13 Must-Have Home Office Organization Ideas (With Photos!)
Do your best work from home with these tips!
Working from home has its fair share of benefits, but without the proper organization tools and storage solutions, it can be disorderly and unnecessarily stressful. Rest assured: Our home office organization ideas can alleviate the strain and improve your at-home productivity. Keep reading for 13 home office storage and organization ideas that are easy to implement and can be incredibly advantageous to your work-from-home life.
1. Convert a Bar Cart
Bar carts can be used for more than beverages! With wheels that make them easy to move around and broad shelves that can hold a variety of objects of different sizes, bar carts are perfect for extra storage in your home office. Tackle desk clutter head on by storing books, files, and other necessities on a bar cart.
Cords and cables are a fact of life for almost all workspaces – not just at home, but also in the office. But they can be tricky to work with – tangled wires can be a time-consuming headache and frayed and broken charging cords can have a devastating impact on your remote productivity. Protect and organize your cords by equipping your desk with cable management accessories that keep all your wires stable, straight, and in one place.
Whether you're storing files or art supplies, tall storage drawers like those seen in the home office storage idea above can be invaluable to your organization and efficiency. These storage units have multiple compartments and can hold a large capacity. The plastic drawers are durable and removable, so it's easy to take out drawers when you need them and put them back when you're done. Plus many of these units are on wheels, so they can be moved aside when not in use.
Your home office's wall space is prime real estate for storage and organization tools. Rather than keeping your calendar, to-do lists, and file organizers on your desk, hang them on the wall! This will not only keep them visible, but it will help keep your desk clear so you can do your best work. Think about installing versatile cork bulletin boards, whiteboards, and memo boards.
Printers, though essential to many home offices, can take up valuable space on your desk. Clear up that space by perching your printer on a separate printer stand. Complete with storage compartments for additional reams of paper and file organizers, these stands will save you a significant amount of desk surface and storage space.
With vast capacities and numerous shelves, bookcases are incredible pieces of storage furniture. Unfortunately, bookcases can also be some of the bulkiest items out there. To avoid overwhelming your home office space, look for a leaning or ladder bookcase instead of a traditional freestanding one. These sleek, attractive units can hold just as much as a classic bookcase without all the bulk.
If you're someone who needs to keep important documents within view, consider equipping your home office workspace with an attractive desktop file organizer. These subtle accessories typically have a few levels that can keep stacks of files or documents separate yet visible. Use one as a simple document organizer or try using one as an inbox/outbox to mark documents you've completed and documents you haven't.
If a desktop file organizer like the one in the previous home office organization idea doesn't have the document capacity you think your home office will need, try a wall organizer instead. These slim organizers typically have a few compartments that can hold anything from folders and files to magazines and books. Some lean against the wall, as seen above, while others can be hung on the wall.
If you work with crafting supplies, you're probably familiar with the clutter that can result from haphazard storage. Save yourself the trouble of rummaging through bins or drawers for your supplies by installing a pegboard over your workspace. Equipped with slats, ribbon or tape rods, and customizable pegs, these boards can be configured to hold all of your crafting essentials neatly in one place.
A simple penholder can do wonders for your home office tidiness. No longer will you have pens and pencils rolling around your desk or dropping to the floor! Some penholders, like the one in the home office storage idea above, even come with bonus features like Post-it note holders and additional compartments.
Pens and pencils are must-haves, but no home office is complete without a few other basic supplies. Think highlighters, scissors, Post-its, paper clips, tape, and staplers. On their own, these supplies might get lost sliding around in spacious drawers or cabinets. To keep them safe and secure, store them neatly in an easy-to-reach desktop supply organizer with multiple compartments.
One of the best things about working from home is full access to all your favorite snacks and drinks. But getting up repeatedly throughout the day to peruse your pantry or fridge for a bite to eat might get in the way of your productivity. Instead, equip a TV tray with the essentials: a pitcher or electric kettle filled with water, a French press, your favorite teas, sweeteners, snacks, tissues, and napkins.
When you first think of a filing cabinet, a drab metal box with stiff drawers and sharp corners may come to mind. But filing cabinets don't have to be boring! Instead of settling on the traditional plain metal filing cabinet for your filing needs, shop for stylish wood filing cabinets that come in styles from glam to farmhouse.
