KonMari Home Office Organization: Complete Guide to Organizing Your Workspace
- Spark Joy Michigan
- Jan 21
- 7 min read
Welcome to the fourth installment of our comprehensive KonMari Method series! If you've successfully tidied your clothes, books, and papers, congratulations. You've already made tremendous progress on your journey to a joy-filled home. Now it's time to tackle what many consider the most challenging category: komono, a Japanese term meaning "small things" or miscellaneous items, with a special focus on transforming your home office.
The komono category has earned its reputation for being tough, but don't let that intimidate you. Take a moment to appreciate how far you've come, remember that joy is your north star, and prepare to master KonMari home office organization that will revolutionize your productivity and workspace.
What Is the Komono Category in the KonMari Method?
Komono encompasses a vast array of belongings that don't fit into the first three categories of clothes, books, and papers. This wide-ranging category includes:
Office supplies and desk accessories
Athletic equipment and sports gear
Craft and hobby materials
Kitchen gadgets and tools
Bathroom toiletries and cosmetics
Electrical cords and chargers
Scented candles and home fragrances
Sewing supplies and notions
Tools and hardware
Seasonal decorations
And much more!
The sheer breadth of komono is exactly what makes it challenging, but also incredibly rewarding when you finally organize these items effectively. This is especially true in your workspace, where KonMari home office organization principles can dramatically transform your daily productivity.
Why Breaking Komono Into Sub-Categories Makes Sense
Unlike the first three KonMari categories, komono cannot be tackled all at once. The volume and variety would be overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to make thoughtful decisions about what sparks joy.
The KonMari Solution: Sort komono into manageable sub-categories. By grouping like items together, you gain crucial insights into how much you actually own in each category, which items are duplicates or redundant, what you use regularly versus what sits forgotten in drawers, and where you might be holding onto things out of guilt or obligation.
This sub-category approach transforms an impossibly large task into a series of achievable tidying sessions, each bringing you closer to your ideal lifestyle.
How to Sort Your Komono Sub-Categories
Begin by gathering all miscellaneous belongings from every corner of your home. Yes, that means searching junk drawers in the kitchen, closet shelves and storage boxes, garage cabinets and tool chests, bathroom vanities and linen closets, desk drawers and office storage, guest room closets, and even under beds and sofas.
Mabel's Pro Tip: Pile like items together as you collect them. All pens in one spot, all batteries in another, all craft supplies together. This visual representation of your belongings is often eye-opening and makes the decision-making process much clearer.
The Complete KonMari Home Office Organization Guide
One of the most important komono sub-categories for many people is the home office. Whether you work remotely full-time or simply need a dedicated space for managing household tasks and personal projects, an organized workspace dramatically impacts your focus, productivity, and overall wellbeing.
Let's explore how to apply the KonMari Method to create a home office that truly serves your professional aspirations through effective KonMari home office organization strategies.
Step 1: Set Clear Intentions for Your Workspace
Marie Kondo emphasizes the power of visualizing your ideal lifestyle before you begin decluttering. This approach is particularly valuable for your office space, given work's integral role in your life and the major goals tied to your career.
Ask yourself: What professional milestones am I working toward? Do I hope to earn a promotion or raise in the near future? Am I laying groundwork to launch my own business? How can my workspace support my biggest career dreams?
Keep these ambitions at the forefront of your mind as you organize. Your office should be designed to inspire you daily and facilitate your journey toward achieving these goals. When your physical environment aligns with your aspirations, you'll naturally feel more motivated and focused.
Step 2: Declutter Your Home Office Using KonMari Principles
Now it's time to go through every desk drawer, shelf, and storage container with a critical eye. This is where KonMari home office organization truly begins, with the essential process of discarding what no longer serves you.
Items to immediately discard or recycle:
Old receipts that aren't needed for taxes or warranties
Expired coupons and outdated catalogs
Dried-out pens and markers
Broken office supplies
Instruction manuals for items you no longer own
Business cards from people you'll never contact
Dealing with sentimental office items can be tricky. Photos, thank-you notes from colleagues, cards from friends and family... these items often accumulate in office spaces and can be particularly challenging to part with. Marie recommends expressing genuine gratitude for these belongings and their significance, then letting them go with love. She sends off sentimental items using salt as a purification method, honoring their role in your life before releasing them.
If you store professional development books, reference materials, or recreational reading in your office, take stock of your entire collection. Consider which titles you'll realistically reference again versus which ones have served their purpose. Rehome, resell, or donate books that no longer align with your current goals or interests. These environmentally friendly practices benefit both you and your community.
Step 3: Consolidate Everything in One Location
One of Marie Kondo's fundamental principles is keeping all like items together. This is especially critical for office supplies, which tend to migrate throughout the house.
The consolidation process:
Search every room for scattered office items—sticky notes in the kitchen, scissors in the bathroom, tape in the junk drawer
Gather everything in your designated workspace
Group identical items together to see exactly what you have
Store all office supplies within your workspace moving forward
The benefits? You'll always know exactly what supplies you have on hand, avoid purchasing duplicates of items you already own, save time by not searching multiple rooms for basic supplies, allow each room in your home to serve its true purpose, and eliminate the frustration of needing printer paper only to realize it's in the hall closet.
This systematic approach ensures your office remains functional and that you can work efficiently without constant interruptions.
Step 4: Gather Joy-Sparking Supplies
Your home office should be equipped with tools that not only serve their functional purpose but also bring you happiness when you use them.
Marie Kondo is a passionate advocate for handwritten to-do lists. There's something uniquely satisfying about physically checking off completed tasks on paper. It provides tangible evidence of your productivity and progress.
Choose a notepad and pen that genuinely spark joy. This might mean a beautifully bound journal with high-quality paper, colorful sticky notes in your favorite shade, a smooth-writing pen that feels comfortable in your hand, or a planner system that matches your organizational style.
Other joy-sparking essentials to consider:
Desktop organizers in materials and colors you love
File folders or binders in cheerful patterns
A comfortable, supportive chair that makes you feel good
Proper lighting that reduces eye strain and enhances your mood
Storage solutions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing
When your workspace is filled with items that spark joy, you'll naturally feel more motivated to use the space productively.
Step 5: Add Elements of Joy to Your Desk
Beyond functional supplies, Marie recommends placing at least one item on your desk purely for the purpose of sparking joy.
Joy-sparking desk additions might include a small treasured trinket or memento, a living plant that brings nature indoors, a fresh vase of flowers (even a single bloom counts!), a meaningful photograph in a beautiful frame, an inspirational quote displayed artfully, or a small piece of art or sculpture you love.
Important note for multipurpose spaces: If you work in a shared space like the dining table or living room, Marie advises clearing your work essentials completely out of the room when your workday ends. This practice eliminates visual clutter in shared living spaces, signals to your brain that it's time to transition from work mode, helps maintain healthy work-life boundaries, preserves the primary function of multipurpose rooms, and reminds you of the importance of downtime and rest.
As essential as work is to our daily lives, we must prioritize rest, relaxation, and time with loved ones equally.
Organizing Office Supplies the KonMari Way
Effective KonMari home office organization extends beyond just your desk. Let's tackle the essential sub-category of office supplies with Marie Kondo's proven strategies.
How to Organize Pens, Pencils, and Writing Tools
Gather every single pen, pencil, marker, and highlighter from throughout your home. Test each one and discard those that no longer write smoothly. Keep only your favorites that spark joy and store them upright in designated containers on or near your desk.
Managing Notebooks, Notepads, and Paper Products
Collect all notebooks, including half-used ones scattered in different rooms. Consolidate notes from partial notebooks into one current notebook, then recycle the empty ones. Keep only the notepads and paper products you'll realistically use in the next year.
Organizing Cords, Chargers, and Tech Accessories
Technology accessories are notorious clutter culprits in home offices. Gather all chargers, cables, and tech accessories. Discard those for devices you no longer own. Use cord organizers, labeled bags, or drawer dividers to keep essential tech items tangle-free and accessible.
Desk Drawer Organization Tips
Apply KonMari home office organization principles to every drawer:
Designate each drawer for a specific category
Use small boxes or dividers to create compartments
Store items vertically when possible so you can see everything at a glance
Keep frequently used items in the most accessible drawers
Leave some empty space for breathing room
Transform Your Workspace with KonMari Home Office Organization
Completing the komono category, particularly mastering KonMari home office organization, is a significant achievement in your KonMari journey. After tidying clothes, books, papers, and now miscellaneous items with special attention to your workspace, you've developed the discernment needed for the final category: sentimental items.
Take pride in how far you've come. Every drawer you've organized, every duplicate you've discarded, and every joy-sparking item you've kept has brought you closer to living in a home that truly supports your ideal lifestyle. Your newly organized office will serve as daily inspiration and proof that the KonMari Method truly works.
Have you started organizing your komono or implementing KonMari home office organization? Share your biggest challenges and victories in the comments below! And if you found this guide helpful, check out our previous posts on organizing clothes, books, and papers using the KonMari Method.