15 Desk Organisation Ideas to Help Keep Your Workspace Tidy & Productive

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many businesses were forced into implementing working from home, allowing us to benefit from flexible hours and a better work-life balance. With many of us now spending some of our working week at home and businesses likely to continue offering this flexibility, it’s important we have a place where we can remain focused. Once you’ve set up your home office and made sure you have plenty of storage space for all your tech and documents, keeping your desk tidy and organised is the key to staying productive while working from home. Walking into your home office first thing on a Monday morning to find the room a mess, with clutter covering your home office desk will leave you feeling unmotivated, that’s why you should start the week right with our smart, simple desk organisation ideas.

Hang shelves over your desk

Often our desk space can be left looking messy because we simply don’t have enough room to put everything, not because we are untidy. Fixing a small shelf above your desk is a perfect place for family pictures, plants or a stationery pot, leaving more space below for what you’re working on throughout the day.

Use a laptop or monitor riser

Another cheap and simple desk organisation idea to increase the space you have at your disposal. Putting your monitor or laptop on a riser will create space below, a place where you can put documents or slide your keyboard under when it’s not in use.

Add a rolling cart to your home office

A rolling cart is a smart idea for how to keep your home office desk tidy, it offers a mobile storage option that can be hidden away when not in use. Load it with clutter or use it for plants and décor, either way, you’ll love the helpful hand it gives freeing up space on your desk.

Avoid taking up space with lights

Investing in lighting for your home office is a cheap and simple solution. Lamps and their wiring can take up space and a plug socket that could be put to better use. LED or spotlights are two options, but the best would be positioning your home office near a window. Natural light brings a whole host of benefits, helping keep morale up and saving on energy.

Build a desk shelf organiser

A desk shelf provides space to put small work tech items or equipment tidily in one place. Whether it’s a Bluetooth speaker or a pencil case, giving it a proper home will help your desk space feel more organised and allow you to focus on what’s important. If you’re not the most confident DIY person, they’re also available to buy.

Optimise the space you have

There are always ways you can optimise the space you do have available. Be smart with your desk organisation ideas and you may just have more space than you realise. Don’t scatter things across your desk, stack things, and put away anything you’re not using at the time.

Pin pictures and paper on a corkboard

Sitting a corkboard behind your desk space can be both storage and décor. It gives you a place to pin polaroid pictures and concert tickets for a personal touch, while also giving you a place to display any work documents you’re using that day.

Mix décor with supplies using a pegboard

Like corkboards, pegboards also offer a smart desk organisation option. If you’re looking for a smaller option to a corkboard, pegboards are perfect for hanging easy to lose items or putting up a temporary small shelf. There is also room to get creative, with plenty of options at your disposal, a pegboard is an innovative way to display your thoughts throughout your working day.

Utilise the space under your desk

The space under your home office desk should never go to waste. It’s the best way to practice the ‘out of sight out of mind’ mindset, hiding away all the clutter you’re not using at the time and would rather not look at until later in the week. If you’re looking for quick solutions for how to organise your desk, under-desk storage is an easy option.

Use alternative space for plants and décor

Whilst having the likes of plants on our desk is nice and can help improve our mood during the working day, you can put them somewhere else and still retain this positive feeling. Whether it’s a windowsill or you invest in a wooden shelf or caddy, leave your desk for work and you’ll appreciate the extra space.

Try peel and stick chalkboard tape

This innovative desk organisation idea gives you a place to jot down notes and keep a track of your to-do list without taking up any extra space. Simply take down your innovations and reminders, then wipe them away when you’re done and start again.

DIY or buy a keyboard tray

Keyboards take up a lot of desk space, not only the equipment itself but you need plenty of room to type comfortably. Attaching a keyboard tray below your desk that slides out can free up space on the desk itself, it will also neatly slide away when not in use.

Don’t hold onto what you don’t need

Not holding onto items that you don’t need is one of the simplest ideas for keeping your desk tidy. Many of us can be guilty of thinking ‘oh but I might need that at some point’, if it’s not important, put it away for now. You’ll benefit from a desk space that doesn’t feel over-cluttered and can always call upon these items if you do eventually end up needing them. It would be smart to have a cupboard or storage option for all your work items that aren’t on or around your desk, so you know where to look should you need them.

Use drawer dividers

Drawers are a great storage option for staying organised, it allows you to keep different items in their own, accessible locations. If you want to take that organisation up a notch further, drawer dividers can help you keep all your items in individual, easy-to-grab compartments.

Keep your cords organised in a cable box

Many of us rely on tech to do our jobs, which means making the switch to working from home means you need to find a place for a laptop, printer, monitor and maybe more. The result; a whole lot of cables and plugs. A cable box is a simple desk organisation idea that keeps your cords from ruining the look of your home office and taking up an unnecessary amount of space on and underneath your desk.

Following our tips and tricks on how to keep your office desk organised should help you stay focused and productive when working from home. It’s almost impossible to work at your best in a chaotic workspace, try to keep it tidy and you’ll find you’ll be much happier in your new office environment.