Desk Organization Ideas
Datetime:2015-04-21 Hits:
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re sitting at a desk. And if you’re sitting at a desk now, there’s a good chance you spend many of your waking hours there. If so, it’s important to keep your desk organized. You’ll increase your productivity and feel less stressed (even when you’re completely stressed.)
1. The right amount of space.
Make sure there’s enough space on your desk to fit everything that needs to be there. I’m all for smaller beds, dinner plates, and apartments, but as adorable as tiny desks can be, a work space is the one area where it really helps to go big if you can.
2. Think ergonomically.
Use your desk itself as an organizer by choosing a model with drawers and/or shelves built in. Make sure that they’re easy to open and close, and comfortable to reach.
3. Make everything easy to reach.
Alternately, use the space under a bare-bones desk for small shelving units or boxes. Think about what you need, container-wise, and then figure out how to fit those containers under your desktop. If you have to store power cords and camera equipment, plastic tubs might be best. If you rely on old-school hanging files, maybe file cabinets can be used as the “legs” of your desk, or portable file boxes can be stashed underneath.
4. Figure out what you need and then look for a box to put it in, never work the other way around.
Use numerous small containers, not a single massive one, to hold office supplies on your desktop.
Those huge all-purpose organizers with little spaces for everything look like perfect problem solvers, but they rarely work out that way. Customize your own system with multiple small containers in shapes and sizes that work for you. For example, if you need large quantities of paper clips, get one large plastic box or cup to hold them all. If you only use a few pens, there’s no need to have a bulky, mostly empty pen-holder taking up space. A small organizer for letters, separate from a larger one for file folders, helps sort papers on your desk.
5. Sometimes desk organization goes beyond your desk itself.
If you frequently use reference books or appliances that don’t fit on your desk, figure out the easiest way to keep them nearby. A stack of books on the floor can look surprisingly polished, and be kept at arms’ reach from your seat. Maybe it works for your space to add another small piece of furniture near your desk that can hold a printer or scanner. If your office came with built-in bookshelves or some other feature, think about whether that can be used as an extension of your desk.
