10 Life-Changing Desk Drawer Organization Tips

Do you feel like you’re constantly searching for things that you can’t find? Are your desk drawers a mess and full of clutter? If so, it’s time to organize them! In this blog post, we will give you 10 life-changing desk drawer organization tips that will help increase your productivity. We’ll also include some helpful products and office gadgets that will make it easy to make a desk drawer organizer. Follow these tips and see how much more organized and productive you can be!

desk drawer organization ideas

What should be in a desk drawer?

Most home offices have few variations of what types of items should go in their desk drawers, but generally, desk supplies are mostly the same for everyone. Here is a list of what you may need in your desk:

  1. Writing utensils (pens, pencils, mechanical pencils)
  2. Highlighters
  3. Paper clips and binder clips
  4. Binder clips
  5. Scissors
  6. Ruler
  7. Sticky notes and notepads
  8. Tape
  9. Charging cords
  10. Batteries (for your keypad and mouse)
organize your office desk drawers with plastic photo containers
A great solution for organizing office supplies such as paper clips is these plastic containers. However, these plastic containers are big enough for writing utensils.

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HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE A DESK DRAWER WITH A LOT OF STUFF?

There are a few key things to consider when attempting to organize a desk drawer when you have a lot of stuff inside. Sometimes our desk drawer can end up looking like a junk drawer. But it doesn’t have to! Here are a few tips:

  • Relocate items from your desk drawer to another area if it doesn’t belong
  • Use stacking desk organizers to utilize vertical space if you have tall drawers
  • Pare down the clutter by getting rid of items that are broken
  • Assign the top drawer to store the most important items that you need quick access to
  • Tidy your drawers often to keep clutter down (try doing it weekly, it will only take a couple of minutes!)
  • Add storage with different containers that create extra room that you didn’t have before
  • Be vigilant about what types of items you store in your drawers and don’t let stray items make their way into your desk drawer
  • If necessary, use your desktop to organize other items if your top drawer is just too full
desk drawer organization tips

Organizing Tips For Creating a System for Office Supplies

Organizing your desk drawers is a great way to keep your supplies in check and easily accessible. It’s really simple to organize your desk drawers and can often be a quick project! The best part is it is relatively easy to keep organized if you use drawer organizers and put things away where they belong!

Here are some tips for keeping your office supplies organized:

Step 1: Empty Drawers

The first step when you want to organize desk drawers is to empty them out completely. If this sounds overwhelming, you can also choose to organize desk drawers one at a time!

empty and clean out drawers when organizing your desk drawers

Step 2: Wipe out Your Desk Drawers

It’s also essential that you wipe out the drawers and drawer organizers so you can start on a clean slate. If you’re using a new desk drawer organizer, you’ll want a fresh start with a newly cleaned desktop.

STEP 3: SORT LIKE-ITEMS AND CREATE ZONES FOR EASY ACCESS

Lay out your supplies on the ground so you can see everything that you have. Once the drawers are empty, take a few moments to sort and group items into categories. When you sort and match everything, it helps to keep you on track when it comes time to organize desk drawers. Examples of groupings might be paperclips, pens & pencils, Post-it notes, etc.

sort office supplies into groups on the floor

Here are some example ways to sort items into groups:

  • Writing utensils (pens, highlighters, pencils, etc.)
  • Paper clips, binder clips, staples
  • Notepads, sticky notes, divider tabs, adhesive paper flags
  • Washi tape, tape, sticky tack
  • Scissors, Exacto knife, straight paper cutter
  • Printer paper, cardstock, printer ink
  • Electronics, cords, chargers, laptop

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Step 4: Declutter Broken, Unsused, or Surplus Supplies

Now that you have all of the office supplies laid out on the floor, take a look at each item and determine if you really need it or if it’s something that you can get rid of. Remember that having too many items in your desk space makes it harder to keep your desk drawers clean and organized.

desk drawer organization tips

Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself when trying to decide what to keep:

  1. Do I use this often and would I miss it if it was gone?
  2. Do I have many of these particular items? Could it be relocated to a better area of the house?
  3. Is it broken and unusable?

Because office supplies are relatively inexpensive, it can be fun sometimes to go to the store and buy some new office supplies for when you organize your desk. Or if you don’t live close to an office supply store, you can also search online, order something, and get delivery!

organizing your desk drawer

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STEP 5: ORGANIZE YOUR DRAWERS WITH A DESK DRAWER ORGANIZER

Once you have decluttered and sorted your office supply inventory, it’s time to start organizing the drawers. Lay out the desk organizers or plastic boxes in different configurations to see what fits best in your drawers. Reserve the top drawer for office supplies and easy access to items that you use the most.

organize sticky notes and notepads in your desk drawer

Desk organizers come in all shapes and sizes; pick one that best fits your needs. They even have stackable bins to maximize drawer space. You can get clear drawer organizers or get them in colors that blend in with your desk color, like white or black.

In my photos, I used an old container from my kid’s toys. Then I painted it white and added scrapbook paper to the bottom of each section. Sometimes the best organizers are free!

Step 6: Leave Some Empty Space To Keep your Desk Tidy

Because I am an organizer, I have surplus organizing supplies that I need to find space for. I keep small items in my desk drawers and it works well.

Work some empty space into your desk organizer. Your needs will change so it’s always a great idea to create space for items that you don’t own yet. This will help you create a tidy drawer that has room for growth and changes and will allow you to keep other items organized.

Step 7: Add Labels to your Desk Drawers

Adding labels is the best way to easily identify what’s inside each drawer. It will help you quickly find what you need and avoid keeping things in the wrong place…this can be a key step to help you keep your desk drawer organized!

use desk organizers to organize desk drawers

You can use clear adhesive labels, sticky notes, or even use a label maker.

Step 8: Enjoy Your Organized Desk!

The process may be tedious, but now that you’ve put in the hard work to organize your desk drawer, sit back and enjoy the results! You’ll be more productive, and you won’t have to worry about wasting time looking for things that are buried underneath piles of clutter. That’s a win-win in my book!

Take some extra time to appreciate your new organized space and breathe in the feeling of accomplishment. Organizing your drawer can have a dramatic impact on your life… that may sound a bit dramatic but it’s absolutely true. Keeping your drawer tidy not only improves your mood but also saves time and can be a great solution for work overwhelm.

The Best Desk Organizing Solutions

Drawer dividers

Drawer dividers are a great way to keep your desk drawer organized and clutter-free. These divider products come in different sizes and materials. Choose a high-quality storage divider that will last a long time so you don’t have to re-buy.

Stacking drawer dividers

This is the best way to make the most of your office drawers! If you don’t mind lifting up containers to get to the things underneath, this can be a great way to arrange your home drawer.

Desktop pen organizer

Sometimes, you just don’t have enough drawer space, so you need to arrange some of your office supplies (such as pens, notebooks, or sticky notes) on your desktop. This can free up space in your drawers.

Plastic Containers

One of my favorite ways to organize your office drawers is to use plastic containers and store them vertically. This helps keep the clutter under control and keeps your home office neat. This leaves no vertical space to be wasted.

Incorporate Home Office Decor

Sometimes you can really incorporate storage solutions into your desk decor. This is a great way to bring style to your home office and allows you to have the perfect balance between form and function.

Top Drawers are Not Junk Drawers

Many people tend to use the top drawers of their desks as a ‘junk drawer,’ but this is a bad idea. If anything, the top drawer is the one drawer in your home office that you should work hardest to keep clutter-free because it’s the one you reach for the most often.

desk drawer organization tips

Desk Organizers Make Life Easier!

Sort and organize your desk storage with a desk organizer and set yourself up for success! Trust me, you won’t regret the effort.

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