01/04 Our Apartment

Desk Organization Updates

This corner regularly changes and though they’re mostly small ones, it all has to do with this being the place where I spend 83% of my time.  It takes a lot of attention to maintain tidiness and organization exactly because my being here so much means it gets messy often.  I stay very aware of when I’ve outgrown a system or when I’m in need of updating storage solutions, staying in line with the best advice I’ve come across for keeping things straight which is to make sure every single thing has a proper place to live.  Sounds like a no brainer, but there was a time when I’d just toss things on counters and maybe roughly group them in piles, usually because I had to for making dusting easier.  Not ideal for keeping track of things!

And sure, organizing is especially at the top of the mind in the new year after the holiday season of excess and chaos.  I definitely get deeper into it this time of year, and I’ve partnered with Michaels to show you some of the pieces I’ve added from their Cre8ed Spaces line to further improve the organization at my desk.  The best part is I’m SO pleased with how well they fit in with my style- we already know that’s non-negotiable criteria.

The items in the line come in a few colors and I stuck with all white, boom.  All three items are boxes, and past blog posts I’ve done already prove that I have a deep affection for boxes in general.

This one is a drawer organizer I keep on top of my desk and establishes a system I like to use anywhere I keep a larger grouping of items.  The system is that I keep items I access or want to access more regularly in a spot that’s right at-hand, and then everything else is more tucked away.  In this case, “more tucked away” refers to the drawers in my desk.

While I love clean surfaces and prefer to have everything tucked away always, I’ve learned that this can encourage me to forget about things I don’t want to forget about.  Much like how I’ll keep things at the top of mind by putting them at the top of the to-do list, I like using an organizer like this to keep things I want to focus on more easily accessible.  I love that the little drawers of this organizer provide that tucked away feeling but still make it quick to get to what’s inside.  Right now I have my calligraphy gear in the top drawer, which I moved there from the bottom of the filing cabinet in my desk because I kept forgetting about it and I want to get back to practicing!  This brings another point that the contents of these drawers will likely change regularly as my list of priorities change, though maybe not by much.

I keep the other two boxes here on this shelf, the top one currently being used as what I call a dump bin.  Sometimes you just need a spot to dump things that you haven’t figured out yet where to put, which might sound contradictory to what I said before about everything having a proper place to live, but I’d prefer this limbo to happen in a box then out in the open.  I’m also aware that’s probably denying how this will just be the permanent spot for all the random knick-knacks I may never find true designated places for.

The box on the bottom I love for being beautifully two-toned with wood and having dividers inside.  I’ve moved the majority of my washi tape in here, which used to hang on the pegs in my hanging storage unit that I found to be really annoying and better for holding rolls of string, hence the move.  Before, because of the way the tape was stacked, I’d have to take all the rolls off the pegs or shuffle them around if I was looking for a specific one.  For me it makes more sense to have them sprawled out in a box like this, plus I appreciate the dividers that help organize them by color/pattern.

The little white round containers are also from Michaels and they hold small items like the leftover confetti stars from a project I did over this past holiday season and leftover beads from jewelry projects that failed (will maybe re-attempt those).

Small updates like these can make some really good changes, and even these updates can be changed easily when I’ve once again discovered another need or organizing system improvement.  Plus I’m just really, really into exploring storage options, especially when boxes are involved.

Have you started or are you planning on any organization projects this month??

PS.  Check out the Michaels blog here for more organization inspiration from the other Michaels Makers.

37 comments on “Desk Organization Updates”

    1. The papers always find a way to pile up! One of my desk drawers is solely dedicated to this issue ;) Thanks, Sofia!

    1. Ah, I love that you use a legitimate alarm clock to get up in the morning. Way more fun than the iPhone!
      Thanks, Natalie!

  1. I love boxes, too, for all this little stuff on the table. I have many but the problem is I have to many of these “dump bins” so one is full i get another instead of sorting out ore find the right place for the things in the first box. I’m so fascinated with the clean look of your working place and one of my goal this year is to avoid the mess on my working table where I spend most times of the day like you.
    Greetings Kathrin

    1. Ah, yes, having multiple dump bins can be counterproductive, I’ve been there! Keeping my desk clean is tough, though what helped me was to think that instead of avoiding messes, it’s better to work freely and make the mess as long as I keep myself accountable to tidy things after. Most times a mess is necessary for the work and that’s ok!

  2. Hello! I love your blog! Your style is so in line with my own hurray! I was wondering where is your desk chair from? We are currently using a white leather Eames chair but my husband wants something with arms. It’s proving so hard to find a good looking desk chair!

  3. I’m hoping to find a perfect little plant for my room come Spring time, do you know what exactly the name of your plant is? It’s very appealing!

    1. It’s an ivy! I’m not exactly sure which kind, but in my experience they’re not hard to find. Thinking I might need to replace it soon because it’s getting so long and outgrowing the space!

  4. Love this post! Found you through Pinterest? Where did you get your mini drawers at? I’m a seamstress and always have my tools laying around. Usually they fall off my desk but I think hiding them will make my desk not only look cleaner but everything will stop falling.

  5. hello ! i am in the process of moving and your desk area gave me so much inspiration ! could you tell me where the shelves above and on the side of the desk are from ?
    thank you 😊

  6. Hello, I am absolutely in love with the look of this desk!! I was wondering where you got the holders for your scissors? I also love the look of the two boxes on the top shelf in the right corner so where did you get those?

    1. Hi Makenzie! The scissors are in ceramic containers made by Convivial Production, and the boxes are from Target a few years ago so they’re no longer available.

  7. Hi Amy!

    I love the two-toned wooden box you have with the dividers that you use to store your washi tape and little containers of confetti.

    I was wondering where you got this two-toned box? Your office is such an inspiration!

  8. Great working space! Will definitely steal some ideas. Just wondering, where did you buy the desk from?

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