5 Tips for Organizing Your Desk With the Right Office Supplies

Organizing your drawers is essential for keeping your workspace tidy. Start by sorting the contents and removing old planners, unused notebooks, and other unnecessary supplies. Once you have a clear desk, keep items used daily on the desktop and store other supplies in nearby desk drawers or storage shelves.

Drawer Dividers

If you’re struggling to keep your desk drawers in check, try dividers that fit right inside. These handy solutions from an office supplies retailer like https://www.retailmenot.com/view/officedepot.com create a custom layout for your office supplies and make it easy to find precisely what you need in minutes. Look for ones made from transparent acrylic or durable materials like bamboo. Alternatively, consider repurposing affordable organizers you may already have. Muffin trays, jewelry box dividers, and even cookie trays can all work as long as they’re the right size for the items you’re storing. Once your drawer dividers are in place, organize the items by type—like placing pens and pencils together, paper clips with pushpins, etc. You can also add labels to these containers for more organization. The great thing is labels are a reusable solution that can be moved and changed around as needed. A quality label maker is an excellent investment in organizing your desk.

Stow Your Electronics

Keeping essential items within reach is important whether you work from home or in the office. This includes writing utensils, notebooks, communication devices, and digital accessories. Also, keeping supplies like pens, pencils, and paperclips in easy reach helps prevent repetitive movements that can lead to shoulder or neck pain. Rather than stacking all of your things on the desk, find permanent storage solutions for them. Store excess office supplies in a supply closet and files you touch only rarely in a filing cabinet or box. The same goes for your personal belongings, snacks, and coffee mugs. Choose containers that fit your style and the items you’re storing. For example, clear organizers allow you to see exactly what’s inside to quickly access the things you use most frequently. Or, try a metal crate or coffee can to separate small supplies, like extra Post-Its and rubber bands. For more oversized items, such as spare charging cables, a cord box makes it easy to organize and conceal them. And don’t forget to label everything!

Label Everything

Having a messy workspace can be distracting and hinder your productivity. To avoid this, organize your desk with the right office supplies that keep your space clean and organized. Keep things at arm’s reach, but consider putting away things you don’t use often. This way, you’ll be able to focus on the tasks. Labeling everything is one of the best ways to keep your desk organized. This will help you find things faster and prevent wasting time searching for the necessary supplies. For example, use adhesive paper to label your cords, so you know which charger belongs to your phone and which charger is for your laptop. Another great thing about this step is that you can collect the pens, pencils, and paper clips scattered across your desk. Once you’ve collected all the items on your desk, sort them into piles that make sense. You may want to sort them by project or by correspondence.

Hang Your Supplies

Use vertical wall space with hangable office supplies if you have a shared workspace or are limited on desk space. Hanging a pegboard provides customizable storage for pens, pencils, and other small items. You can also organize transparent jars, so you know what you’re running low on at a glance. For those who use a desk calendar, consider hanging it on the wall for easy access and clear visibility. Alternatively, move your paper calendar to a virtual online version to free up space on your desktop. Keep the supplies you use daily within reach, such as pens and notebooks, along with your computer charging station and a microfiber cloth for cleaning your monitor. Store other supplies you use weekly or monthly in desk drawers or on shelves and things you use occasionally, such as scissors or extra Post-It notes, off your desk altogether. Keeping these items close at hand will save you the time it takes to search for them on a messy desk. If you spend an hour or more a day hunting for an item, it’s time to revamp your workstation.

Don’t Forget the Under-Desk Space

Unless you’re the type to clear your desk every time you get new work, you will have to keep some physical papers around. When that happens, the easiest way to prevent them from cluttering up your desktop is with a small-scale cabinet. These can fit under your desk to stow files, preventing them from taking up space on your desktop. Alternatively, consider a rolling tiered cart with organizers on the shelves. These can be a great addition to any desk and often need to be clearer visually. They are also a lot more affordable than a full-scale filing cabinet. Remember, if you’re going to use the under-desk area, it is essential that everything in there is labeled. Otherwise, it will be easy to put something in the wrong place and forget where you put it later. That will only make things more difficult when finding that elusive paper clip or sticky note. Getting up even just to search for something can disrupt your flow and take you away from the task at hand.