Want to take your home office from cluttered to calm without adding another chore to your workday — or a big expense to your budget? We hear you: Having an organized, tidy area for working is key to improving your mental headspace (and thus your level of daily productivity) no matter how hectic your workload may be. So if you’re still working from home, these six tips for easy organization can help you make sure everything has a proper place and you feel more Zen while you take on your day like the boss you are.

1. Your Desk: A Place to Work, Period

As important as it is to have a well-designed home office space, we believe that keeping things simple is equally imperative. After all, your office is ultimately a dedicated area for you to work and get things done. And yes, we want you to feel inspired in your space — but if the decorations you use create more clutter than cuteness, then they aren’t serving you.

So what’s true in any room goes double of the top of your desk: Keeping decor simple and minimal is what will help you perform at your best. It’s been proven time and time again that the less chaotic your space, the less chaotic your mind, so practice keeping clutter out of sight and off your desk (and other surfaces). Storage drawers or bins are better places to store journals, pens, notepads — all the desk things — yet you’ll rest assured they’re still within easy reach.

2. Add a Shelf or Two or Three or …

Instead of taking up valuable desk space, utilize shelving to organize and style your home office. Long floating shelves, shorter shelves you can group together, even shelves with storage give you as much extra organizational space for books, files, etc., as your wall space will allow. Or use them to showcase decor accessories (e.g., framed photos, candles or small plants) to help make the space feel beautiful.

3. Other Ways to Maximize Wall Space

While we’re on the subject of wall space, don’t forget to take advantage of that real estate in other ways that will keep you organized and on schedule. Hang a custom wall calendar to keep important dates in your sightline. Install a whiteboard to write out your in-the-moment thoughts and notes. Use a bulletin board or magnetic board to post important reminders. Or just use the wall space to display a personalized photo gallery that you’ll love to have around you during the day. That way, you can still have all your important notes and planning items in your purview, but in a place that won’t distract you or add chaos to your desk.

4. Put Cubbies on Display

If shelving isn’t your thing, yet you still want to have a place (other than the top of your desk) for all your office “extras,” cubbies are the way to go. Because cubby bookshelves, or cubes, are structured and perfectly proportioned, they inherently convey the appearance of organization. You can find cubbies styles with the height, width and with as many cubby holes as you need, and some even come with bins that allow you to hide things out of sight if desired. Bonus: this organizational wonder manages to look trendy without ever going out of style.

5. Get Acquainted with Cabinets

If you really don’t want your office accessories and files to be visible or you prefer a more minimalistic decor overall, cabinets can be another useful organizational option. Sleek built-in cabinets help keep items out of the way and out of sight. They’re also a good investment if you have sensitive files you want to keep in a secure, hidden area. Plus, the right cabinet drawers and hardware can elevate the look of your room to a sophisticated, professional-looking workspace.

6. Decorate, But with a Purpose

You likely will spend most of your workday inside this one room, so you want to make the space as enjoyable to inhabit as you can. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to maximize your office’s unique style while keeping clutter to a minimum: Consider adding decorative pieces, accessories or furnishings that can serve as both fashion and function.

For instance: A table lamp is obviously a functional office piece, and you can always go out and just pick up any old one … but, what’s the fun in that? Find something that reflects your personality, whether that’s clean and classic or fun and funky. Adding unique bookends is another, inexpensive opportunity to have fun with your decor while keeping your books neat and upright.

Final Thoughts on Office Organizing

As we all know, working (even from home) is often busy and chaotic. You certainly don’t want your office to overwhelm you as well. Instead, think about how you might be able to incorporate the tips above into your home office space (no matter what size it may be) to keep things both physically organized and mentally calming.

If creating that ideal environment means you need to shop for a few organizational office pieces without using credit*, you can rest easy there, too. Shop office furniture at a retailer near you today and take advantage of our lease-to-own option* — then effortlessly make manageable lease renewal payments that fit into your household budget. Lease it until you own it or purchase it early at a discount. Either way, it’s yours to keep. The sooner you do so, the more you’ll save. Of course, if you no longer want the office furniture, you can return it in good condition at any time without penalty.