Last Updated on February 23, 2020 by EditorDesks are essential furniture when it comes to setting up your workspace, whether at home or in the office. And while it can sometimes seem like a tedious task, keeping your desk tidy and organized is essential if you want to make your workspace productive.
Desks are a common feature of offices and work areas. The number and size of desks in your office majorly depends on the size and type of office it is. A small workspace would most likely not accommodate more than one desk, while larger spaces can contain more than one desk.
In most instances, the major purpose of a desk in these workspaces include:
- Holding items
- Offering you a convenient area to work, especially with computers and writing tasks.
When working with small office spaces, finding a space for your desk can be difficult and you might have to work with small desks without drawers. However, you don’t have to worry. With the right arrangement, you can get more your desk even without drawers.
Although drawers can offer a lot of storage space, especially for items that you might want to keep separately, you can also get just about that storage space from desks without drawers using the right approach. This piece helps highlight some methods you can use to optimize the desk in your workspace even if the desk is without drawers.
Getting optimal storage space from desks without drawers requires being able to make the most of every other space in and around the desk. Here are some tips that can help
1. Make the Best Use of Your Wall Space
Although you might not have a drawer under your desk, you’d be surprised by what you can do with your office wall space with some shelves and hooks.
Appropriate use of your wall space allows you to keep items in a neat and organized manner.
If the nature of your workspace does not allow the installation of shelves, a tall organizer should help.
2. Use A Monitor Stand
A good way to get some extra space from your desk is through the use of a monitor stand. By putting your computer on this stand, you can store other items under your computer e.g. files, etc.
3. Use organizers and trays
You’d be surprised at how much you can keep on top of your desk with organizers and trays. Special holders can be used for small office items e.g. pens, clips, etc.
Depending on the amount of space you have to work with, there are a lot of tricks you can do to your desktop with organizers and trays.
4. Choose the Best Location for Your Desk
Another important point when considering your office desk is the location. Desks without drawers tend to be smaller than desks with drawers, although this is not always the case. While this might be an advantage, it can cause a major hindrance to the layout of your office if it is not properly located.
Ensure that the desk does not obstruct free movement in the office and is located to ensure optimal storage space. The desk should also be situated at a location where things can be dropped on it temporarily, especially if it is the only desk in the office.
5. Use Side Rails
Another way to improve the storage capacity of your drawer is to create side rails on your desk. This can be achieved by attaching a wire to the side rim of the desk.
This made up rails can be used to hold up files and some other office items. Tension rods can also be fixed in between the legs of the desk to hold these items.
6. Always Have Some Extra Space
Like other desks, there often might be a need to keep things temporarily on the desk. Particularly when trying to get things that are not easily reached. This is why you should avoid clutter forming on your desk.
You can easily dedicate a specific area on the desk to this. Also, avoid clutter-promoting items staying too long in this region. These items should be returned to where they are usually kept once you’re done with them.
7. Carry Out A Routine Purge
To keep your desk organized, you should also check the items kept on the desk from time to time to ensure that they are items that you need. Useful items should be kept and stuff you don’t use should be removed.
You might also need to move some stuff to another space in the office-based on the frequency of their use. Most of the items kept around the desk should be items that are frequently used.
Items not frequently used can be kept on shelves.
8. A Daily Wipe Down Helps
If you’re the type that runs a busy workspace, then a daily wipe down of your desk would also go a long way to help keep your desk tidy and organized.
It’s easy to leave items on the desk. However, by carrying out a daily wipe down, you can be sure to have an organized desk at the beginning of every day.
9. Avoid Unnecessary Multitasking
While you might think you’re good at multitasking, studies have shown that it is almost cognitively impossible to focus absolutely on two events simultaneously. By focusing on one activity per time, you can avoid unnecessary clutters on your desk.
By focusing on one major activity per time, you can be sure that everything on your desk is related to that activity and every other thing is to be put away.
And if you have to multitask, you can find a way to effectively compartmentalize your desk space to ensure proper organization even while multitasking. This would help avoid clutters on your desk.
10. Avoid Procrastination
One common thing that leads to the disorganization of desks is procrastination. Pending moving items back to where they should be after use can lead to the formation of unwanted clutters on your desk over time.
A good way to go about this is by doing whatever you have to do almost immediately, except it is something that might take a long time. The sooner you get tasks done, the sooner you can put away all the items used on the process.
On the other hand, when an activity is procrastinated, especially if the items you need for this activity have already been brought out and kept on the desk, it might lead to you forgetting and going on to do something else without first putting away the items from the first activity.
11. Have An Order
Although this is a rule that generally applies to the general organization of your workspace, it is important to mention this rule in the organization of desks without drawers. More so if the desk has a side rail, organizers, trays and other items to improve the storage space of the desk.
An order helps you to effectively know what item is kept where. The rule is also used for desks with drawers, but it is easier in these instances as all you have to do is label the drawers appropriately.
Items Should be Sorted Based On Usefulness. As earlier mentioned, even items kept in and around the desk should be arranged in the order of their relative usefulness. For instance, items that are frequently used should not be kept under the desk while items that are seldom used are kept on top of the desk.
Items that are often used should be more easily accessible, compared to items that are used less frequently.
12. Have a Trash Can Around
This is also another important tip for keeping your desk organized and tidy. A trash can should be kept at a place not far from the desk. In fact, keeping the trash can under the desk might not be a bad idea.
This is because in most instances when there is no trash can around, chances are that you most likely would leave the item to be disposed on the desk which can over time lead to the formation of a clutter.
Recycling can help avoid this. Once you come across any items that need to be disposed of, you can dispose of the item directly in a neat and organized manner.
13. Have a Timely Cleaning Routine
It is also important to have a particular period dedicated to the cleaning of your desk. It might be during the general office cleaning or at a different time. During this cleaning routine, the desk should be decluttered appropriately and the desk itself should be cleaned.
In case of a need for repair or modification, the relevant professional should be invited to handle the modification.
Keeping a desk without drawer organized is primarily keeping a major unit of your workspace organized. More so considering the importance of the desk in the office. With these tips, you can keep your desk without drawers neat and organized.