My office was in desperate need of organizing! I can’t believe I ever let my office area get so cluttered. Somehow it gradually came to look like a war zone. My office is in the unfinished basement of a house built in 1940, so it’s not your typical home office. I’m at my desk every day and knew it could look and function a lot better. I knew that I could get some get modern office art at Bumblejax to spruce up my space so I thought I’d start there. Then, onto decluttering…

My office before:

The first order of business was to move all the boxes, papers and “stuff” out of the area so that I could clean. This made me realise how much paper I have been using and, in reality, I probably didn’t even need most of it. I decided to research some options for going paperless instead and found FileCenter. They offer a document storage solution and also let you edit and split PDFs (https://www.filecenterdms.com/info-pdf-splitter.html), which I thought would be quite useful. This is something I am going to consider further. Once I finished removing the clutter, I decided that I would go shopping around the house to find things I could use to help get organized. I really didn’t want to spend any money on this project. The first thing I found was sitting right there all along – an old cabinet that I remember being in my Grandma’s house. I thought it would come in handy for all kinds of storage. Next, I found an enamel bread box that I bought at a flea market a few years ago. It looked good and would fit nicely on the desk. Then I remembered buying a set of nesting boxes from Costco about four years ago that were in my closet upstairs – never used. Last on the list was some old scrapbooking paper that I could use to make some “homemade” wallpaper.

Now it was time to sort through all this stuff that has been collecting for a while. I threw out a lot of old papers and “stuff” that I haven’t used for at least three years. I also found two cd’s that I had been looking for – extra bonus. Then I used the nesting boxes to store the things that I don’t use everyday; pictures, picture cd’s, operating manuals, shipping materials, computer paper, pencils, toner cartridges and magazine clippings. I used the drawers in the cabinet for wires, cables, cords and books. I put the boxes inside the old cabinet. My current projects went inside the bread box – right on top of the desk.

Now for a little quick and easy cosmetic upgrade…. I took nine sheets of scrapbook paper and laid them out on the floor pattern side down and used package tape to tape them together. Then I hung it on the bare wall behind the computer. At fifty-nine cents a sheet I can change them as often as I want – what a bargain!

My organized office:

What an improvement! I’m so glad I did this – and it didn’t cost a thing.

For more organizing tips, check out Organize With Sandy.

Detroit Mommies Expert Contributor
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Stacy Swann
Stacy Swann
13 years ago

Kathy! You did awesome! I love those nesting boxes! I want them! 🙂

I had an office in the basement for a bit and I tacky sprayed fabric to the walls. If only I would have thought of the scrapbook paper. What an FANTASTIC idea! Great job!!!!

Sandy
13 years ago

Kathy …. wow! What a transformation! I love how you used things in your home and didn’t have to go out and buy anything. So often we think we have to bring in more stuff to organize the stuff we have. Cute idea with your “wallpaper” too. Easy to change for different seasons.