8 Amazing Tips for a More Organized Desk

Do you need help creating an organized desk in your office or workspace?

Are you looking for a no-frills and practical way to be more productive at work or in your business?

A well-organized desk is more than a tidy surface. It’s a structured workspace that can help you improve your focus and work more efficiently everyday.

In this article, you’ll uncover eight tips to help you create an organized desk in your workspace.

You’ll learn practical strategies to help you organize your desk and thoughtful ways to streamline your workflow. You’ll also learn how you can effectively maintain your desk over time so it stays neat and tidy.

Before we dive in, if you want a simple daily structure to help you prioritize your work, my free Productivity Mindset Planner™ is a good place to start.

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

Why does an organized desk matter?

You may be thinking, “I want an organized desk. But is there really any benefit spending time tidying up my workspace?”

The answer? Yes, there’s great benefit in taking time to get organized at work!

A well-organized desk is more than a tidy surface— it’s a structured workspace that’s designed to support you while you work, allowing you to focus, work efficiently, and make practical decisions with care.

Think about it for a moment: you spend a lot of time at your desk on a daily basis. So why wouldn’t you want to have an organized desk that allows you to work both easily and efficiently?

What are the benefits of an organized desk?

As a productivity coach, I think there are many benefits to having an organized desk in your office.

Here are a few key reasons as to why an having an organized desk is a wise move both now and in future:

You can find what you need, when you need it

Locating items with ease when you need them allows you to work efficiently and effectively. How many times have you searched for a misplaced file folder, a pair of scissors, or important document on your desk? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to find exactly what you need, when you need it?

You can reduce distractions

Eliminating distractions from your workspace allows you to focus on what matters most. Look at it this way: a pile of postal mail, a stack of magazines, and box of office supplies doesn’t do much to help you finalize that complex report. Your desk shouldn’t distract or hinder you from your work. You should be able to focus on your work and get things done with ease.

You’ll have a workspace that makes you look good

A clean, tidy, and organized desk presents a professional-looking appearance for both yourself and your work. What’s more, a well-kept workspace positively impacts not only yourself, but your coworkers, clients, and customers. Who knows, a well-organized desktop might tip the scales in your favor and present you in a more positive light with others.

8 amazing tips for a more organized desk

A desk is a small, yet important area of your workspace. It’s where you spend most of your time working and studying.

And it’s not surprising that keeping a desk organized can be a challenging task. So, just how do you go about keeping things neat and tidy on a regular basis?

Below you’ll find eight essential tips for a more organized desk. These tips are chock full of practical solutions you can put to use right away.

Remove clutter for a more organized desk

The easiest way to tidy up a messy desk is to remove any obvious clutter.

Let’s face it: a work desk can collect a lot of clutter over the course of many weeks and months.

And this is especially true if you’re constantly working on new projects and assignments. Things just naturally tend to build up over time.

Thankfully, you can freshen up the top of your desk with these smart tips:

Take 20 minutes to declutter

Set a timer for 20 minutes and remove or declutter any items that are in your way. Look for any obvious materials that look out of place or take up inordinate amounts of space at your desk. This can be anything from reams of printer paper, stacks of last year’s product mockups, visible trash, to bits of scrap paper.

Curate personal mementos

Use your best judgment to pare down or edit your collections of personal mementos to free up space. Do you have framed photographs, decorations, or office toys at your desk? While it’s perfectly fine to have these items on your desk, they shouldn’t overwhelm you or interfere with your work. Cull items as necessary.

Properly store non-essential items

Take a moment to find permanent storage solutions for non-essential work items. These are items that you use daily, but need not be by your side while you work. Store surplus office supplies in the supply closet and place files in an organized filing cabinet. Finally, put all those used coffee mugs in the kitchen dishwasher or wash them in the kitchen sink.

Do a secondary scan

Next, you’ll want to do a secondary scan of any other items that don’t belong on top of your desk. The fastest way to do so is to make a list of items you regularly use on a regular basis. And everything else can be relocated to another area of your office, donated, or disposed.

Remove non-essential items on a regular basis

Keep things tidy by removing non-essential items from your desk at regular intervals. It doesn’t matter whether you declutter your workspace on a weekly or biweekly schedule. What’s more important is that you do so!

Designate specific work areas for a more organized desk

The next step is to designate specific work areas for your desk. You might not realize it, but your desk serves as multipurpose workstation.

Even if you spend a lot of time on the computer, you probably use your desk to process postal mail, jot notes, or collate materials.

Here are some pointers on how to create specific work areas at your desk:

Create a list of desk tasks

Make a quick list of common daily or weekly tasks that you perform at your desk. For instance, do you spend time typing, reading reports, or filing papers? And what about writing checks, sketching illustrations, or collating presentation materials?

Map out areas on your desk according to tasks

Make a quick sketch of the top of your desk and divide it into nine sections, kind of like a tic-tac-toe board. Write in where you’ll perform various tasks. For example, in which area will you use your computer, sort through mail, or review a large printout?

Adjust the location of computers, phones and lamps

Move or adjust the location of items like your computer, phone, and lamp so that they match your mapped work areas. Take your time rearranging items. You may need to make some adjustments based on your physical space rather than your initial work notes.

Make it easy to identify work area start and end points

Make it easy to identify work area start and end points at your desk. You can designate desk areas by using a colorful blotter, a decorative shelf liner, or textured paper. What’s more, you can place office supplies at varying intervals on your desk.

If you’ve been struggling with organization for longer than you’d like to admit, the How to Be More Organized Right Now™ eBook helps you reduce overwhelm and develop customized systems.

Store office supplies

Storing office supplies at your desk shouldn’t be an exercise in constantly searching for what you need.

Keep in mind, everything should be within an arm’s reach. And items should be properly stored, too!

Here are some tips on how to get a better handle on your supplies:

Identify must-have office supplies

Identify the office supplies that are absolutely needed for your daily work. Space is limited on the top of any desk. That’s why items used daily or nearly daily should be within close reach. Infrequently used supplies should be placed in a nearby desk drawer, on shelves, or stored in another area of the office.

Round up office supplies

Gather all the office supplies you’ll need for daily use. Here’s a quick office supply list to get you started: pencils, pens, erasers, scissors, tape, stapler, staples, staple remover, pushpins, binder clips, envelopes, letterhead, stamps, ruler, hole puncher, letter opener, calculator, etc.

Be smart about storage

Be smart when it comes to storing items at your desk by containing items in a single area of your desk, such as the far left or right corner. Use either a desk caddy or uniformly sized and stackable metal, plastic or wooden containers to make the most of your space.

Clear out a desk drawer or two

Take a few minutes to clean out a desk drawer or two. Make sure you can close the drawer completely without any problems. Additionally, you can use flat, shallow containers or trays to store supplies so things don’t roll around.

Make use of vertical space

Make use of any vertical space, including any overhead shelving or cabinets, for handy storage. Take sufficient stock of walls and other areas near your desk. Hang supplies in wall pouches, or set up floating shelves. In addition, you can store small items in magnetic containers on metal filing cabinets.

Corral files

Properly corralling paper files is a smart move, even in today’s digital age. Why is this the case?

Organized and stored files not only keeps things tidy, but it allows you to find what you need in the blink of an eye.

Here are some tips to help you organize the files on your desk:

Store files in an organizer

Store paper files in a horizontal or vertical organizer. You can choose your favorite material, be it plastic, wood, or metal. Don’t yet have a file organizer? Now’s the time to get one! Not only does an organizer keep things tidy, but it also limits the amount of files sitting on top of your desk at any time.

Keep active files on top of your desk

Current files should stay at your desk, while inactive files should be placed in archived storage. Go through the files on your desk. Which are active and which are inactive? Which do you use everyday? Keep active files within easy reach and place inactive files in storage.

If you work in a shared space or with highly sensitive documents, you may want to reconsider items on top of your desk. Promptly lock documents in a secure filing cabinet or drawer instead.

Create a storage system

Create a filing storing system that makes it easy for you to retrieve materials. It doesn’t matter how you organize your files, so long as the system makes sense to you.

Alphabetize and/or group similar file types together (i.e. client files with client files). Or you can assign areas of your organizer for specific files. You may want to label the different sections of your organizer to help you remember which files go where.

Make it easy to dispose of old and unneeded files

Lastly, make it easy for you to dispose of old and unneeded files at your by having disposal receptacles at the ready. Place a recycling bin, basket or box near your desk for easy disposal of non-confidential files. You should also consider installing a shredder nearby to take care of confidential and/or personal files.

Assemble a reference binder

Assembling a reference binder is an easy and practical way to organize the top of your desk.

Not only will you have a handy ready-reference, but you’ll remove unsightly bits of paper from your desk in the process.

Learn how to assemble your own reference binder by following the below tips:

Choose a reference item

Choose a specific reference item or items for your new binder. Take a look at the items already sitting on your desk for some inspiration. Which items do you reference on a regular basis? For instance, are you always looking for client codes or constantly reaching for project flow charts?

Gather materials for your binder

Gather necessary materials for your binder by printing out reference information, assembling sticky notes from your computer, or removing items from a bulletin board. You can also round up a large three-ring binder (choose whatever size you need), plastic binder sleeves, binder index tabs, and dividers.

Make a plan

Take a few minutes to plan out how you’ll layout information inside of the binder. You can use a pen and paper to help you organize your thoughts, sketch out, or draft your plans. For example, you may decide to alphabetize items, store items by category or usage.

Assemble documents

Assemble and place all documents and materials inside the binder. Drop reference materials into plastic binder sleeves and assemble tabs and dividers as necessary.

Find a home for your binder

Lastly, it’s important to find a home for your binder. You can create a permanent storage location on top of your desk, on a nearby shelf, in a drawer, or cabinet. You’ll be able to easily find it when you need it.

Create a charging station

Creating a charging station at your desk makes sense, given how often laptops, cellphones, smart watches, and tablets are used in today’s world.

Think about it: how many different electronic devices do you own?

Fortunately, these tips will help you craft your own charging station:

Tally up your devices

Make a list of all the digital devices you currently own and use at your desk and in your work. Don’t forget to include devices used on an infrequent basis, such as digital cameras, voice recorders, or other specialized digital equipment related to your business or industry.

Gather up charging cords

Gather up all the various charging cords for your devices. You can most likely find these items in desk drawers and cabinets, boxes, and office storage areas. While you’re at it, you may wish to label chargers and cords with tape or plastic tabs so you clearly understand which cord is which.

Create a charging station

Create a centralized charging station for all your digital devices. You can purchase a pre-made charging station made out of wood, plastic or metal. Alternatively, you can make your own using a sturdy container such as a long open rectangular plastic container, or simply defining an area on or near your desk area.

Devise storage for charging cords

Take some time to devise secure storage for your charging cords. Mount charging cords to the side of a desk, filing cabinet, or in a cloth pocket hanger on the wall. And what if you don’t have space for a multi-device charging station? You could also store charging cords in a box, clear plastic bag or other container and simply take them out when you need them.

Use an inbox and outbox

Using a postal mail inbox and office can be a handy way to keep postal materials and paper work organized.

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your inbox and outbox:

Clean out your inbox and outbox

Clean out your inbox and outboxes fully and sort the contents into two piles: “Incoming” and “Outgoing.” Remember, incoming materials include items to review, sign or process. And outgoing materials may be outgoing postal/interoffice mail or other materials.

Don’t have an inbox/outbox? Then now’s the perfect time to purchase one that meets your needs. Choose from wood, plastic, wire, or other materials for your boxes so you can organize papers.

Properly arrange boxes

Properly arrange your inbox/outbox so it is in a convenient place for both you and others to reach. In most cases, this should be located near the edge of your desk. Remember, you want to make it easy for items to be dropped off and picked up.

Place incoming items in the inbox

Place any and all incoming items into the inbox. As simple as this may seem, this step can prevent papers from overrunning your desk. Here’s a simple rule of thumb to follow. If you see a piece of paper on your desk, it must go in one of three places: your: inbox, outbox, or the garbage can/recycling bin.

Process your inbox daily

Process your inbox daily by regularly reviewing materials and make a clear decision for each item. For instance, does an item need to be filed, entered into a database, or mailed? And does it need to be responded to, paid, or copied? How about reviewed/proofread, edited, or completed? Over time, you’ll begin to see patterns in your paperwork and will immediately know how items should be processed.

Tidy up regularly

Lastly, conducting routine maintenance is key to keeping your desk neat and tidy. If you do so, you’ll never again have to spend hours cleaning or decluttering your desk!

Thankfully, all it takes is a few minutes to keep disorder at bay and tidy up things. Use the below checklist to help you keep things in tip-top shape:

Daily

• Check and process inbox items; place items in outbox as needed
• Return office supplies to storage location(s) when you’re finished with them
• Place active files back in your file organizer or file storage area

Weekly

• Declutter your desk
• Review files on top of your desk and move old or inactive files to archives
• Wipe down surface of desk with antibacterial wipes

Monthly

• Declutter your desk
• Make sure your work areas are helping, and not hindering you as you work
• Revise these spaces as needed

FAQ: Organized desk

Conclusion

An organized desk isn’t just about neatness. It’s about creating a workspace that supports how you think, work, and make decisions each day. When your environment is thoughtfully organized, it becomes much easier to focus, follow through on tasks, and approach your work with clarity and confidence.

If you’re ready to work smarter, and not harder, you need to not only organize your desk, but your thinking. My free Productivity Mindset Planner™ provides a simple daily structure to help you organize your thoughts. And if you’re ready to go deeper on organization, How to Be More Organized Right Now™ shows you how to master the mindset of organization.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity coach, consultant, and founder of The Order Expert®. With over 16 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs and executives replace the "hustle and grind" mindset with one of "ease and flow." Rashelle is a former contributing columnist for Inc.com and Lifehack.org, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of four books, including The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. When not helping clients master their schedules, she enjoys scouting for practical, well-designed office supplies. Learn more at TheOrderExpert.com.

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