Home Office Organizing Tips and DIY Projects

I finally found that part time job I’d been searching for, and this past Friday I started my first day of work as an office assistant. It’s a great job, and while I still have a lot to learn, I’m excited to not only be working for a small family owned company, but to have friendly and awesome co-workers as well. As it turns out, however, I now have two offices. The office at work and my office at home. So of course I found myself in need of a few home office organizing tips.

While there’s not a lot I can do about the office that isn’t mine – at least there are no scary cubicles lurking about – I can find ways to make mine better organized. Because no matter what there never seems to be quite enough desk space to keep the clutter at bay without daily filing. And drawers tend to eat important necessities that I need for running my office smoothly. To solve this problem I’ve taken to seeking out the advice of others on the subject of office organization. Following are some of the brilliant tips and projects I’ve found.

Home Office Organizing Tips + DIY Projects

Here are some of my favorite home office organizing tips!

Desk space is always going to limit you, so the key to finding more space is looking up. Use the walls to hang clipboards with notes, schedules and other important papers and to do lists you need to keep up with. Utilize the hooks above the clip boards for small, less often used objects. A roll of tape, scissors, rubber bands…whatever your mind can conjure up.

You may also remember from my earlier blog post, Helpful Tips for Everyday Success, which included another idea for storing “up.” Bring an inexpensive, plastic pegboard into the home office to hang over your desk or on the wall beside your desk. Add hooks and containers to the pegboard and bring everything you need on a daily basis right in front of you, just above your computer. That post also has some great tips for cord organization.

Again, if your short on desk space then you don’t want bins stacking up for incoming and outgoing mail. Instead, create a diy mail sorter with this simple tutorial from bright and blithe blog. Made from unbleached cotton, this mail sorter can be hung on a neighboring door or wall. The tutorial includes printable labels for action required, to be paid, to be filed, and to be sorted.

Again, if you’re looking to create more desk space, look up, and organize with a wine rack. Attaching under the shelf wine or stemware racks to a wall bookshelf, gives you more room for those everyday supplies. Simply insert glass cylinders in the racks then fill with pens, pencils, markers, and even paint brushes.

I Heart Organizing offers more insight into ways to create more room for more concise organization. Attach baskets to walls for folders, reference guides or craft papers. Attach a towel bar or rail above your desk space with hooks for hanging scissors, tape, and Asker Cups from Ikea that can hold pens, pencils and more.

Hide your filing cabinet inside a chest when not in use by creating a Mini Office in a Chest. Not only does this allow you to hide important papers out of view in a room that you might not want to look like an office, it can also double as extra seating by throwing a few throw pillows on top. This chest is large enough to hold a mountain of files, plus it allows for extra storage on TOP of your files with a removable tray that stacks neatly over files for extra paper clips, staples, etc. The inside of the chest drawer doubles as a corkboard for pinning important notices.

Use the side of your desk for more storage room and places to tack notes. Install a magnetic knife wall mount to the side of your desk or a shelving unit and attach magnetic hooks. Use it to hang your keys, purse, or even binder clips with notes.

Need more ideas for organizing your home office? Visit my Home & Office Organization Pinterest board for my growing list of ideas on how to organize your home office and give it a follow.