Work-from-home culture has been adapted worldwide due to the arrival of the novel corona virus. As the situation subsides, home office still continues to be the need of the hour because of the advantages it possesses. It not only helps to combat pollution but also saves time by doing away with travelling and gives better productivity.
To make your home office more productive, you need to organize it properly. Organizing and designing your home office need not be a budget killer. You can think outside the box and simply reuse household items in the home office.
Working from home can be very convenient and productive, as long as your workspace is not a chaos. The design and organization of your home office doesn’t have to be super expensive or complicated. You can find common household items that can be reused in unexpected ways to eliminate clutter.
Ways to Repurpose Household Items in the Home-Office
Working from home can turn out to be super convenient and productive, if your home office isn’t a complete wreck. Follow these 20 easy ideas to help de-clutter your space, creative uses for everyday items, ways to reuse common household items, ways to repurpose household items, items you can reuse and creative ways to reuse household items:
01. Detangled Cords
Organize your unruly cords with a compartmentalized media box with cardboard cut-outs. Label each section and decorate the cardboard with colourful papers. Be sure, you’ll never again get your camera cords and phone chargers mixed up.
02. Cans To The Rescue
Take good care of the little things by putting clean cans of items like tuna or pickles in the drawer. Each small compartment can store buttons, elastics, clips or ties, stapler pins, binder clips etc so that you can say goodbye to the junk in the drawers.
03. Revolving Spice Rack = Office Supply Organizer
To sort out small reusable everyday items we use like paperclips, rubber bands and tacks, you can use a revolving spice rack. To avoid the confusion regarding the contents in each container, use a transparent glass container.
04. Egg Box Organizer
Organize your desk drawers using old egg boxes. This project is an eco-friendly solution to get rid of clutter and keep all your little office supplies in one place. Paint a fun shade on the box and make it an eye-catchy addition to your work desk.
05. Cereal Box To Magazine Holder
Don’t throw away the cereal box. Use it as a magazine organizer. Carefully cut the cereal box at an angle from above with sharp scissors or a utility knife. Covering them with wrapping paper, leftover wallpaper or contact paper is a great way to organize your favourite magazines.
06. Fanny-Pack Storage
Attach the inexpensive fanny pack to the back of your chair and use it to store essentials like pens, notepads, stickers and other supplies for an easy and immediate access.
07. DIY Your Work Calendar
Creating your own wall calendar has never been easier. Colourful stickers and corkboards give you a stylish way to keep up with dates and schedules. Your DIY work calendar will help you in maintaining regular schedules for your home office.
08. Shoe Organizer To Office Organizer
Add a shoe organizer behind the office door (or on an empty wall) and use it to sort small items like pencils, markers, badges etc. Transparent pockets make it easy to pick on the go without having to dig in through the mess.
09. Upcycle The Ladder
Breathe new life into your old wooden ladder by turning it into a stylish open shelf for books, plants and decorations.
10. Dish Drain File Organizer
Organize go-to documents in a repurposed dish drain. Add a chic look with pretty folders and coloured notebooks, and don’t forget to stock up on plenty of pens and pencils.
11. Food Jars = Office Supply Holders
Turn empty food jars into cute containers for pins, paper clips, pencils, markers, cutters, staplers and other stationery. Glue the small wooden drawer handle to the centre of the lid, then paint the lid and grab the handle in your favourite colour to catch the eye. Food jars are used as reusable household items.
12. Glassware Alternative
As an alternative to your regular office supply holder, you can use colourful antique tumbler to add a splash of colour to your workspace. Antique tumblers are things you can repurpose for storing items.
13. Cake Pan Organizer
Keep office materials and other knick-knacks off the desk in style by storing them in the cake pan organizer. It becomes very convenient and handy when you keep everything organized. This also increases the productivity at home.
14. Utensil Organizer Turned Supply Holder
Transform a utensil organizer into a plastic drawer organizer which fits perfectly in length for things like pens, pencils etc. It also tucks in nicely in your drawers, giving you a smart idea for clever organization.
15. Rose Gold Wire Wall Grid
No matter how digital we get, there are important papers to handle in your home office most of the time. In your daily hustle, you don’t want any of them to get misplaced. For that, you need to add a copper wall grid, which gives you a contemporary vibe. It will help you keep everything at one place.
16. Use Magazine Rack for Notebooks
Collect all your notebooks and books from your desk and store them in a magazine rack. Choosing a mesh file will ensure that you keep everything organized.
17. Faux Metal Desk Organizer By Cereal Box
Decorate your cereal and cracker boxes with metallic paint and file markers to get the trendy metal desk organizer at an affordable price.
18. DIY Cell Phone Holder
Create a dedicated place to charge your phone with this handy hack. Cut off the top of the empty shampoo bottle and cut off about half of the bottle, leaving a pocket for your phone. Cut a hole in the top of the bottle to allow the phone charger plug to pass through.
19. Chords Organized With Binder Clips
Untidy wires will instantly make any workspace look cluttered. Attach a clip to the edge of the table and thread the cord through the clip to keep it clean. It also simplifies the connection of electronic devices.
20. Cork Board Mouse Pad
A very simple handmade cork mouse pad looks gorgeous with metallic paint. You can choose any colour to match your office, but we appreciate the rustic vibe of bronze or gold and natural cork. To keep the lines straight, apply a thin layer of glitter colour by marking the mousepad area with masking tape before using the brush.
21. Desktop Dry Erase Board
Instead of wasting countless piles of paper or sticky notes, create a dry eraser board on your desk to keep track of all your to-do lists and notes. Use old photo frames to DIY your glass dry-erase board.
22. Repurpose Books
Do you only have books at home? It can be used to hold the laptop at the proper height. Use books as a temporary solution to prevent your computer from overheating. Book mount can also be used as a tripod.
23. Mug It Up
Use the old cups to grow home succulents to add a fresh vibe to your work desk. You can also utilize cups to hold office stationery. Make your cups personalized by doodling on them.
Whether you work in the corner of a basement or in an apartment of a high-rise, you can personalize your workspace with beautiful yet practical household items. Think outside the box about what you already have before spending money on expensive organizers and storage solutions. We found 18 easy ideas that will take your home office a notch higher as you continue to climb the corporate (or non-corporate) ladder.
Apart from home office organization ideas, if you also want some organization hacks for your kitchen, here we have added this informative blog for you:
Revitalizing the Space You Have Available: 5 Tips To Keep Your Kitchen Organized
Cues for Organizing Kitchen Cabinets
Furthermore, if you want to make your apartment clutter-free, here are the ways to explore:
What are the ways to make a studio apartment clutter free?
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Author Bio
Sonam Maheshwari – Sonam Maheshwari is a civil engineer and a sustainability consultant by profession. She believes that writing fuels her enthusiasm for anything she does. As a Writer, Editor, and Researcher she has worked with various global design and digital platforms. Passionate about sustainability and green buildings and she is an IGBC-accredited professional, She is also the co-founder of Constructivist which is a sustainability consultancy firm.