DIY Drawer Organizer For Planner Supplies

Whether you’re a planner nerd or just want to tidy up your desk, this DIY drawer organizer tutorial is a pretty and easy project to organize your supplies.

Hi! I’m Keri from One Mama’s Daily Drama. This time of year I always get an itch to start decluttering and organizing my home. This year I started with my desk since it’s where I spend a lot of my time. No matter how you use your office area, making a DIY drawer organizer is a great way to corral pens, paper, and other supplies.

2 wooden drawers filled with paper, pens, washi tape, stickers, and other office supplies

I recently moved my desk from the kitchen to the living room. It often becomes a catch-all space I want it to be more organized. Since it isn’t right next to my office supplies cabinet anymore, it’s also important to keep the everyday items on my desk.

I really enjoy a calm, tidy workspace. After a day of digging through my messy drawers, I decided it was time for a little DIY organizer project. These drawer organizer boxes are small and modular – and made from office supplies!

black desk with an iMac, a lamp, and 2 drawers stacked with planner supplies

How to Make a drawer organizer

The two drawers are desktop monitor stands from Target, but this tutorial is easy to do for any drawers that need organizing.

What you need:

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Craft/DIY Tools Needed:

Supplies Needed:

a pink box of washi tape, a ruler, scissors, and several pieces of scrapbook paper

Instructions:

1. evaluate your drawer space

I started by taking everything out of the two drawers and sorting. There was a lot that I could throw away or recycle. Then I decided what needed to stay on my desk and what could be put away. The remaining items were sorted into categories.

messy drawers stuffed with odd office supplies, with more supplies stacked on top of the drawers

2. measure the drawers

I used a ruler to measure the size of my drawers and sketched it onto a piece of notepaper. Then I measured the items I wanted to store in each section and divided the drawers on the paper.

pencil drawing of 2 drawers, one showing the outside measurements and the other showing divider measurements

I wasn’t precise in my measuring, but since I left open space in each drawer it was fine. If you want to fill a drawer completely with boxes, you’ll need to account for the space the boxes take up when measuring.

a wooden drawer with paper, pens, and washi tape laid out to mark where dividers will go

3. Draw the organizer templates

The drawer organizer boxes are made from 2 layers of scrapbook paper for durability. For each box section, I added a 1-inch margin on all 4 sides and drew a rectangle on the back of the first piece of scrapbook paper. In each corner, I measured a 1-inch box. I cut out the drawer shape, cutting off the corner boxes, and then traced it onto the second piece of paper.

white paper with the outline drawn of a box template

2 cutout box templates, one in white and one in blue

4. Assemble the drawer organizer sections

To assemble the drawer organizer box, I layered the two pieces together and folded in the sides to crease them. With the sides standing up, I cut pieces of washi tape and folded it over the cut edges.

2 scrapbook paper drawer box pieces with edges folded up

a blue paper drawer box lined with yellow tape

For the corners, I cut small pieces of washi tape and then cut a slit so the tape could fold flat. Washi tape is really great for this type of project because if you get it crooked, you can easily peel it off and try again.

a hand folding yellow tape around the corner seams of a blue paper box

a finished paper box, blue paper on the outside and blue and yellow on the inside, outlined with yellow tape

5. Build more little boxes

Repeat the process to build as many boxes in different sizes as you need. I made my first one that filled half a drawer, then three smaller ones for another half-drawer.

2 small boxes lined with blue washi tape

6. Organize each drawer

Finally, I put the drawer organizer pieces in place and filled them with my supplies. I love how much tidier this looks. And I have everything I need for my planner right here on my desk.

a blue paper drawer organizer filled with Sharpie pens and markers

3 small paper drawer organizers, one filled with pens and markers

My top drawer is for Sharpie pens and markers, washi tape, and planner stickers.

an organized wooden drawer showing paper drawer organizers to separate pens, tape, and stickers

The bottom drawer has notepads in the divider box, then my electronics and a zip bag for my receipts.

an organized wooden drawer showing paper drawer organizers to separate notepads, electronics and a zip bag

an organized pair of desk drawers filled with office supplies

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