Image via Complex Original
Chances are, you spend more time in the office than almost anywhere else. You might even be sitting at your work desk right now while you read this article. Before you get back to work (like you should), get some inspiration here for how to improve your workspace. Some of these ideas will take you longer to read than to execute, such as using binder clips to organize your wires. Others are only slightly more involved DIY projects. Make yourself more organized, efficient, and happy with these 20 Cheap Design Hacks to Improve Your Office Space.
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Use old CDs to fix wobbly office furniture.
If you have tons of old, unused CDs laying around your office, this hack is for you. Put one under the leg of an uneven table or chair, and the wobble will go away. You can also use old CDs as coasters.
Create a charging station out of an empty lotion bottle.
Avoid the unsightly look of your phone sitting on the floor while it charges. Instead, create a charging station for it out of a clean lotion or similar bottle (if you do it right, it won't look like it belongs in the recycling bin). Cut away the top portion of the bottle and THERE YOU GO.
Use bread tabs to label wires.
Instead of having to follow each wire in the tangle back to its device, use bread tags to label them. The tags are sturdy, and you can even color-code them.
Make an iPhone stand with an old cassette tape case.
If you can find an old cassette tape, flip the case open to create an instant stand for your iPhone. Now you can Facetime hands-free.
Use binder clips to prevent wires from getting tangled.
Keep your charging cords and connectors accessible and untangled by stringing each of them through a binder clip that's clamped to your desk.
Hang your surge protecter underneath your desk in a kitchen basket.
Tired of stretching your feet out and hitting a tangle of technology? Help by suspending your surge protector in a wire basket that you can find in the kitchen section of a dollar store.
Create a fake window in your cubicle.
Find a poster of an outdoor scene that inspires you and hang it on the wall wherever you want your "window." Align and hang an empty frame over the picture, if you want.
Cover your desktop with a chipboard sheet for unlimited space to draw, diagram, and make notes.
If you're sick of having Post-it notes cover your desk and computer, why not write notes to yourself directly on your desk? Pick up a sheet of chipboard at a hardware store and lay it over your desktop. You can replace it anytime it becomes unsightly.
Make a corner shelf out of a magazine holder.
This one is very easy—take a magazine holder and turn it on its side. Mount it in the corner of your cubicle or office, and you will have a small shelf with a small amount of storage space underneath.
Hang your headphones on a corkboard using a binder clip and a rubber band (so you don't lose them ever again).
Wrap a rubber band around the arms of a jumbo binder clip and hang the clip from a thumbtack. Now you have a perfect place to keep your headphones.
Hang frames from your cubicle wall with a bent paperclip.
To transform a paperclip into a picture hook, bend it out of shape and slide it into the fabric on your cubicle wall. Hanging pictures has never been so easy.
Easily create a stand for your laptop from PVC.
This one is so easy, even your little cousin could pull it off (no shots at your little cousin). All you need is a few pieces of PVC pipe to create a laptop stand. Twist them together, and there you go. For added style, you can spraypaint the structure.
Improvise a door for your cubicle.
Cubicles are built for privacy, but they are lacking in one essential feature—a door. Give yourself the illusion of having your very own office by installing a makeshift door to the space. Use cardboard, hang a curtain, or maybe even hack some IKEA furniture for this one.
Repurpose all sorts of containers to organize supplies.
The possibilites here are pretty endless. You can use a dish rack to store your important mail and some pens. Or, you could trim empty cereal boxes to fit as dividers in your desk drawers. For smaller, looser items, like thumb tacks and paper clips, use an ice cube tray or Altoid tins. It's time to get creative.
Turn an old canvas painting into a magnet board.
Old paintings are easy to come by at garage sales or thrift stores—you may even already have one that's gathering dust. Remove it from the original frame and use a hot glue gun to attach it to a metal board. Now you have a scenic place to hang notes, photos, and important papers with magnets.
Use mirrors to create more light and the illusion of space.
The office atmosphere is notoriously oppressive with its dim lighting and confined spaces. Use mirrors to help you combat both of these problems at once. One or two strategically placed mirrors will reflect more light into your workspace and create the illusion of more space. Not to mention, you can check yourself out whenever you want.
Create your own standing desk.
Everyone knows that sitting all day is bad for you. Many have turned, instead, to the standing desk, which elevates the workstation so that you can stand at your computer all day. You can improvise a standing desk easily. Find a small bookshelf and place it face-down on your desk. Move your computer to be on top of the elevated surface, and there you go—a standing desk at little to no cost.
Staple a paper cup to a cubicle wall to hold your dry erase markers and eraser.
Dry erase boards have ledges that are typically too narrow for keeping markers. Instead of trying to balance them along with an eraser, create a hanging storage space out of a paper cup and a bulletin board or your cubicle wall.
Repurpose wooden shutters to sort papers.
Find some wooden shutters for this easy DIY project. All you have to do is hang them on your office wall and start organizing that stack of paperwork. For bonus points, re-paint the shutters a color or design of your choice.
Organize supplies with magnetic tape.
Use the magical strength of magnets to organize your office supplies. Stick a strip of magnetic tape to the wall above your desk and hang your scissors, pens, and notes (using paper clips to pin them).