Sign up here to get 20% off on your next purchase, special offers and other discount information
An organized work environment has a lot more than just visual appeal. For starters, DIY office organization has been shown to reduce stress. The appearance of clutter signals to your brain that there’s extra work to do. When your brain feels overwhelmed by all this (actual and perceived) work, it triggers a stress response. Organizing your workspace reduces the frequency of that stress response, and gives you a feeling of control.
If you're working from home, organizing your office supplies drawer can make a big difference in your productivity and overall office look. With limited space on your desk, it's important to maximize the room you have while still keeping everything within reach. One of the easiest and most organizational ways to do this is by using a desk organizer or caddy to keep your pens, pencils, paper clips, and business cards in a designated spot. To keep the clutter off your desk, consider using wire baskets or containers to keep smaller items like cables and wires out of sight when not in use. You can also use a shelving unit or floating shelves onto the wall to store your printer or other office storage and organization items. Mason jars and picture frames can also be a creative way to display your supplies and match your interior design. For easy access to your to-do list, consider using a board to keep it at eye level. Architectural Digest suggests using wall space around your desk to stack papers or store larger items like a desk lamp or even a storage and organization system. With the best home office organization ideas and some organizing tips, you can keep your space clean and find what you need when you need it.
If you’re finding yourself putting things everywhere, it’s probably because you need additional storage. Before you go further, buy some filing cabinets, drawers, and organizers, so you have a place to put everything that’s currently in disarray. You can also digitize your documents. Paper documents can stack up quick, and they really don’t have to. Most documents can go digital. Digitize your receipts, bills, invoices, and other miscellaneous sheets of paper. As long as you’re able to store them in an area that will get regularly backed up, it’ll be just as safe as having paper copies. Anything old that you still need can be put into storage. There are some things, like leases or signed contracts, that you really need to have a physical copy of… even if you don’t use it a lot. Box these things up and put them in your attic or garage storage; you aren’t going to be referencing them frequently, so they don’t need to be in your office.
Keeping your desk space organized and clutter-free is crucial for maintaining productivity and creating a clean, organized work space. One of the biggest sources of desk clutter can be cords and cables for your electronic devices. However, there are many desk organization hacks to help remove cord and cable clutter. It's a great way to organize your office space and make your living environment feel more spacious and productive. A simple way to keep cords out of sight is to use a storage solution, like a cable management system, that can store smaller items and wires and cords. You can also stack papers and supplies like pencils and notepads in desk drawers to free up desk space. Another way to organize your desk is to use an office wall, which comes in a variety of styles to match your décor and create extra storage space in your home. By implementing these office organization ideas to make your work space more efficient and tidy, you can keep your desk looking organized and neat while optimizing your productivity in even the smallest of spaces.
Hide the wires - Out of all the work desk organization ideas this one has to be our favorite. With all of the monitors, computer towers, mice, laptops, phones, and chargers that adorn the typical office desk, the number of wires in front of us can quickly get out of hand.
Because reducing visual clutter helps reduce stress, hiding all these messy wires is essential. If your desk doesn’t have a slot to hide them, trying using binder clips to group them together and get them out of sight. Since your desk is going to be the place that you need to maximize productivity, it can be a lifesaver to implement useful tools that have the power to keep every single desk in the office organized, on-brand, and looking polished as well as orderly.
Label Everything - Adding labels to the bins, baskets, and organizers in your home office is important because labeling:
Adding labels to your bins, baskets, and organizers takes a little extra time, but you make up that time by finding things easily, quickly picking up after yourself, and maintaining your organization!
A comfortable ergonomic chair, designed for maximum lumbar support, will help minimize back pain and let you focus. Science backs it up — a 2003 ergonomics study found that employees who were given an ergonomic chair reported fewer negative symptoms throughout the day and a total increase in productivity of 17.7%.
If day after day you’re experiencing back aches from sitting at your desk all day, it’s time for a change. Standing desks are growing in popularity and for good reason! While sitting all day can put you at risk toward diabetes and weight gain, standing does the opposite.
Plants are more than just pretty decorations. Studies show that being around plants is good for your health — they filter the air and their presence is therapeutic. Plants brighten up and add color to otherwise sterile indoor spaces. Plants help us better manage stress and refocus our energy, and psychologists have found that bringing some flora into a workspace can increase productivity by up to 15 percent.
Decluttering your home office is crucial for maintaining productivity and staying focused on your work. The first step to decluttering is to clear off your desktop and organize your office supplies. Having a clutter-free and organized office space can help you focus better on your work and be more productive. To organize your home office, start by sorting through your paperwork and getting rid of any old or unnecessary items. You can also use a filing system to keep important documents organized and within reach. For smaller spaces, consider using vertical storage solutions like wall-mounted shelves or hanging file organizers to make the most of your space. You can also keep your desk organized by using desk trays or drawers to store smaller items like pens, paper clips, and sticky notes. Finally, consider the design of your office space and try to create a clean and organized look by keeping décor to a minimum and choosing furniture that fits the space. By following these steps, you can create an organized and productive home office that will help you work more efficiently and effectively.
It can seem overwhelming to tackle a big job all at once. Separate your office into “sections” and complete one section at a time. You don’t even need to do it all at once; you can organize your desk area one day, and your file cabinets the next. Just make sure you get it all done within a reasonable time frame: otherwise you’ll end up in a situation where only one part of your office is organized at a time!
You don’t want to put your things away in a messy office! Now that you have everything removed from the office and sorted, it’s the perfect time to dust, sweep, and generally clean your surfaces. You’ll feel better when you’re surrounded by fresh air, rather than stacks of random paperwork.
Clutter builds over time. In order to keep it up, you might need to develop some habits moving forward. Always put things back after they’ve been used and take some time to clean up at the end of each day. If you find yourself struggling to store things, invest in more storage options rather than trying to use something. Finally, if you see it getting out of hand, it’s time to schedule another decluttering!