The 5 Best Desktop Organizers
Guess who’s spending more time than usual at their home office? If you said “me,” you’d be correct. This leads to an obvious question: how’s your desk looking? Can you even see the actual desktop? If you're similar to, well, almost everybody, your workspace is an unmitigated disaster, which means your productivity is probably not where it should be. Time to get organized! Fortunately, minds much more powerful than ours have spent countless hours dreaming up ways to effectively separate the thumbs tacks from the paperclips, giving special ergonomic consideration to proper Post-It Note placement next to the scissor holder. Thus, there are literally hundreds of desktop organizers available. Since spending hours researching which one is best for you would defeat that whole “productivity” thing we discussed, we’ve gone to the trouble on your behalf, so we present to you here the 5 best desktop organizers.
SimpleHousewear Mesh Desk Organizer
Sometimes, Simple Is Best
Simplicity is indeed king with this mesh desktop organizer. Featuring a central tray with a three-compartment drawer on top of two side-load paper trays, there’s a place for all your office supplies. Stacked on top of all this is a sorter section with 5 compartments, each 1.5 inches wide, to hold files, documents, envelopes and other paper products. Constructed with see-through wire mesh, it’s easy to find whatever you need with one glance. Best of all, with its stackable design, the whole system is only 15 inches long by 13 inches wide, so it consumes a lot less real estate than other desktop organizers.
Pros:
- No tools needed for construction
- Orients both vertically and horizontally
- Available in silver or black
Cons:
- Plastic assembly hardware
- Mesh can trap small items
Cozoo Under Desk Headset Hanger Mount
Cozoo Deserve A Clean Desk
Running out of space on your desk? Time to use the space under your desk. Cozoo provides a mountable, all-in-one headphone stand that features one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, and a 3.5mm auxiliary audio port. Simply plug in one of your computer’s USB ports and now you have three, allowing you quick access to phone, tablet, headphone, thumb drive, removable hard drive and more. Two arms, one on each side of the device, can hold either your headphone, smart watch, or wired earphones. If you’re a gamer with several peripherals on your desk, the Cozoo Headset Hanger Mount is a game-changer, allowing you to keep your tools close for quick and easy change-out.
Pros:
- 24-month warranty, 90-day money-back guarantee
- Comes with mounting screws and tape
- Includes 3 wire management tie-down clips
Cons:
- Situate carefully – your knees will thank you
Executive Office Solutions Wooden
Old Skool Is The Best Skool
Not everyone wants a desktop organizer that looks like it came out of an episode of The Expanse. If you spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a real wood desk, a flimsy plastic desk organizer just won’t do the trick. Enter Executive Office Solutions, with their wooden desk organizer. This one’s a gorgeous, all-wood, Colonial-styled desktop organizer. With one small, two medium and one large drawer, plus one cubby and five compartments, there’s plenty of space for all your supplies. You can also angle the unit 90 degrees to fit it into the corner or expand it into a full width of 26 inches. With its beautiful, distressed-wood finish, it makes the perfect addition to your office.
Pros:
- Available in large and medium sizes
- Comes in White and Barnwood
- Great for kitchens and end tables
Cons:
- Not inexpensive
- Two-piece unit without a back
Victor Desk Organizer
A Victor-y For Organizers
While compiling our research, one of the things that struck us as odd was how few desk organizers featured a space for your phone. The Victor Desk Organizer not only has an adjustable acrylic holder for your phone, but six separate compartments to hold all your office supplies, all in a compact space. Available in six different colors and configurations to match your office furniture, the Victor takes only 10.5” x 5.5” on your desktop, yet keeps all your accessories close at hand. Its frosted glass and matte finish design make it chic and modern, while the four, non-slip rubber feet prevent the unit from both sliding or scratching up your desk.
Pros:
- Comes pre-assembled
- Made of wood, not plastic
- Phone fits on left or right side
Cons:
- Phone holder is not a charger
- Compartments not adjustable
Bostitch Konnect
Stay Konnected And Organized
Today’s modern desktop is as likely to have just as many cables on it as it has scissors, staplers and tape dispensers. Bostitch Konnect has an answer for that. Their desk organizer system is available in sets ranging from 3 pieces all the way to 17, with each set featuring a cord management rail. The organizer’s cubbies sit atop the rail, which runs along the edge of your desk, keeping cables away from your workspace. The system is versatile enough to sit on your desktop, hang over a cubicle wall, or connect to a slat wall. Each system comes with a USB phone dock, which works in both the vertical and horizontal format, and a power hub that features an outlet and 2 USB ports. This is definitely the best setup for today’s high-tech workspace.
Pros:
- Comes in four colors
- Rails mount on walls
- Easy to install
Cons:
- Does not include adhesive for rail
- Largest system is very expensive
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t use scissors or Post-It Notes. Why does every desk organizer come with containers for these?
Today’s office desk differs wildly from where your grandpa worked. Sometimes you’ll need to adapt: the tiny drawer for thumbtacks can hold your Air Pods; a file holder can keep your iPad in place; thumb drives and phone charging adapters can take that space created for paperclips. Do your research and purchase what works best for your individual situation, then use a little imagination to modify the organizer to your personal needs.
Do I really need to spend a bundle of money on a desk organizer?
We found that the median price of most desk organizers is fairly affordable. How much you spend is entirely up to your budget and the aesthetic you want to want to cultivate in your workspace. As we noted, if you didn’t spend a ton on your desk, there’s probably no need for an expensive desk organizer.
I’m a gamer, and even with a desktop organizer, I still have all this stuff on my desk. How do I get rid of it?
We feel your pain. Gamers require space on their desktop and plenty of it. Maybe you don’t have thumbtacks all over the desk, but your desktop organizer can still get in the way. If this is happening to you, we suggest that it may be time to look into a gaming table – a station for your gaming that’s separate from your office desk space. The other solution would be to utilize a desktop organizer that doesn’t sit on your desktop: try a wall-hanging unit or a unit that clips on to the edge of your desk.
About the Author
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With the constantly shifting landscape in the world of technology, GameRevolution seeks to provide gamers and tech-enthusiasts with the information they need to select the right products for their needs. Since 1996, our experts have used their knowledge on all the latest gadgets – everything from headphones to standing desks – to help millions of people navigate specs and answer common questions.