If you’re a year into working from home and still jotting notes on paper scraps or scrambling to find a pen before every meeting, it’s time for some office organizers. Hopefully by now you’ve dedicated a space for work each day—knowing that your productivity can take a hit if you don’t. If not, consider a good desk, an ergonomic chair, and a solid morning ritual to start your day right. Once you’ve got that sorted, know that office organizers can go a long way in sprucing up your space and making it more functional.
Whether you need a complete overhaul or minimal organizing tweaks, Kristyn Ivey, a KonMari consultant and home stylist at For the Love of Tidy, suggests you begin by performing an “activity audit” and taking stock of all activities and tasks you perform in your work space—even those that aren’t work related.
As different facets of our lives continue to bleed into each other, for better or for worse, they coalesce into this home office hub where we conduct the majority of our daily activities—working, dining, relaxing, and even (Zoom) socializing. “It’s so important for your space to be prioritized for activity instead of storage,” Ivey tells SELF.
Conversely, our work could also be infiltrating other formerly single-use rooms. “Spaces that may have once had one primary function, such as the dining room, kitchen, or a bedroom, now serve as multipurpose rooms,” Karen Nepacena, principal designer and owner of Destination Eichler, tells SELF. “It’s important to be able to switch from ‘work mode’ to ‘home and relaxation’ and vice versa. Creating an organized home office space can help with this daily transition.” Even the act of clearing out your desk and tucking away your work items in a basket, drawer, or closet can be the remote mental equivalent of clocking out.
Laura Cattano, a professional organizer and home stylist, suggests answering the following questions: Do you need a surface to spread out papers, notebooks, or images? Do you need wall space to tape and tack things up? Are you using a laptop or a desktop? What else do you use your work space for? Figuring out how the space should function will help determine what surfaces you can utilize.
Organizing your home office comes down to your own needs and preferences, but to help steer you in the right direction, we asked seven experts for their best tips and product recommendations. Here, 15 office organizers to make the most of your space—and maybe even help you achieve that elusive work-life balance.
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