5 Office Hacks to Organize Your Workspace

Sometimes, pesky little annoyances can really add up at the office, especially when you’re hustling to get that big project done or close out the month’s orders before the end of the month. The first time you find yourself fumbling in your desk to find a pen or shoving a tangle of cords out of your way, it’s not a big deal, but the third or fourth time in a day can make you want to pull your hair out! But there are some things you can do to take care of those little things that bug you, and a lot of them require little more than stuff you already have lying around the office.

Label Those Cords

Ever need to unplug something from a power strip temporarily to free up an outlet, then realize that you have no idea which plug goes to what, which ones you can unplug and which ones you definitely shouldn’t touch? Start snagging those little plastic bread ties from the break room every time someone’s about to throw one out. Stick one around each power cord next to the plug, then use a permanent marker to write what the cord goes to on each one.

Turn Up the Volume

Need to make a speakerphone call on your smartphone (or maybe just provide the soundtrack for an office party)? Grab an empty toilet paper roll and two plastic cups, and you can rig yourself up a makeshift speaker system. It sounds pretty primitive and silly, but it really works!

Old Tech, New Use

A lot of offices still have floppy disks lying around, shoved in the back of the supply cabinet and forgotten. But while nobody’s really using them for data storage anymore, you can still use them to store something. Cut down the clutter in your desk by putting together a simple pen holder out of old 3.5-inch floppies.

Quick Keyboard Cleanup

Disgusted by the state of your keyboard but caught without any cleaning supplies or time to use them? In a pinch, you can use the sticky parts of Post-It notes to pull the gunk out from between the keys. They won’t do quite as good of a job as a thorough cleaning would, but they’ll do a decent job at pulling up crumbs and lint that are bogging down your productivity.

Binder Clips: Your New Best Friend

The most multifunctional and underestimated thing in your desk has to be those big binder clips. Sure, you can use them to hold a stack of paper together, but they’re good for so much more. Clip one to the edge of your desk and wind the cord to your headphones around the metal parts to keep them tangle-free. Clip together the cords to your electronics to cut down the clutter. You can also use them to hold the ends of things like USB cables or phone chargers within easy reach. And a couple of them clipped together can form a neat little stand for your smartphone.

Photo credits: eOffice, Unsplash