A cluttered and unorganized workspace is problematic for several reasons: they are uninviting to clients, are not conducive to productivity, and are difficult to keep clean. One particular workspace accessory, an under desk organizer, can help you expand your office footprint but organize your workspace as well. On your desktop, an inclined file organizer is a great option but sometimes you just run out of room on the desktop.
If you care about how to organize desk items in what may be a cluttered office environment you’ve come to the right place!
Our work areas today – whether at home or in a corporate environment—are places where compact is preferred to bulky and where much of what we need to do our work can be tucked away neatly and kept out of sight. Clearing out our office desk drawers can make a big difference in productivity and incorporating an under desk drawer can add space you never thought you had.
If you’ve long admired a colleague’s space (the one with the ambient lighting and mostly clear desk and shelves except for maybe a succulent and a few well-placed accessories) and think this is simply out of reach for you, think again. With some strategic reorganizing, your office can be transformed into the kind you have always envied. A wall desk organizer can also add some much-needed space to your office real estate.
Read on to learn more about how to transform your space to eliminate clutter with under desk organizers.
Prep Your Work Space for an Under Desk Organizer: Five Things to Know
Transforming your office into a sleek and minimalist space is possible with the use of under desk organizers and some other tips and tricks we have outlined below.
1. Say Goodbye to the Excess
The first step in revamping your desk and workspace involves getting rid of whatever you do not need and cleaning out the clutter. You might have 27 pens nestled in an old coffee mug, but there are only two you use consistently.
Personal touches like family pictures are always nice, but perhaps it is time to scale back if you have eight of them taking up valuable space (or collecting dust on a desk that desperately needs to be cleaned!)
Grab a few empty boxes or bags and label them “keep, toss, and donate,” then take inventory of what you really use and need to do your job. Once you have pared down the excess items from your space, it will be easier to visualize a desk and workspace you can redesign.
2. Divide and Conquer: The Over and the Under
As you begin to think about reorganizing your workspace with an under desk organizer, separate your needed items into “over” and “under” categories. Sizing will sometimes dictate what can go in each category.
For example, it is easy enough to place pens and pencils in an under desk organizer, but larger tools may need to be placed on the desk or nearby shelves. Think about what you use on a daily basis and keep those items within reach, but consider placing other items you use only occasionally elsewhere (such as in a filing cabinet or on a bookshelf).
While categorizing your tools, you might also consider replacing some that will remain visible. Today’s desk accessories come in eye-catching finishes that can add a little “wow” to your workspace.
For example, you might keep only a few items on your desk that all have the same finish for uniformity. A clear acrylic pen caddy, tape dispenser, and sticky note cube nestled together will look organized and fashionable to boot.
You could also try out accessories in a gold finish for an elevated and sophisticated look in your office. A Post-it Desktop Organizer is another great small footprint desktop accessory that will allow you to keep many small items in one place.
3. Make a Plan for the Cables
Nothing makes a space look as junky as a bunch of tangled-up cables running off your desk, so while you are clearing out and cleaning out, consider how you might hide these.
Cable organizers come in many varieties to keep these out of view, from cord concealers to cable management boxes. Cable clutter can be conquered with some strategic planning, and this can have a big impact when it comes to creating a minimalist aesthetic in an office. (It can do the same for your living room, too!)
Novel cord management ideas are endless if you just search for them. Cord clips, cord, organizers, Velcro straps, cable wraps, and even cable management sleeves are available in the marketplace.
4. File Cabinets: Why We Still Need Them
While some offices seem to have thrown file cabinets by the wayside in favor of digitizing everything, most businesses still need some paper files from time to time. And a simple file cabinet under one size of your desk also gives you a place to stash items away quickly for a client visit.
You could use one drawer for traditional files and one as a place to store everything from your lunch bag to your gym shoes (be careful to consider odor if you do!)
Be sure you choose a two-drawer cabinet on wheels so you can pull it out from under the desk to other areas of your office if needed. Consider a drawer organizer for smaller drawers as well.
5. Ergonomics: It’s Not Just a Buzz Word
While you are removing the clutter and reorganizing your home or office workspace, be sure you consider how your design choices will affect you physically. For example, an under desk organizer or keyboard tray should never be placed in a way that will negatively affect your posture at your office desk space.
You also want to be sure your swivel chair and desk heights are appropriate for ideal posture to eliminate back and neck problems as you work. Your desk storage should not crowd the space to the point that you cannot sit comfortably.
Here is a personal story about how ergonomics actually cured shoulder and neck pain.
5 Top Picks for Under Desk Organizers and Office Accessories
1. Anything Keeper
The name says it all. This handy shelf can be mounted underneath your workspace to hold absolutely anything, from extra pencils to your cell phone to scissors ad sticky notes, and more.
The Anything Keeper is compact enough to stay out of the way at 11x10x2.5 inches and big enough to make an impact by allowing you a space to stash small items out of view.
Both lightweight and durable, this basket is made out of steel and comes with an easy-to-use adhesive and screw mounting system. It can take the place of a desk drawer if you are using a table instead of a desk, too.
2. Safco Products Under Desk Organizer
If you are cautious of any desk accessory that requires installation, this is the product for you. Nothing could be easier to use than this Safco under desk hanging organizer!
No assembly is required, and once you slide the organizer onto your office desk or table, you can adjust rubber-headed tightening screws to keep it in place. This clever storage unit keeps files and other materials out of sight but easy to reach throughout the workday. Five compartments give you plenty of options for organizing your files.
Another really cool hanger that affixes to the underside of your desk is a 6am Lifestyle Headphone Hanger which allows your headphones to always be available hanging just beneath your desktop.
3. ErGear Keyboard Tray
For those who use a desktop computer with a keyboard, these under desk trays can free up space in a big way. ErGear’s model is easy to clamp onto your desk surface and is positioned in a way that reduces strain while typing, making it a great ergonomic choice as well as a tool to cut down on desk clutter.
Speaking of ergonomics, this article – Office Ergonomics 101 – Staying Healthy in the Office, will give you the basics of utilizing the science of ergonomics to help keep you healthy in your workspace.
4. VASAGLE Rolling File Cabinet
Forget the basic black metal file cabinet: this model from VASAGLE looks more like furniture, with its three distinctive finish options. You can certainly wheel this under your desk space to keep it out of the way, but it is also attractive enough that you might want to keep it in view, placing it next to your client seating.
An open shelf provides a great space for you to keep important files handy during a meeting, and the small upper drawer is a great space for pens, pencils, paper clips, scissors, and more. The large bottom drawer provides plenty of storage for traditional files.
5. TOLONAG Small Printer Table
Printers can also take up entirely too much workspace, and an under desk table is the perfect way to keep it out of the way but also easy to reach. This stylish table is also suitable for placing at the end of a desk if you have already used up most of your space underneath. An added bonus is the bottom shelf holds your extra paper, so you have a storage solution there, too.
Here is a detailed review of another printer stand with storage that could easily be utilized as an under desk organizer in your workspace.
Much of what you need during the workday can be tucked away in easy-to-reach storage spaces or rolling carts so that your desk remains clutter-free. By eliminating the distractions that stifle your creativity and slow you down, your next big idea might just have room to blossom!
