15 Office Organization Ideas to Make Your Workspace More Functional
Practical tips to keep your supplies, papers, and cords under control.
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If there's one space where you should feel free to think, it's your office. But what happens when your desk is cluttered with old papers, half-written lists, and supplies galore? Exactly. No matter if your most productive space is in your home office, cubicle at your 9 to 5, or a table you've transformed into a makeshift desk, follow these office organization ideas to focus on what's most important: getting to work. Some are minor tweaks (storing important papers in decorative boxes) and others are larger overhauls (nailing a pegboard to the wall), but all of these organizing tips and tricks will help you tackle your next big project without stressing about your office space itself. Plus, it doesn't hurt that all of these ultra-chic DIYs will make it your happy place — even if work's involved.
Keep Inspiration in Eyesight
Hang a decorative pin board over your workspace to keep papers and mementos tidy while in clear view. Scatter a few pictures, postcards, or love notes to remind you what really matters while you work.
Hide Supplies in Pretty Boxes
Stash your papers, notes, and supplies in stylish stackable containers. They're perfect for potential eyesores like charging cords and gadget manuals, too.
RELATED: Easy Ways to Organize Your Desk
Hang a Shelf
Installing a small, simple shelf over your desk can keep your work space orderly and attractive. Plus, if you're working in a small space, a shelf effectively adds surface area to hold storage baskets, picture frames, and other decor.
RELATED: Great Ways to Spice Up Your Cubicle
Paint a Chalkboard Wall
Stay organized with a chalkboard wall that you can use to write your calendar, to-do list, inspiring quotes, or whatever else motivates you.
Move the Desk off the Wall
The logic is simple: If you make your desk a focal point in the room, you'll be more inclined to keep it neat and tidy. All the while, you'll gain more work space with access from all directions.
DIY Your Own Vision Board
Combine fashion and function by turning an old crib spring (chicken wire and fireplace screens work too!) into a statement catchall for notes, cards, calendars, and other treasures.
RELATED: DIY Wall Decor Ideas for Any Room
Keep Storage Closed
If you’re prone to hanging on to, well, everything, or your work requires a bunch of supplies that can look untidy, opt for closed shelving options, including this vintage-inspired desk. Just be sure to keep the main workspace clear of added clutter.
Organize Papers by Color
Tackle your never-ending pile of paperwork by dividing it into color-coordinated groups of folders. That way you can find important papers by just glancing toward the right color.
Customize Wall Storage
Create a custom modular wall storage solution that works for your business needs. The rest is up to you: Fill it with a combination of bins, files, clipboards, and rods to tame your must-haves.
RELATED: Simple Ways to Decorate Your Office
Tell a Color Story
If your office doubles as a craft closet, take advantage of the rainbow hues of your supplies with a color-coded display. Group supplies — yarn, paint, pens, you name it — by color to add a sense of cohesion and calm to your space.
Tack Notes to Wall Panels
Brilliant for small offices, hang panels in a material that allows you to turn the whole vertical space into a board for push pins. You’ll see everything at a glance, and won’t take up an inch of desk surface.
Conceal Items in Open Shelving
Open shelving, while great and all, can be a recipe for visible mess. Group loose items into boxes with like objects to make them both easier to find, and more attractive on display.
Organize Drawers With Dividers
Don't let your desk become a giant junk drawer: Group like items in divided organizers, so you can always find what you’re looking for with ease.
Hang a Pegboard Wall
Few wall treatments have more functionality than a pegboard. Use it to hang shelves, decor, bins, or anything that sparks creativity. While you're at it, choose one with a geometric design for a pop of style.
Display Collections on Clipboards
Pick up a few decorative clipboards to hang photo strips, to-do lists, or motivational quotes, instantly adding cheer to your cubicle space.
Alesandra is a digital travel and lifestyle journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Insider, Glamour, Shondaland, AFAR, Parents, TODAY, and countless other online and print outlets. Alesandra has a masters degree in journalism with an emphasis on cultural reporting and criticism from NYU, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. An avid traveler, she trots the globe with her husband and their twins.
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