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The Best Organizers and Storage Accessories for Disorganized Desks

Any workspace can be decluttered with the right desk organizer

January 23, 2020

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By nature, I am an extremely disorganized person. Left to my own devices, I’ll allow junk mail, dead batteries, pens, books, and protein bar wrappers to pile up until, by the time I finally notice the problem, my desk is barely visible beneath a mountain of miscellaneous stuff. Luckily, 30 years of living with myself has taught me some tools for handling my chaotic habits. The first step: picking up a good desk organizer.

I have a tiny workspace, so I look for small organizers that maximize my limited surface area with plenty of drawers and pockets for all of my loose supplies. I need space for pens, post-its, notebooks, and paperclips, as well as, crucially, a drawer or section for all those little odds and ends I’m never quite sure what to do with (where should I put this Gorilla glue?)

What Are the Best Desk Organizers?

The best desk organizers (also known as “caddies”) help give all of your stationery and accessories a neatly organized place on your desk – or in your desk drawer. My desk is not your desk, so measure your space and think about the supplies you generally need on hand when considering the dimensions you want. Here are some things to think about.

Size: A larger organizer might be around 13 by 13 inches in dimension — think small MacBook Pro — and offers the advantage of increased space and additional compartments. If you’re working with more limited surface area like me, look for something in the 8 x 5 range — the size of a standard picture frame.

Shape: What are you storing? Do you need space for papers and folders or do you only need contained spaces for pushpins and extra staples? If you don’t need a rack for manila envelopes, don’t buy one.

Appearance: Practical black mesh is standard for a reason. It’s simple, lightweight, and won’t be an eyesore on your desk. It’s lightweight enough to be moved around easily too.

1. SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer

This organizer is on the larger end, but if you have the space, its wide variety of drawers and compartments are capable of containing even more stuff than you think.

We also like that it comes mostly pre-assembled — all you need to do is snap in the included plastic tabs. This organizer has space for folders and paper, wide drawers for markers, post-its, or staplers, and smaller space for odd-sized items like a cell-phone.

Buy SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer $24.87

2. Mindspace Office Desk Organizer

If you’re short on surface area, this little organizer is the perfect option. Some people are a little surprised at just how tiny it is — at not-quite nine inches x 5.5 inches — but even more surprised by how far this little product goes. Thanks to the thoughtfully-designed compartments and drawers, there is plenty of space for notebooks and papers, writing utensils or tape dispensers, and tiny odds and ends, like paper clips and pushpins.

Buy Mindspace Office Desk Organizer $18.99

3. DecoBros Desk Supplies Organizer Caddy

This organizer does not include space for papers but if you, like most post-Boomer generations, don’t use loose sheets all that often anyway, you shouldn’t find this a problem.

What it does include are five divided compartments to fit all your writing instruments, as well as two, smaller additional compartments for small supplies, and a drawer for sticky notes.

People like the rubber feet keeping the organizer from skidding around the desk, as well as the sturdy construction.

Buy DecoBros Desk Supplies Organizer Caddy $12.97

4. Office Desk Organizer Metal Mesh

On the other hand, if you need a file organizer specifically, we like that this unit includes both horizontal trays and vertical pockets, five in total, to store various folders, loose sheets, notebooks, and other paper documents.

People like how compact this organizer is, with the capacity to hold everything from magazines, to mail, to larger office supplies, like staplers, on the top shelf.