as to where to start. Then there’s the overwhelm of deciding what is the best way to organize it. What containers work where and how do I set them up? So many things to consider and that might be the reason why you have not be able to do it yet. Today we are going to fix all of that get you a desk you love to use.

Click here to subscribe

How To Organize An Office Desk

Use what you have now.

Working from home can be a challenge especially when the office supplies are not organized. Having items thrown in the drawer results in wasting time constantly moving things around just to find a pen. So, how do you organize a drawer in a desk? One way is to use things that are around the house already and nowhere is this done better than a muffin tin pan. Use each container to hold those tiny supplies that get used often. Things like paper clips, staples, pencil erasers, and push pins. You can use cupcake liners so you can lift the supplies out and take them to where you need them more easily.

The best part is they stay in one place when opening and closing the drawer.

An image that shows a muffin tray in a desk drawer that organizes a desk drawer. It holds sticky notes, paper clips, staple remover,  sharpener, and more.
Source: declutterinminutes.com

If a muffin tin is something that doesn’t fit into your drawer, keep looking. A silverware drawer organizer is perfect for pens and pencils and other longer office items. I really love this idea because it can hold so much in a very organized way.

Image that shows a utensil organizer that organizes pencils, pens, business cards, and staples.
Source: Craftivitydesigns.com

I love to recycle things for organizers, as I always say…be sure to shop your home first. I have a lot of pens and pencils for my job and that means I need a big organizer to keep them all sorted out. Luckily I had this carousel in my craft room that I no longer needed and it works perfectly on my desk.

spinning pen and pencil desk top organizer

Source: DeclutterinMinutes.com

Custom-made organizers.

Using items around the house may not be something that is available or may not fit the desk drawer as you would like, in these instances, a custom-made drawer divider is a perfect solution. When this is the case there is an advantage because now you can get exactly what you need to keep everything separate as you like them.

Image that shows wooden dividers made for a desk drawer to organize pens, pencils, markers, and erasers.
Source: Artsprettyplants.com

You can also use plastic dividers for the same result. These plastic dividers are easy to cut with a pair of scissors allowing you to make your desk drawer very customizable. It gives the opportunity to design the space and divide it strategically so it will comfortably hold the exact supplies you have in your drawer.

Image that shows custom-made plastic dividers for pencils, and pencil crayons.
Source: Organizedmom.net

Use containers.

Clear plastic containers from the dollar store can be used in even a thin drawer. Picking up different size containers and arranging them in desk drawers can help organize scissors, pens, sticky notes, and more. These organizers are great because you can use them in a shallow drawer, a deep drawer, or even on top of your desk for those supplies you use routinely throughout the day.

Image that shows different size clear plastic trays to sort sticky notes, scissors, and paint brushes
Source: Confessionsofanover-workedmom.com

I love this simple desktop organizer because I find it perfect to hold a sampling of supplies I tend to use often throughout the day. This keeps me from having to dig in drawers looking for supplies as I always have options at the ready.

desk top office supply organizer filled with supplies

DIY ideas.

This is exactly what I used in my own desk drawers for years, why? Because it worked. Shallow lids covered in contact paper, duct tape, or scrapbook paper will help to reinforce them so they last. Keri does an amazing job showing how to custom-make these boxes for any drawer in your desk drawers.

An image that shows custom made drawer boxes made from scrapbook paper. One box hold sharpie markers.
Source: Kenarry.com

Another item that we tend to have so many of is misc electronics. Earbuds, phone chargers, or printer cable wires are oftentimes stored in a bulky mess getting tangled or lost altogether. Sonja and Jane offer an amazing DIY solution to this. Get a step-by-step walkthrough on how to make this awesome leather cord organizer. Use them to wrap around cords and other electronic supplies and store them in an organizer listed above inside of your desk drawer.

Image that shows cell phone cord that is wrapped with a leather band.
Source: Sustainmycrafthabit.com

Mix and Match

The good news is when organizing there are no rules. If it makes sense to you then it is a good solution. I used a mixture of organizers for a long time and it worked really well. Things I had in my home that fit my shallow drawer and held just about anything.

office supply drawer filled with bins and containers

Organizing papers.

Writing supplies are not the only items that get disorganized in an office desk drawer. Paper clutter is something that can get out of control as well. One way to control the paper clutter is to get different colored hanging folders. Color coding different categories really you to quickly find what you need. Using colors makes it easy to remember which main category papers are filed under.

An image that shows a desk drawer used to organize paper using different color folders.
Source: Organizedmom.org

For our paper files, I prefer to have everything left-aligned, for me I find it easier to find the files without wasting time searching through what I have.

hanging files in a drawer for household papers

Source: DeclutterinMinutes.com

So, these are just a few ideas to get you started on your quest for the perfect office desk organization. I love these simple DIY office drawer organizers and I know they will help you be more productive and create an office you love to work in. Use them to organize an office desk so you can love another space in your home.

Do you have any favorite tips or tricks for organizing your desk? Share them with us in the comments below!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *