How To Organize Your Office Desk Drawers – Smart and Effective

Do you need to take control of your office desk drawers? This article will give you the steps needed to do so and some popular solutions that can help you get organized.

If yours is the office drawer known as “the place where things go to die”, this is the guide for you! We all know that particular drawer: the one with a zillion rubber bands you may never use again, soy sauce packets from a takeout lunch two years ago, and a charger for a cell phone you no longer own.

This kind of office clutter is both commonplace and an incredible nuisance. “Junk drawers,” as we tend to call them, become complete time wasters as we sift through the rubble looking for that one thing we really need.

The next time you find yourself on a scavenger hunt in your own office desk drawers, ask yourself if the majority of contents could be chucked right into the trash bin. And then pull the plug and do it! Organizing desk drawers is a big step when it comes to the topic of how to organize your desk.

Since actually having a desk with drawers is not what you would find in a collaborative work space office environment, this article is more geared toward an actual personal office space like a home office, office with a door, or even a work cubicle.

How to Organize Office Desk Drawers in 8 Simple Steps

If you are ready to reorganize your workspace, a good old-fashioned clean-out is the best place to start. Keep these tips in mind as you empty out desk drawers and declutter your desk (as well as your work life!)

1. If you keep food-related items in your office desk drawers but have access to a nearby kitchen or break room, move them there. If it is a shared space, put your initials on your items, and toss out expired food products.
2. Limit the number of things you are storing in “bulk” in your desk drawers. An extra pad of sticky notes is fine, but you may not need to keep 10 extra pads in your drawer.
3. Check pens carefully and toss any that are out of ink, missing caps, etc.
4. Consider cutting down on paper files by digitizing as many items as possible. Try a business card scanner app, for example, instead of collecting lots of loose cards in your desk drawer.
5. Take command of your cables and other wires by first tossing any you no longer use, then neatly wrapping the rest with twist-ties. Another option is to use a Blue Key World Cable Management Sleeve to organize your cables. Smart and innovative desk cable management ideas are important if you want to take control of your office organization.
6. Prioritize your drawer space from top to bottom by the items you use the most to the least. If you only have one desk drawer, apply the same method from front to back.
7. How about labeling your office desk drawers like I did using a Brother P-Touch Label Maker? I love mine and use it not only for office drawers but also for file folders in my metal file cabinet.
8. If you inhabit a cubicle for your working life, consider expanding your footprint my investing in shelves for cubicles so that you have a better way to organize your cubicle accessories.

Once you have a clean slate (or at least one that has been tidied considerably), you can rethink drawer organization by using various tools and accessories to make your workday more effective.

Make it a point to “inventory” your drawer system once each week to ensure you have not allowed the clutter to creep back in and you are making the best use of the space.

Friday afternoons would be a great time to do this, so you can always start off on the right foot Monday morning! If it’s not Friday afternoon, target one day a week to clean up your office so that you’ll remain clutter-free.

Also, don’t forget to implement the proper office lighting solutions like a sunlight desk lamp, for example. The proper office lighting not only sets the tone in an office environment as far as office ambient lighting is concerned but it also prevents any type of eye strain you could experience due to improper lighting.

On another more decorative note, introducing office decor with industrial accents may add that little pizzazz you’ve been looking for in your office environment. Now let’s look at some of our picks for furniture accessories with the all-important drawer in mind!

Popular Workspace Office Drawers Accessories

S Stand Up Sliding Drawer

Many offices are making the switch to standing desks, which have been shown to greatly impact a healthy work life and morale. Perhaps the only drawback of the standing desk is lack of storage, but thankfully there are mounted drawers like this one from the S Stand Up Desk Store to solve that problem.

This drawer comes in two sizes and mounts directly to the desk surface, providing a convenient place for you to store small items such as notepads, pens, scissors, and paper clips. Bearing slides ensure the drawer opens and closes smoothly, and the drawer can hold up to 15 pounds.

DEVAISE 7-Compartment Dresser

If you take a stab at an office drawer clean-out and still find that you have many “necessary” items to store, the DEVAISE 7-drawer dresser might be the perfect office accessory for you. This unit can help you stay organized with space for everything from files and notepads to extra cords, batteries, chargers, and more.

This dresser comes in black or white and boasts removable casters, making it especially functional in a home office setting. A sturdy and stylish option for office storage, this unit is easy to assemble and could also be used in other rooms besides your office, such as a crafting room or a kids’ playroom.

IRIS USA Plastic Storage Cart

One of the best ways to get your office desk drawers organized on a budget, the IRIS USA Plastic Storage Cart offers ample storage in three, four, six, seven, and ten-drawer units.

Drawer stops prevent the drawers from falling out, and removable casters make them even more functional in your home office. One of the best features of this cart is the built-in storage tray on top, where you can keep the items you use most often during the day.

COZYWELL Under Surface Organizer Unit

A great way to add storage to the minimalist tabletop desks that are so popular in office furniture today is with the addition of an under desk organizer. These compact drawers from COZYWELL could not be easier to install – just use a hairdryer to warm up the adhesive mount before attaching it to the underside of the desk.

Each COZYWELL drawer can hold six pounds, and these are ideal for stashing a cell phone out of the way, for keeping a calculator or other small tool handy, and for storing extra tape, scissors, or sticky notes at your desk.

Keep in mind the placement of your office chair before you mount the drawers, ensuring they will not be in your way when seated at your desk.

CAXXA Mesh 3-Slot Organizer

You may also need drawer organizers to stay efficient and productive as you work. This desk drawer unit from CAXXA has several handy and sturdy compartments, including an adjustable middle compartment.

SMARTAKE 13-Piece Drawer Organizers

This 13-piece set is an ideal way to create a personalized storage system in your desk drawers. Use these handy containers from SMARTAKE to store various cords, clips, erasers, ink cartridges, and more. The silicone compartments come in clear, black, or brown with nonslip pads on the bottom, ensuring your desk drawer organizational system stays put.

Organizing your Office Desk Drawers and Workspace can add to your Productivity

If you are at all like me, a clean office is a productive office. Not only that but for me an organized workspace will certainly add to my productivity. Here is a great article from one of my readers that I highlight on his workspace organization.

I am always happy when readers utilize some of my suggestions to make their work lives more efficient and organized. He implements a number of cubicle organization ideas that I have highlighted in a number of my articles. One of them is my corner shelf for cubicle that moves items up and off my desktop.

You can Target Home Work Spaces to Organize as Well

With the advent of working from home as a commonplace occurrence these days, it is important that you have an organized working space there as well. Any of the above options can be utilized in a home setting as well even when your office has rugs underfoot.

Apart from my modern desk accessories, I also own a computer office desk, also referred to as an office computer desk. Not all office desks are the same! You should compare the ones that are out there in the marketplace for sale.

My computer desk is built perfectly for my setup and has different levels for my computer screen, keyboard wrist rest, and wireless keyboard. This desk is the focal point of my home working space and certainly allows me to stay organized and always focused to complete my goals.

No working space can be complete unless it has a great lamp. My sunlight desk lamp is a great addition to my home office. In my office cubicle I have an LED metal desk lamp.

Anything that I incorporate into either of my workspaces always is with organization in mind. From my desktop phone stand to my Brother P-Touch label maker, it can never hurt to err on the side of being organized!