For many of us, work takes up the bulk of our days. We spend hours in our onsite or home offices working on a range of projects to make sure our goals are being met and we are able to provide for ourselves and our families week after week. With all the work that we do in our offices, having clutter and disarray surround you can only make the job more difficult. In a disorganized space, many of us struggle to stay focused and on task or may even try to avoid our office space completely. Using storage to stay organized is essential in any office, but not everyone knows their options and what solutions will work the best for their space. Keep reading to learn more about some of the essential storage solutions that you can adopt in your own workspace. Don’t forget to share below which ones have worked for you!
Storage Furniture
Of course, the biggest need in every office space is suitable furniture and most importantly, a desk. Not only should you invest in a quality desk, but you should take your time to find one that works best for your space. With a small home office, you may be limited when it comes to space for storage. If possible, find a desk with drawers because it will certainly help with maintaining functionality and cutting back on the clutter from extra organization bins and containers. There are plenty of options out there when it comes to desks with built-in storage elements. You can even find desks with a hidden printer shelf to help you store your bigger office supplies away. If you have a larger office space, you have the freedom to add in storage furniture other than a desk to help you organize your supplies. You can include file cabinets, bookshelves, or even a built-in shelving unit. Many become hesitant when buying storage furniture pieces because there’s such a thin line between functional and cluttered. Once again, knowing your space is the key to finding the best storage furniture that will help to organize and optimize your office.
Storage Containers
A large part of office organization is being able to identify what you need on a regular basis and what can be stored away for later. This will help you to minimize the amount of clutter around you during the day and allow you to focus on the tasks at hand. In some cases, you may only need to access certain items a couple of times a year and would be comfortable tucking them away under your desk or in a nearby closet. For these items, long-term storage containers are perfect! Try slim, plastic containers to store any extra computer paper or office supplies in a shelving unit or closet. At the bottom of the closet, keep a storage basket for organizing any miscellaneous items, extra wires, or cords. However you decide to do it, take your time and differentiate between what you need available in your office now versus later and find the storage containers that fit your needs the best.
Desktop Storage
Having an organized and tidy desktop is essential in any office space as well. Your desk’s organization can most definitely make or break your productivity which, of course, is extremely important in your career. To ensure your desk area is clean and as decluttered as possible, use desk organizers, shelving, and containers to help clear up space. Organizers typically come with several compartments in them for you to store all types of supplies such as, pencils, sticky notes, and paper clips. Desktop shelving, however, is perfect for storing those important papers you need to keep close by. You can get colorful labels to add to the shelving to help you organize your work even further. In the case that you don’t feel you need organizers or shelves on your desk, just keep it simple and go for at least a pencil holder. You can find them just about anywhere or create your own custom container by repurposing items around the house like a mug or small bucket.
Mobile Storage
Wheeled storage is becoming more and more popular in recent years. As many people are taking on jobs that require a great deal of multitasking, having storage with some mobility can be extremely helpful. Multi-tiered carts are typically great for those working in more hands-on environments. You can utilize its shelving to switch out supplies based on the project you’re working on and bring everything with you around your workspace. While they are great for changing out supplies, don’t rule them out for long-term storage either. They can be a stationary decorative piece next to any desk, too! There are also plenty of color options when it comes to storage carts, so explore and find one that matches your office’s style. Before you know it, your office will not only be organized, but efficient as well.
Wall Storage
Though it is commonly overlooked, storing on the wall space above and around your desk is a perfect way to free your work area of clutter. There are so many wall storage options that some people don’t even know exist but even so, they are great to implement in your home office. As an added perk, many of them are functional and fit within common and modern decor styles as well. As mentioned previously, built-in shelving can be great for storing items up and out of the way in your office. To push your creativity, try something a little different and install floating shelves in your office instead. Floating shelves have the same storage benefits as other bulkier units but can be more aesthetically pleasing to some. They visually take up less “eye space”, making your work area appear to be less cluttered. You can also try a couple of the newer office wall storage trends like metal wall grids and pegboards. Essentially, once you hang either of these, you can add hooks and baskets to them to completely customize your storage to your needs.
There are endless possibilities with storage, but these five storage solutions are some of the basics to creating an organized and productive office environment. Within each category, put your own creative twist on how you implement them in your own office space and watch your work area go from cluttered to organized in no time!
