Deep desk drawers can be a recipe for clutter, often acting as catch-alls. Why do they always seem to be full of random items thrown in with no rhyme, reason, or organization? If you are in cleaning mode and ready to up your desk drawer game, try these seven simple steps to organize your deep desk drawers.
This guide will take you through the full process from clearing out your large drawers to neatly organizing them. The real key to keeping your deep drawers neat is found in step 6.
Drawer organizers are a must when you want to use a deep drawer for storage. Without them it’s easy to waste huge amounts of time searching through a massive drawer you think has what you are looking for. Along with labels a set of drawer organizers are perfect for organizing your deep drawers.
1. Declutter
The first step to organizing your deep drawers is to declutter. That starts with removing every single thing from each drawer.
To help you visualize what all you have, lay all items out in an open space. I personally like to lay everything out on the floor so that I can get a bird’s eye view.
You will probably start to notice things you didn’t even realize you had. This should help you get a good idea of things you no longer need. As everything is emptied as you organize deep desk drawer, give each item a good wipe and make sure each drawer is clean.
2. Separate Items Into Groups
Once you can see all your items laid out in front of you, you can begin to separate them into groups. This is the point where you actually start to organize your deep desk drawers.
First, make a trash and recycling pile. If you haven’t decluttered in a while, this pile may include old pens that no longer write, broken bits and bobs, outdated receipts, and small pieces of trash.
The next pile you are going to make is a donation pile filled with useable things that you no longer need. I’m looking at you, random cable that hasn’t been used since 1995.
Also, if you have multiples of the same thing, like five rulers or two calculators, go ahead and lessen your load by donating any spares.
The third pile you create should be items that you want to keep but that don’t necessarily belong in your deep desk drawer.
Deep drawers are often used as hideaways where you toss the things you don’t want others to see. So don’t be surprised if you stumble upon something you’d thought you’d lost. Go ahead and put it back where it belongs so that you can find it in the future.
The final pile will contain all items that you want to keep and put back as you organize desk drawer. It should seem a lot more manageable with less stuff. You should have some more empty space for the things you actually need. Especially once you throw that trash away and put your donations bag in your car ready to go.
3. Organize Your Drawers By Function
Now that you have all your office drawer items spread out in front of you, begin to group like items together according to their use. You’ll need to plan based on how many drawers you have and how you may want to organize everything.
Some common things to group together are writing utensils like pencils, pens, erasers, highlighters, and Sharpies.
Office products like paper clips, staples, staplers, binder clips, staple removers, and other small bits and bobs can be grouped. They would also fit nicely in a drawer with pens and pencils.
If you send a lot of letters, you may make a stationary drawer that can contain a letter opener, thank you cards, envelopes, return address labels, and postage stamps. These items could pair nicely in a drawer with sticky notes, 3×5 cards, pads of paper, and notebooks.
If you send a lot of letters, you may make a stationary drawer that can contain a letter opener, thank you cards, envelopes, return address labels, and postage stamps. These items could pair nicely in a drawer with sticky notes, 3×5 cards, pads of paper, and notebooks.
Printer paper, printer ink, card stock, and photo paper could also be grouped and would fit well in a paper product drawer.
Scissors, glue, and tape are often used together, as well as with a calculator and a ruler.
If you are anything like me, you probably have a ton of random chargers and cables tangled into a giant ball in one of your drawers. Go ahead and untangle these, keeping any current phone and device chargers together along with charging cables.
You can consider how many drawers you have, categorizing them into categories like:
- Mailing drawers
- Writing drawers
- Printing supply drawers
- Office supply drawers
If you only arrange deep desk drawer in a limited space, you may have to merge multiple groups into one drawer, like combining stationery supplies with printing supplies.
Play around with it until you find what works best for you. You can check out this video for some drawer organization inspiration.
4. Arrange Your Deep Drawers by Priority
Now that you have your items grouped and have figured out how each drawer will function, it is important to organize your drawers by priority.
The things you use the most should have a top drawer, like pens and sticky notes. Within drawers, the items you use most often should be placed towards the front of the drawer.
Things you don’t often use, like extra printer ink, will end up going towards the bottom and backs of deep drawers.
5. Wrap Up Cables
Now let’s talk about all those pesky, tangled cables because I know you have some. To keep them organized and untangled, you’ll need to wrap them neatly and secure them.
A great way to secure them is with old bread bag tags. This trick is cheap and easy, and you can do it in a jiff yourself.
Another method for bundling cords isn’t as aesthetically pleasing but is still very effective: old toilet paper rolls. Yes, the cardboard kind. Simply wrap your cables neatly and slide them inside the toilet paper roll. If you want to get creative or have kids, you can always decorate the outside of the rolls to make them more appealing.
And if you are willing to pay for a cable storage organizer, they obviously do a great job, and will likely save you some extra drawer space too. They are also pretty likely to look a lot better than my DIY toilet roll solution.
6. Befriend Drawer Organizers
Now for the fun part – shopping for the perfect drawer organizers! Organizers are real game-changers, especially when it comes to deep drawers. They keep everything organized and tidy while also looking great, I consider them essential for drawer organization.
Make sure to measure the depth, width, and height of your drawers to ensure the organizing containers will fit before going shopping.
The best organizers for deep drawers are clear-handled bins that you can stack. You can find narrow and wide clear bins to fit a wide array of items. They are easily stacked and unstacked. While colored bins may be tempting, choosing clear containers makes finding things a breeze.
You can find organizers like this at your local office supplies shop, Walmart, Target, or online at places like Amazon.
For narrower drawers, you can get a modular interlocking draw organizer to hold small items like pencils, push pins, and sticky notes. These organizers vary in size, having anywhere from 7-24 compartments measuring two inches high. You can even place something like this on top of stackable bins for easy access.
For paper products, poly envelopes are amazing organizers. You can also use accordion files and binders.
Dividers, like the ones below, can also act as a great way to separate your deep drawers into a more manageable system.
7. Label
To master a well-organized desk drawer, get a label maker and label each stackable bin, envelope, and file. This will make it so much easier to find what you need without constantly rummaging for ages. While also making your setup look more sleek and professional.
Now you have finished sorting your deep desk drawers, you can begin placing everything back in its rightful drawer based on function and priority.
A great idea to keep all your organizers in place is to secure them with sticky putty so they don’t slide around every time you open and close the drawers.
If you are still don’t have enough drawer space to fit everything, a desk hutch could be a great way to boost the storage capability of your desk.
