Search
Close this search box.

How To Organize Your Office In 5 Easy Steps

/ By
organize your office, office hacks, office organization, clean office
Thank you to Samsill for sponsoring this post. All thoughts & opinions are my own. This post may also include affiliate links*

ICYMI, this year my guiding word is “organized”. I DIY'ed and created a custom planner for all my needs, I've been purging my stuff non-stop since the move, and now I am tackling my desk and office clutter!

My desk was an awesome find from Homegoods, it could also work as a console table or kitchen table, but I needed it as a desk at the time and haven't gotten a new one. It doesn't have any drawers and is basically just a hub for collecting junk.

Do you know how frustrating it is to not have a single drawer to put your hole punch or scissors in?!? Legit, this is what a chaotic mess my desk looks like on the reg:

 

But NO MORE! I am putting an end to it and using Samsill's pop up document boxes!

how to organize your office space to get more done with samsill

Legit these things are so cool! They come folded up, and you just “pop” them open and lay the base to keep the structure. They are much sturdier than I thought they would be and come in a bunch of colors. Since I am not positive what direction my new home office is going in yet, I stuck with white.

These boxes are intended for storing documents, but I am using them for storage too as part of my organization efforts!

Here are 5 steps to organize your home office:

Step 1: Purge.

Legit toss everything that you can. Recycle old paper, shred outdated documents, donate things,  throw out broken or no longer useful items.  Really dump everything you no longer need.

Step 2: Create piles of like items.

Create a pile for mail, one for loose papers, one for writing utensils, one for traditional office supplies like tape and paper clips, and whatever else you may have going on.  I like to make sure that everything is off my desk or shelves and organized into piles on the floor. Something about visually seeing it all laid out really helps me figure out where it will fit when finding it a home (future step).

Step 3: Dust and wipe!

Now that everything is finally off the shelves and desk, make sure you use this opportunity to dust everything and wipe it all down (from your desk to the items on the floor! Seriously ask yourself when was the last time you wipes your hole punch clean?)

Step 4: Get your papers in check.

I don't know about you, but paper is the biggest culprit of clutter in my office. Organize your papers by usefulness. For instance, if it's something you need to hold onto for 7-10 years in case you get audited, file those away either in a traditional filing cabinet or e-filer. If it's receipts you need to keep track of get an envelope or use a small document box. Personally, I am using small document boxes for filing incoming mail that's piled up (and credit cards/gift cards – basically financial related items) and one for receipts since I already have legal stuff organized in my binder filing system.

Step 5: Find things a home.

Now that things are organized by likeness and the paper is put away, you need to find each of the remaining items a home. Since I don't have drawers, I am using the medium document box from Samsill for my “office supplies” like my tape, hole punch, post its, and so on:

In my closet I have a big bin of photo props and back drops. The key here is to put things in a logical place (rather than throw it around haphazardly). If you were looking for a scissor, you may also look for tape so you want them next to each other. I know that may sound kind of obvious, but I have a tendency to put the tape in the fridge and my cell phone in the laundry basket #SMH.

how to organize your office space to get more done with samsill

 

 

119 thoughts on “How To Organize Your Office In 5 Easy Steps”

  4. Sheila

    Decluttering and getting rid of old papers is huge for me! When I moved last year I did a huuuge purge of old college notes and papers that I clearly did not need anymore. It not only created less stuff to move, but made my life feel so much lighter!

    http://www.insearchofsheila.com

  6. Candy Kage

    You just have a table not a desk. I do all your steps and I can find stuff and it looks better afterwards.

  10. Samantha

    I love that feeling of going from a cluttered messy desk to a clean and organized space. It makes me want to sit at my desk and work! And those boxes look so neat! Thanks for the tips!

  11. melissa

    I love this! We are about to move and I am SOOOOO looking forward to setting up and organizing my new desk at a new house! Great tips!

  12. kiki

    Do you do house calls?! LOL but Seriously great and easy ideas – my office is bananas but I think I can follow these steps! Thanks!

  14. Ginger Marie

    Finding a home for things is my specialty! If it doesn’t have a home, and I can’t hang it, it gets throw away!

    1. Rachel Ritlop

      Do it ASAP! You know there are paper bugs (I’m not sure what they are really called, and it could just be in FL since paper collect humidity and there are humidity bugs) — but yeah when I went through them all these little guys ran out!

  16. Lettuceliv

    This is great! I am not very organized at all when it comes to my home office space! I will need to use this to help organize myself!!

  18. Dia

    I am an organization freak lol As someone who shares my office space with my sleeping space these would be great. I’ve been living my life with my files in a printer paper box lol it’s horrible. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Robin

    I read yesterday that to really pare things down, you should find things to keep rather than things to throw away! I really need to implement that in our office – it’s chronically messy!

  23. Elizabeth Johnson

    These tips are perfect! I sometimes have a hard time with purging. I set post-its aside with random things on them and think “I will need this info one day.” Haha that rarely happens. I have a three drawer filing cabinet under my desk and it is the best! Not the prettiest thing but it gets the job done.

    1. Rachel Ritlop

      haha i do that too! I’ve been getting better about dumping it if I haven’t used it in a week! I do use one of the boxes as my “junk drawer” for all those kinds of papers!

  30. Tiffany Campbell

    I feel like I purge constantly and always tell my boyfriend “where is this things home”. I need a better organizational system for everything. love the boxes

    1. Rachel Ritlop

      Haha truth: I have a strict posting schedule & I didn’t finish (or start) organizing until this post was live! I wrote it Tuesday as more of a “this is what I am going to do” and on Wednesday finally did it! haha I was crying like every day from the stress of the clutter and now feel like a new person!

  32. Lori Hawkins Jackson

    So many great uses for these boxes! I love how you’ve used them to bring order to your desk/work area! It makes a world of difference for me to be able to think, work and function when I have order around me. Great ideas!

  35. Ayanna

    Pop up boxes are so great for organization. My hubby is in the process of cleaning out his office and these would be great for him.

  39. Elly Leavitt

    such a good idea! I also don’t have drawers (not ideal) so it’s a struggle organizing all my shit on the reg. Especially since things accumulate so easily!

  42. Nicole Booz

    I also don’t have drawers haha. It seems like that is pretty common. I’ve been using letter sorters/organizers to hold notebooks and devices – it’s such a space saver!!

  43. Chasing My Halo

    I bet you felt so good when everything was done and organized! We moved into a very small space and I’m still trying to figure out where to set up my “office”. I’m sure these would come in handy!

    1. Rachel Ritlop

      Haha it really does! I’ve been SO much more productive this week and happier! Like no joke, I feel like a new person! The boxes help with stack in a small space!

  44. Ilka Bermann

    Love the tip’s in my whole house everything has a home and if it doesn’t have one, it has to go!

  45. Joy

    This is exactly what I need! Thanks for the tips and inspiration to get organized! 🙂

  48. fairyprincessjord

    I’m at the point where my entire apartment needs organizing not just my office BUT document boxes are s cute storage solution. First office, then tackle the rest of my place!

  49. Sydney Power

    I find things in an office get so dusty, I love going to dust everything and get it all clean

  50. G&D Blog

    These are great tips for office organizing. Our desk (in our bedroom) looks fine so far, we do have a cabinet of papers, yes, a cabinet. Lol! My husband have it ever since. I love having a neat office desk.

  51. Rachel @ It's A Hero

    You just motiviated me to go through my office stuff and rearrange and PURGE! 🙂

  53. Cameron

    I definitely need to go through my desk soon and clean some stuff out! I don’t have a designated office, just a small desk in our bedroom. Like yours, it doesn’t have and drawers and it drives me crazy haha. These storage boxes look really cute, I’ll have to look into getting a few – they would work great with my setup!

  54. Sara @ College Compass

    I love how boxes and organizers really clean up a space and just make it look and feel cleaner! These look great and I’m really glad that you’re finding them so helpful!

    Sara @ College Compass

  55. Adriana

    I love this!! I’m currently trying to organize my desk/office space and these will definitely help! xo

  56. hzajac13

    I don’t currently have an office. I have a desk in the corner of a room. I really need to get it organized and make it a more functional working space.

  57. Kristine Circenis

    I freaking love organizing and office supplies is right up there with my loves. I also freaking love these boxes. We’re moving soon and I definitely could see using these boxes to organize old papers that are super unattractive to have lying around.

  58. Victoria Stacey

    I’m in the same situation when it comes to a desk with no drawers! Thanks for the tips 😀

  60. Alexa@MillennialEmpireBuilders

    Firstly, I love the fact that you have a guiding word for the year. I started doing that in 2015… That year my word was discipline (because I felt like I was all over the place), 2016 was about compassion (because in my discipline, I took it a little too seriously and 2017 is all about massive action.

    Secondly, I feel like we’re soul sisters because of the whole piles concept! I wrote an entire article about making four piles when you’re dealing with clutter and it’s the best thing ever. Thank you so much for your insight! <3

    1. Rachel Ritlop

      Oh no way!! Haha I need piles! I have to pull EVERYTHING out in order to organize it. I need to see it all to imagine where it will fit. My husband thinks I am crazy since I make a bigger mess in the process but it works!

Comments are closed.

let's keep in touch

Youtube Tiktok Instagram Twitter Pinterest Heart
Search

categories

Copyright 2024 – Confidently Momâ„¢, The Confused Millennial®. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, & Disclaimers. Ad Disclosure