Do you open your office drawers and scream a little inside? If so, you are in desperate need of an organizing overhaul. Your office drawers should never make your heart skip a beat when you open them. You probably never want your boss to see them like this either, do you?
Organizing your office drawers and office in general will help you be more productive. You will be able to relax knowing that you can find the items you need when you go on the hunt. Losing important paperwork and client data is never a good thing and you do not want to have to make that phone call.
The following tips will help you clean up your desk drawers and get them organized before your desk sneezes and creates a mess in your office.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Things
Before you can begin organizing your desk drawers, you must get rid of everything you do not need. Those month old ketchup packets sitting there, yeah, they can go. As you begin to toss out the trash, you will notice you have less stuff than you thought. But wait! Don’t just throw it into your drawers. It’s not that simple.
Create Cubbies and Spots for Everything
If you do not have a desk drawer organizer, get one. The organizer will help you keep things in order and will prevent you from creating a natural disaster upon closing your drawer. Once you have a desk organizer in place, begin determining where you want everything to go. Label the spots, make a mental note, do what you need to.
Put All Like Items in Piles
Now it is time to sort through that large lump on your desk. Begin sorting through the items and place the rubber bands in one area, the paper clips in another, staples in another, and so on. Once everything is in its own pile with its like items, you can move on.
Prioritize the Items
Before you begin tossing the items into the organizing tray, you must think about what you use the most. If you have a stack of additional staples sitting on your desk, but you only use the stapler once a month, place the staples towards the back of the organizers.
If you use paper clips like they are going out of style, place them in the front of the organizer and so on. Make sure you prioritize your drawer based on the items you need the most.
Put Extras Back for Others
This is not a hoarding game and you do not need to hold on to the extra supplies. If your desk drawer is full and your organizer is already about to explode with items, put the additional supplies you have back into the supply drawer for someone else to grab. You don’t need to have them all.
Once your desk drawers are in order, you will be able to begin working with higher efficiency and productivity. The clutter in your office drawers actually slows you down and causes you to spend more time finding the items you need.
Instead of wasting precious seconds looking for your stapler, keep it somewhere you can easily get to and avoid placing items over top of it. Never put something in your drawer unless you know you are going to use it. By following this rule, you will be able to cut down on the amount of items that collect in your drawer.
Lastly, clean your drawer on a regular basis. Every month or two, go through your drawer and reorganize everything inside.

President at Office Chairs Unlimited – I have been in the furniture industry for over 20 years, and I’m an expert (just ask me) on all things furniture. I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two.