17 Desk Organizers That’ll Optimize Your Workspace

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A nine-to-five office worker will spend a massive chunk of their life at a desk. Honestly, it's your desk and your mattress. Those are the two places you'll spend most of your life. We've told you hot to optimize your sleeping situation, from smart alarm clocks to smart lamps. We've told you the soft mattresses, hard mattresses, and hotel mattresses to buy. (Don't get us started about all the sheets reviews we've done.) Point is, we've told you all about the sleeping third of your life. We've told you all about the having fun third of your life. Let's tell you how to optimize the work third of your life.

Depending on what clutters up your desk the most, there's an organizer to fit your needs. Some are simple with just a little valet tray and a pen or pencil holder. Some are giant contraptions for sorting papers. Some are just straight up different pieces of furniture. We've tested it all.

There are some easy, budget ones that are no-brainer options. Just stick it on an empty corner of your desk and call it a day. If you'd rather upgrade to something fancier, though, opt for a beautifully constructed wooden one instead. You can't go wrong at some of our favorite interior decor and organization shops like Konmari and Yamazaki. Shop our editors' 17 favorite desk organizers here.

Modern Desk Set

What do you really need to organize a desk? For us, it's somewhere to empty your pockets and somewhere to put your tools. Sure, you might have books and whatnot, but with a catchall tray and pencil cup, your 95 percent the way there.

Of course, for an added bit of luxury, Leatherology can match it to your desk mat.

Desk Organizer

This organizer from Yamazaki holds your pocket items more comprehensively. Adding some functionality to hold a phone and watch is huge for us.

Shelf Risers Set

If you work on both a monitor and laptop, then a riser can be used to prop up your laptop for viewing. The best part is this multi-functional organizer can be used in other parts of the house when you're not working. Real bang for your buck here.

Desk Organizer

Why is Yamazaki so good at redesigning the smallest home stuff? We don't know, but we love it. The smart, minimal designs work in every space, for example, this adjustable desk organizer is a stylish and functional winner.

Desk Organizer

If you need somewhere to stack notebooks, little black books, and files, this cheap little organizer on Amazon is our favorite option. The wire frame doesn't look the best, but it does the job.

Bamboo Monitor Stand

If you actually want somewhere for a monitor to stand, this is the best looking option out there. The round shape and angled legs give it a mid-century look that'll class up your desk.

Casa Pop Up Desk

In the remote work era, you might not even have a singular desk. Logitech's Casa Pop Up is the solution. It folds up to the size of a book, and it folds out to make a little laptop stand, saving your neck while you work at a coffee shop. Bonus points: we loved the fact that it stores its own keyboard and trackpad.

Leather Magazine Rack

Yeah, a magazine rack usually sits on the floor, but on the corner of a desk its a classy place to set books, files, and papers.

3 Drawer File Cabinet

The best desk organizer is the one that just keeps things off your desk. For the money, we've never found anything that looks better than this file cabinet. Get it with this pop of orange steel, or a faux wood.

Stationery Bureau

Hey, if you're the big boss, you need the big boss stationary set. Keep it stocked with correspondence cards, or switch it all out with sticky notes and business cards.

All-in-One

The best part of this guy is the cable management. Slide a phone charger through the back to plug in while you work. It also can be paired with the Poppin letter trays.

Desk Organizer

If you need something to store everything on your desk, this is it. Only downside is the wood pulp build is a bit flimsy, but for the price, we can't argue.

Bamboo Wall File Organizer

If you've got wall space near your desk, this is our favorite solution. We found it to hold pretty much everything we needed up off our desk. Again, bonus points for a nicer wood build.

Takara Desk Organizer

The dividers on this classic desk organizer make it easy for you to see what exactly you're storing in it.

Cody Desktop Organizer

Sometimes you just need something that gets your keys and random pens off the middle of your desk. This little tray does just that.

Bamboo Desk Organizer

If you hate actually looking at the things you're storing—like random sticky notes or paper clips—this bamboo desk organizer has storage drawers for hiding those things. Some reviews say the drawers don't run super smoothly, but such is the life for something $35.

Aubrey Desktop Organizer

Count on Pottery Barn to make a desktop organizer something of a style piece, too. This wooden organizer comes in black and white, and it has multiple slots for storing (and seeing) all of your goods.

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