the drawer at work that is full of all your personal stuff

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the drawer at work that is full of all your personal stuff

(7 posts) (7 voices)

Started 2 years ago by elledee
Latest reply from carmel
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elledee
Member

I work in a professional setting and have an office. I take public transportation and live in a snowy climate, so I keep two pairs of dress shoes (black and brown) at work and change into them from my boots/sneakers when I arrive. Public transportation also means that there is no "leaving it in the car," so if I go to the gym after work, I have to bring my gym bag in. If I am doing homework at the library after work, I have to bring my school bag. And then there's also the snacks, emergency personal items (nylons, perfume, etc.), etc etc.

A drawer that should be used for files is currently a jumble of all these things. I actually store my food separately in a file cabinet, so they don't smell like shoe. And then there's the bag issue, which is always just kind of pushed up against the wall, for lack of a better place.

Any ideas? the drawer is about three feet long, 1 foot high, 1 foot deep, but because it's just open space with no structure, I don't know how to organize it without just tossing stuff in there.

Posted 2 years ago #
jlthompson60
Member

I have the same problem at work - too much personal stuff, but all needed. I resorted to using cosmetic bags (ziplocks will work). I put personal items in one, tea bags in another, shoes in a shoe bag (can get at a shoe store), electronic stuff in another ect. Then when I need something I can pull out the correct bag and retrieve the item or carry it to the restroom if needed.

Posted 2 years ago #
karenmcgowan
Member

Is this drawer part of a metal filing cabinet that has a file follower (the adjustable piece that keeps your files at the front of the drawer)? If so, then you've got lots of holes along both sides where you could use cable ties to keep some kind of divider in place. You could probably use a length of dowel to keep your shoes standing upright which would free up some space. Using boxes (even cereal boxes that you've cut down to fit) could help corral some of the personal items like nylons and personal hygiene products - dowels across the drawer could help keep these in place too. You could also create a structure by using open boxes of varying sizes to fill the drawer and keep everything in place.

Not sure about the bag - maybe an over-the-door hook? a plastic bin that slides under a credenza or other piece of furniture.

Posted 2 years ago #
lmcinnis
Member

If it's a filing cabinet that accommodates hanging folders, you might consider box-bottom hanging files. Some expand to 3.5 inches. You could have one for each pair of shoes (depending on how wide your shoes are), one for nylons, etc.

Posted 2 years ago #
jspeck08
Member

@lmcinnis...I had never thought to use the box-bottom hanging files. I immediately started organizing my work drawer after I grabbed a few files and it works great! Thanks for the great idea! :)

Posted 2 years ago #
Lori Paximadis
Member

When I was working in an outside office, I used assorted sizes of boxes inside the drawer to keep everything organized. Usually I just cut the top off or pulled the flaps off of a box I already had, but if you like things pretty, you can certainly purchase some decorative boxes for this purpose.

If your office has a door that closes, and if you don't have to have a lot of closed-door meetings with people who might be put off by the sight of your gym bag, you might consider either an over-the-door rack with a bunch of hooks (if your door will accommodate it) or a couple of nondamaging self-stick hooks for the back of your door (they make some now that aren't bad looking and will hold some weight). I put an over-the-door hook rack on my home office door and use it for tote bags -- very handy.

Posted 2 years ago #
carmel
Member

I apologize if this might be a little off topic since you asked for suggestions on organizing your file cabinet drawer. Most of us have personal items we need to store at work. I purchased a small cabinet that matches my desk. The cabinet has cubbies with doors to hide everything. This allows me to organize and store food, a personal fan and my bags out of sight.

Since you have your own office, you might have space for a cabinet that would accommodate your needs better.

Posted 2 years ago #

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