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15 Tools To Organize Your Desk

We’ve gathered some of our favorite tools to make your office space work for you, whether at home or in the office.

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We’ve gathered some of our favorite tools to make your office space work for you, whether at home or in the office.

In the past three years, the number of people working from home has tripled, from nine million to somewhere north of 27 million. Of course, that’s primarily because of the pandemic, but companies in the US saw productivity go up and many have fully embraced remote work when possible. For example Yelp, one of the top online review sites, went fully remote.

In fact, polls show that remote workers feel 35-40% more productive at home than they do in the office. Without the hassle and stress of a commute, the workplace becomes less stressful.

However, if your workspace itself, no matter its location, is messy and unorganized, it’s likely that gain in productivity will be lost. The average person spends around two and a half days a year looking for lost items, and replacing those items costs $2.7 billion annually.

An organized workspace will lessen stress and keep you on top of things like deadlines and time management, and it also can increase creativity in some individuals. It can be an overwhelming task to organize a messy space, so we’ve gathered some of our favorite tools to make your office space work for you, whether at home or in the office.

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Best Mobile Filing Cabinets

The old organizing adage says “a place for everything, and everything in its place” means exactly what it says--everything you own or work with needs to have a place to go when not in use. That keeps the clutter down significantly. However, we know most of us don’t have a giant corner office in which to put rows of drawers and filing cabinets, so we’ve found a few that can hold your important papers and sometimes a printer without taking up too much space.

DEVAISE 3-Drawer Wooden Filing Cabinet ($104.99, originally $129.99 at Amazon)

Amazon

Great for small spaces, this cabinet holds a printer, has two regular drawers, a filing drawer, and shelf space. Better yet, it’s easy to move about the office as it’s on casters.

Inbox Zero 11.8” Wide 3-Drawer Mobile Steel Vertical Filing Cabinet ($107.99, originally $299.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

A little more industrial with one file drawer and two additional drawers, this filing cabinet has added security of a locking mechanism, to keep your files safe and secure.

Dacall 15.75-inch Wide 3-Drawer Mobile Vertical Filing Cabinet ($62.99, originally $97.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

This filing cabinet is industrial with a metal frame, but also warm with touches of wood grain. It easily moves around and fits under most desks at 27” tall.

Best Desktop File Organizers

If you don’t have room for a full-fledged filing cabinet, or just don’t have enough files to fill it, there are smaller, more compact options. A desktop filing system can keep important files, or ones you work with regularly, available at your fingertips without taking up too much room. Plus, they’re an inexpensive option if a cabinet is just too expensive.

SimpleHouseware 5 Section Step File Sorter ($14.87 at Amazon)

Amazon

This file sorter can do double duty, holding both files and smaller things like envelopes or cards. Its wide rubber feet allow it to stack on top of some of SimpleHousewares other office organizing solutions, like this letter tray organizer.

Stonefort 3 Slot Office File Organizer ($52.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

If farmhouse chic is more your office vibe, this desktop file organizer is perfect. With three slots for files and a small drawer for things like paper clips or pens, it looks good on any desktop or workspace.

Neaterize Hanging File Organizer ($23.96 at Amazon)

Amazon

This sleek and sophisticated desktop file organizer has all the convenience of hanging file folders without taking up the space of a full filing cabinet. It’s also portable, for those days when you absolutely have to go into an office from home, or vice versa.

Best Cord Storage Devices

While it’s wonderful to have so many devices at our fingertips—phones, laptops, monitors, and chargers—the mess they leave behind makes us downright crazy. And let’s be real, the mountain of cords can also take up precious space on a desk, so these cord storage devices are a must-have for any organized workspace.

Under Desk Cable Organizer Cord Cover ($24.79, originally $59.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

This cable organizer is meant to hold a surge protector as well as all your messy cables and plugs. It attaches under the desk with just four screws, and keeps those cords and cables off the floor and off of your desk.

Chiffon Cable Clips Holder ($20.99, originally $23.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

Sorting and organizing your cables and cords could not be more simple with this peel-and-stick silicone cable sorter. It comes with a roll of self-adhesive ties to neatly keep your cords together as well.

mDesign Cable Management Box ($23.49 at Amazon)

Amazon

Tuck cords and chargers away in this sleek white box that hides a power strip inside, keeping everything hidden from view. Side vents allow you to sneak cords out when you need them and put them away when you’re finished. The lid can serve as extra desktop space for your phone while charging.

Best Drawer Organizers

Desk drawers are one of the first places to get cluttered, because it’s so easy to just open it up and dump things in to hide them from view. But when you go back to look for that thing, it’s become lost in the detritus of the junk office drawer, hidden among the scissors and the paper clips. If you use segmented drawer organizers, then everything has a place to live, and it’s all easy to find when you need it.

Lifewit 25 Piece Drawer Organizer Set ($23.99, originally $25.99 at Amazon)

Amazon

This might be the last drawer organizing set you’ll ever need. The 25 pieces, all made from clear plastic, come in four sizes, so you can create your own custom organization system in your desk drawers. They’re perfect for holding everything from binder clips to pens and pencils, to sticky notes and that random book of stamps still hiding in your drawer.

Backery Supply 9 Piece Desk Drawer Organizer Set ($15.90 at Amazon)

Amazon

If color is more your thing, we like these pastel-colored desk organizers that come in three sizes. Great for those with fewer drawers, these nine pieces can be organized to suit your needs without being overwhelming.

CAXXA 3-Slot Drawer Organizer with Adjustable Dividers ($20.79 at Amazon)

Amazon

And if the thought of creating your own organization system from multiple bins makes you nervous, this drawer organizer might be your answer. The main space in the center stays the same size, but the sides have removable and adjustable dividers to create a semi-custom organizational system.

Best Pen Holders

Desks tend to collect a lot of pens and pencils. We know we have our favorites, and like keeping them within arms reach, rather than in the drawer. So if you need them handy, yet organized, these desktop pen holders are the perfect addition to your workspace.

Newkirk Metal 7-Compartment Desktop Office Pen Holder ($32.99 at Wayfair)

Wayfair

Never shall your blue pens mix with the black pens again with this 7 compartment pen holder. It’s got a space for every kind of pen, marker, and pencil you can think of along with smaller compartments. These are perfect for paper clips or rubber bands, or those tiny golf pencils. It also rotates 360 degrees for easy access to your favorite pen.

YOSCO Ceramic Desk Pen Holder ($11.99 at Amazon)

Amazon

This pen holder, with the geometric design and gold painted accents, proves that organization doesn’t have to be dull or boring. We like the compact size for those of you without our pen obsession, and it comes in three colors to match any office decor.

YOSCO Bamboo Wood Pen Holder ($15.99 at Amazon)

Amazon

Also from YOSCO, this bamboo wood pen holder, with three sections, gives your office space a more organic, and less industrial feel, with all the benefits of sorting your pens from your markers, and it’s made from renewable resources.

Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.

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Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-March 2024

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-March 2024
A brief excerpt: This 2-part overview for mid-March provides a snapshot of the current housing market.

I always like to star…

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Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Part 1: Current State of the Housing Market; Overview for mid-March 2024

A brief excerpt:
This 2-part overview for mid-March provides a snapshot of the current housing market.

I always like to start with inventory, since inventory usually tells the tale!
...
Here is a graph of new listing from Realtor.com’s February 2024 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report showing new listings were up 11.3% year-over-year in February. This is still well below pre-pandemic levels. From Realtor.com:

However, providing a boost to overall inventory, sellers turned out in higher numbers this February as newly listed homes were 11.3% above last year’s levels. This marked the fourth month of increasing listing activity after a 17-month streak of decline.
Note the seasonality for new listings. December and January are seasonally the weakest months of the year for new listings, followed by February and November. New listings will be up year-over-year in 2024, but we will have to wait for the March and April data to see how close new listings are to normal levels.

There are always people that need to sell due to the so-called 3 D’s: Death, Divorce, and Disease. Also, in certain times, some homeowners will need to sell due to unemployment or excessive debt (neither is much of an issue right now).

And there are homeowners who want to sell for a number of reasons: upsizing (more babies), downsizing, moving for a new job, or moving to a nicer home or location (move-up buyers). It is some of the “want to sell” group that has been locked in with the golden handcuffs over the last couple of years, since it is financially difficult to move when your current mortgage rate is around 3%, and your new mortgage rate will be in the 6 1/2% to 7% range.

But time is a factor for this “want to sell” group, and eventually some of them will take the plunge. That is probably why we are seeing more new listings now.
There is much more in the article.

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Pharma industry reputation remains steady at a ‘new normal’ after Covid, Harris Poll finds

The pharma industry is hanging on to reputation gains notched during the Covid-19 pandemic. Positive perception of the pharma industry is steady at 45%…

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The pharma industry is hanging on to reputation gains notched during the Covid-19 pandemic. Positive perception of the pharma industry is steady at 45% of US respondents in 2023, according to the latest Harris Poll data. That’s exactly the same as the previous year.

Pharma’s highest point was in February 2021 — as Covid vaccines began to roll out — with a 62% positive US perception, and helping the industry land at an average 55% positive sentiment at the end of the year in Harris’ 2021 annual assessment of industries. The pharma industry’s reputation hit its most recent low at 32% in 2019, but it had hovered around 30% for more than a decade prior.

Rob Jekielek

“Pharma has sustained a lot of the gains, now basically one and half times higher than pre-Covid,” said Harris Poll managing director Rob Jekielek. “There is a question mark around how sustained it will be, but right now it feels like a new normal.”

The Harris survey spans 11 global markets and covers 13 industries. Pharma perception is even better abroad, with an average 58% of respondents notching favorable sentiments in 2023, just a slight slip from 60% in each of the two previous years.

Pharma’s solid global reputation puts it in the middle of the pack among international industries, ranking higher than government at 37% positive, insurance at 48%, financial services at 51% and health insurance at 52%. Pharma ranks just behind automotive (62%), manufacturing (63%) and consumer products (63%), although it lags behind leading industries like tech at 75% positive in the first spot, followed by grocery at 67%.

The bright spotlight on the pharma industry during Covid vaccine and drug development boosted its reputation, but Jekielek said there’s maybe an argument to be made that pharma is continuing to develop innovative drugs outside that spotlight.

“When you look at pharma reputation during Covid, you have clear sense of a very dynamic industry working very quickly and getting therapies and products to market. If you’re looking at things happening now, you could argue that pharma still probably doesn’t get enough credit for its advances, for example, in oncology treatments,” he said.

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Q4 Update: Delinquencies, Foreclosures and REO

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Q4 Update: Delinquencies, Foreclosures and REO
A brief excerpt: I’ve argued repeatedly that we would NOT see a surge in foreclosures that would significantly impact house prices (as happened followi…

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Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Q4 Update: Delinquencies, Foreclosures and REO

A brief excerpt:
I’ve argued repeatedly that we would NOT see a surge in foreclosures that would significantly impact house prices (as happened following the housing bubble). The two key reasons are mortgage lending has been solid, and most homeowners have substantial equity in their homes..
...
And on mortgage rates, here is some data from the FHFA’s National Mortgage Database showing the distribution of interest rates on closed-end, fixed-rate 1-4 family mortgages outstanding at the end of each quarter since Q1 2013 through Q3 2023 (Q4 2023 data will be released in a two weeks).

This shows the surge in the percent of loans under 3%, and also under 4%, starting in early 2020 as mortgage rates declined sharply during the pandemic. Currently 22.6% of loans are under 3%, 59.4% are under 4%, and 78.7% are under 5%.

With substantial equity, and low mortgage rates (mostly at a fixed rates), few homeowners will have financial difficulties.
There is much more in the article. You can subscribe at https://calculatedrisk.substack.com/

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