To keep your desk tidy and your mind well-ordered, we put together this selection of valuable ideas on how to organize everything around you and keep all extraneous items out of the picture.

‘Tiffany style’

Thick paper bags in pastel colors are the perfect solution for those who want to lessen the load sitting on their desktop. When fixed on the wall they look so beautiful and delicate.

A bright table organizer

This table organizer can be made using impromptu means, such as ordinary cardboard and toilet paper rolls. For a minimum of expenditure you get the best possible result!

A hidden depot

If there is a closet, dresser or closed shelf near to your workspace, you’re incredibly lucky.

Careful sorting

Carefully sorting all the things you need into folders and boxes can help you combat a messy desktop.

A book surprise

Books placed on your desk always look elegant and can help swing your mood into work mode.

A wooden pen holder

Add an organic element to your work space with the help of this wooden holder for your pens.

A board for useful items

A display board for reminders and useful items created by doing this will help you keep your eyes on the ball and avoid forgetting something.

A colorful file holder

Do you have any empty cereal boxes you haven’t got round to throwing out? Don’t rush to do so. Play a little bit with scissors, glue, and decorative paper, and you’ll get an excellent holder for your papers, documents and magazines.

Wall pockets

This is a cheerful and effective solution for those who love sewing. Make some of these pockets and hang them above your desk to solve the problem of losing little things once and for all.

Hanging cups for pencils

In order to free up your working space on the table, sometimes things can be hung above it. You can find an original approach to doing this here.

Home offices need a clear work area, and that means providing adequate space for computer hardware and peripheral equipment, a spot for reference materials, file space, and a location for frequently referenced supplies and paper. Make sure your office furniture provides ample space for work and storage.

Invest in Adequate Furniture

Home offices need a clear work area, and that means providing adequate space for computer hardware and peripheral equipment, a spot for reference materials, file space and a location for frequently referenced supplies and paper. Make sure your office furniture provides ample space for work and storage.

Establish Activity Centers

The efficient office should be zoned into three activity areas:

• The Work Center, which includes a clear workspace, the computer and frequently-used office products.
• The Reference Center, which includes binders, manuals, dictionary and professional books and materials.
• The Supply Center, which contains office and paper supplies.

Hide Cords

Electrical cords can become a tangled mess inside a drawer or desktop. Use a small, stylish storage container to store and hide all the wires.

Use Mason Jars As Cubbies

Keep all your writing utensils organized and at hand by putting them in Mason jars right on your desk.

Install Open Shelving

Keep the desk surface clear by adding a book spine to your space. These easy-to-build shelves allow you to stack magazines and books in close proximity while freeing up space on your desk.

Use Drawer Dividers

Large drawers are great for storing paperwork, but small desk items should be separated into small sections with drawer dividers to help keep everything organized.

1. Pottery Barn-Inspired DIY Desk

For this project, you’ll simply need a corner desk (like Ikea’s Effective Desk) and a pair of wooden file cabinets. The first step is to paint the desktop and the cabinets in white. Remove the legs and hardware from the desk, then add some braces to the back corner that, in this case, have been fashioned out of metal plates and banister inserts. Now you have a brand new desk that looks better than ever.

2. DIY IKEA Standing Desk

Space-saving standing desks can be pretty expensive, which is why a DIY project like this one can be a wallet-loving alternative. This particular desk was made using some IKEA tech, as well as items from the hardware store. The owners didn’t give us many details on the process, but you can figure it out from the pictures. It’s an attractive, functional piece, and the best part is that it didn’t cost more than a few dollars.

3. Designing and Building a New Desk

This is a more elaborate project, although it’s totally doable with some planning and careful construction. Building a solid and stable (and stylish!) desk from scratch is not difficult, but it’s not the easiest DIY, either. But it’s a great way to get exactly what you want. In this case, it all started with an old solid wood door.

4. How to Build a Mini Laptop Desk

I’m personally a big fan of portable laptops. They’re smaller than regular laptops, but they’re more practical because of how easy they are to carry around. Here’s how you can build a desk for your own mini laptop. First, you’ll want to cut the piece to the size you’re after. Use laminated pine for the top, and pine for the risers and legs. You’ll also be using a circular saw.

5. Home Studio Desk

For this DIY home studio desk, you’ll need a tabletop and four legs to make the main desk base. Then you can build another shelf for a keyboard and monitor. You can hide all the wire underneath the desk, and you’ll still have plenty of room for the monitor, the keyboard, and the speakers…plus some spare space. This desk was made for only £45.99 ($72.86).

6. Birch and Aluminum Desk

This particular desk was designed to meet some specific needs. For example, it had to be large enough to spread out an open textbook, notebook computer, and writing notebook. It also had to be durable and had to be without nooks and crannies that would fill up with knick-knacks. And, stylishly, it had to have modern, clean lines.

7. Build-Your-Own Desk for Less than $30

When you think practically, there’s no need to pay hundreds of dollars for a desk when you can make your own one for under $30. Here’s how: Use (9 cm) wide CLS for the mainframe (legs and one support) and some 60mm (6cm) CLS timber for the supports that will be visible. Use 18mm thick plywood to make the desktop. Cut it down into 4’’ planks, then place as the desktop, leaving a small gap between each plank. Use screws and glue to keep everything together. You can also choose to paint it. {found on instructables}.

8. Custom Desk Project

Here’s how you can make your own desk without paying tons of money and without sacrificing style or function. First, decide on the dimensions you’re after, then buy the wood for the desktop. In this case, three planks of pine were used. Sand the wood and stain it. (This desk has a water-based walnut finish.) Use a foam brush to apply two to three coats. You’ll have to use some cabinets as a base (shown: three IKEA Besta Cabinets). Place the planks on top of them, line them up, and secure them together. Now you have a nice desk and plenty of storage space in the cabinets. {found on aubreyandlindsay}.

9. DIY Upcycled Tabletop Standing Desk

For this standing desk, you’ll need a table (upcycle one you already have, buy a new one altogether, or make one yourself) as well as a second table top and brackets. Place them one on top of the other, secure them together, and you’ll have a brand new and very functional standing desk for less than $30. {found on ikeahackers}.

10. Eclectic DIY desk

This is a fantastic DIY desk-building project that resulted in a modern desk incorporating multiple finishes. It’s glamorous and chic. If you’re up for creating your own version, start by sanding the top and the sides of the desk.

Then use a blow torch and have fun with it. Lay the torch at such an angle that the flame licks across the surface as you move horizontally. After that, wipe it down with a wet cloth and start the staining process. Assemble the legs and the shelves, place a glass top over it, and you’re done.

11. Murphy-Style Wall-Mounted Desk

Grab a chunky wood remnant and attach some cables or hinges to the edges. Make sure you research your weight constraints to the support system you choose, but once you’ve got the thing mounted to the wall, you’ve got yourself a fantastically minimalist-modern hanging desk. Bonus: It can fold up onto the wall when not in use.

12. Shelf-Supported DIY Desk

If you have some old shelves lying around and you’re not quite sure what to do with them, look no further than this DIY computer desk design. Grab a top for your table (use wood cut to size then sand it), and lay the top on top of the two supporting shelves. Prime and paint everything to fit your taste. The benefit of something like this is that you can use what you already have, and it will be a completely unique home office desk – with plenty of storage or display area.

13. Mid-Century Modern Desk

If you’re wanting to change up the look of your space, or if you only have one dresser available to mount a desktop onto, or if you love a mid-century modern vibe but your workspace doesn’t say that, consider this option. Pick up a pair of simple table legs that are similar in height to a modern-style dresser. (You can raise the height of the dresser with four short legs, if necessary.) Attach the dresser and the two legs to the underside of the desktop, and you have an absolutely original and fabulously stylish desk. {found on manhattan-nest}.

14. Upgraded Straight-Legged Table

For those old beat-up tables with straight legs and zero personality, this is a fantastic makeover into a showstopper of a desk. Use slim pine boards to create the design of your choice between the legs (this DIYer added in a board at the bottom between each pair of side legs and the entire interior design on each side), then paint everything. What an amazingly unique and chic desk project!

15. DIY Desk with Vintage Sewing Machine Table Legs

Flea markets and yard or estate sales might be your new best friends if you’re after some kind of gem like this. Find a vintage piece with cool legs, like an old sewing machine table. Even (especially?) if the piece itself isn’t your style, you can repurpose the legs by detaching them from their original top and attaching them to a simple desktop board, cut to size. This is an excellent way to upcycle vintage bits and showcase your personality.

16. Industrial Pipe-Leg Desk

Great news for those of you with die-hard industrial style: your DIY desk doesn’t necessarily have to give you slivers or scrapes (from all that reclaimed rough-hewn wood you were bound to use) to have the edgy industrial vibe you love. Pipes! That’s the answer found in this complete (and awesome) tutorial. Galvanized pipes used as legs attach to a clean desktop for a totally inspiring, efficient, and stylish home office desk.

17. Minimalist Floating Desk/Console Combo

When you think of minimalism, you think of the least possible components to achieve maximum effect or function. This DIY floating desk is just that – with a few boards from a hardware store and some elbow grease (not even that much elbow grease, either!), you could create a similar desk in your own space. (Full tutorial available.) Modern, cool, and very very chic. Not to mention completely functional. And, bonus, when you remove the chair or set it aside, you’ve got a working console in your hallway. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is. {found on designsponge}.

18. DIY Double Desk

If your space is small but your desk space needs are large, you might be inspired by this creative DIY double desk idea. Although a tutorial isn’t available, you could let this photo be your guide to customize a similar double desk that works in your space. With a sturdy bookshelf as the separator, a desktop is mounted at the proper height (if the bookcase is sturdy enough, the desktop could even rest on the middle shelf and extend all the way through, making two workspaces out of one desktop). This is a great way to get the most bang for your DIY-home-office-desk buck.

19. Sawed-Apart Table Desk

For a potentially awkward and/or dreary corner office space, you’ll be able to brighten things up in no time by upcycling an old table. That’s right. An old, beat-up table that’s destined for the landfill. Cut off the end (or ends, if you need two), fill in any cracks or gaps on the top itself, and then prime and paint. Mount the table end (a.k.a., your new desk) to the wall, and voila! A beautiful customized desk. Do two of them if you have two people working at the same time, or even if you’re simply looking for symmetry. {found on migonishome}.

20. Wood Slab DIY Desk

The Merrythought shows us how to make this simple wood slab DIY desk that adds a rustic touch to any home office. If you don’t have a home office but desperately need somewhere to work at home during these challenging times, it’s the ideal budget-friendly solution. To make things cheaper and easier, this project uses two wood slabs, which are glued together to create the main part of the desk. Everything is attached directly to the wall, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much space in any room. This would look great in a teenager’s bedroom and offers a good area to work and study.

21. A Simple Standing Desk

A standing desk is a healthier option for working from home and can provide you with a way to stretch your legs instead of sitting down all day long. Many individuals are opting for standing desks nowadays, and this simple standing desk from A Beautiful Mess is the ideal solution for your needs. This wrap-around standing desk allows you to stand up or use a high stool and offers plenty of desktop space. It enables you to have a free center of your room and make the most of what is most likely an unused corner of your room.

22. DIY Compartment Desk

Shades of Blue Interiors shares this DIY compartment desk plan which offers you additional storage without adding bulky cupboards or drawers to your new desk. When you open up the compartment on the top of this desk, you’ll find three sections underneath. You’ll be able to tidy away your pens and papers instead of letting them clutter up the surface of your desk. You’ll also find this is a great option for vanity, as you could hide makeup inside the compartment.

23. DIY Butcher Block Desk

You’ll love the modern and minimalistic look of this DIY butcher block desk from Modish & Main. It’s one of the easiest desk plans on our list today and offers a simple and sleek desk for any home office or bedroom. You’ll simply get a butcher block slab and then add hairpin legs to create your desk. It looks like something you would buy in an expensive furniture store, yet costs very little to put together yourself.

24. DIY Desk with Concrete Desktop and Wood Legs

This DIY desk from The Home Depot Blog creates an industrial look that will fit perfectly into a modern apartment or home. The concrete desktop offers a sturdy top for your desk, and the wood legs make the desk look a little warmer and more natural. It’s a simple desk to which you can also add additional shelving to for extra storage if needed.

25. Leaning Wall Ladder Desk

If you are looking for a new desk that makes efficient use of your space, consider this DIY leaning wall ladder desk from Ana White. This plan incorporates your desk into a leaning bookshelf, so you can also store folders, books, or decorative items within your shelving. It’s a great option for anyone who has a lot of paperwork and files for their work and needs a practical and effective storage solution. This would be ideal for anyone who lives in an apartment and is short of space but has suddenly been forced to work from home this year.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to work from home successfully and offer easy tips to get you started.

Create a dedicated workspace

You’re sitting on the sofa, laptop resting on your knees, with the TV blaring in the background. What’s wrong with this picture? We’ll save you some time… everything. If you’re wondering how to work from home, one of the most important things you need to do is create a dedicated workspace.

The working area you’re able to make will depend largely on the type of house or flat that you live in right now. If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room, you could turn it into a study. Of course, many of us are not that fortunate, and so have to look for other options. If all you’ve got is a tiny living room, you should still try to dedicate a corner to work, for instance.

Whatever area you choose, the rules are the same. Make the space conducive to work. You need ample desk or table space, sufficient lighting, and minimal clutter.

Dress for work every morning

Spoiler: What you wear affects how you work. Information published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that professionals experience ‘enclothed cognition’ when wearing certain threads. For example, as part of the research, participants who wore white lab coats did better when it came to tests that required attention.

While it may be tempting to lounge around in your fluffy pyjamas all day long, doing so could be hindering your productivity. When we talk about how to work from home successfully, we should never overlook the power of our clothing. Each morning, get up and get dressed as you would if you were heading to the office. It’ll make a big difference.

Track your working hours

You start the working day, sit down at your computer, and within minutes you find yourself aimlessly scrolling through Facebook or the news. Oops, you did it again. If you can’t help getting distracted, tracking your working hours could help. There are loads of handy tools online including Toggl, Harvest, and Everhour you can try. With all of the above, you simply press a start button when you work and pause when you have a break.

While you may not need to track your hours for work, this trick is a great way of staying focussed. Knowing that you’re being timed means you’re more likely to concentrate on the task at hand. You are conscious of when you take breaks and how long for. For example, you could set yourself a challenge to work for an hour and have a five-minute break.

Dealing with distractions

If there’s one thing that’s certain to ruin your workday, it’s distractions. Research shows that a three-second interruption can double the number of mistakes you make on your work. Keeping distractions to a minimum is always a smart move!

Some people can happily work away with the radio on in the background, while others find it too much. Consider what takes your attention and try removing it. If you find that you’re often looking at your smartphone when you’re working, try leaving it in another room. If you need a helping hand with cutting out the tech, start your simple digital detox today

Take an exercise break

Let’s face it, sitting in the same position for hours on end is hardly stimulating. It’s tough. You might feel like you’re stewing, which is hardly going to help you stay on track. One trick you might want to try is taking a short exercise break.

With that in mind, the next time you’re feeling sluggish, take a 10-20 minute break and do some exercise. There’s no doubt that the activities you do at home will be limited. However, there are loads of useful home workouts on YouTube that you can watch. You may also want to use some home workout gear, such as a kettlebell or skipping rope.

 Plan your daily schedule

There’s nothing worse than waking up and looking at a blank page in your diary. When it comes to working from home successfully, one of the top tips is to schedule well. In some situations, you may have daily tasks that your manager sets you ahead of time. However, if you tend to work more independently, you need to take charge of things.

Scheduling well can help you boost your productivity. How you do it depends on your personal work style. If you want to go old school, you can keep a diary and write down your daily tasks in it. Alternatively, you may want to use the calendar on your laptop or phone to do the same job.

Have regular video meetings

Working with a team? While Zoom meetings may be the bane of your existence right now, they could be having a positive impact on your work style.

Research from the Journal of Organizational Behavior suggests that teams who meet regularly to debrief are better at problem-solving than those who do not. If you’re struggling to keep on track with certain projects, dedicating regular time-slots to these meetings is the best way forward.

Switch on and off

Working and living in the same space is a challenge. It’s hard to draw a line between your work and home life. When these two areas start to blur, it can be a recipe for disaster. The solution is to make sure you switch on and off from work. Be clear about what your working hours are and stick to them. When the end of the day comes, close your laptop and don’t open it again until the morning.  Research suggests that the expectation that you should check emails out of work hours can harm your health.

source: experthometips