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Last updated on September 3rd, 2025 at 08:50 am

Having a cluttered, messy home office is one of the worst productivity killers. I struggle to focus when I’m surrounded by piles of paper and clutter. It’s distracting, and I’m more likely to clean than do my work.

Start your day right with a tidy workspace to get excited to work.

Here are 25 things you probably have in your home office that you can get rid of right NOW!

 

01. Paper

• Shred pile
• Un-filed papers
• Mail pile

Technically, you’re not tossing the unfiled papers or the entire mail pile, but you’re getting rid of paper piles and tossing the papers you don’t need. To do this, try out this simple Actionable Paper Hub system to manage mail and other incoming papers.

• Old receipts

Those old receipts are in the same boat. If you don’t plan on returning it and you don’t need the receipt for tax purposes, shred it. If you need to keep them, I recommend going digital. Personally, I use Monarch to store my receipts. Here’s why I went digital with my receipts >>>

• Used notebooks/notepads
• Scraps of paper

At some point, the notes you took in those notebooks and notepads may not be relevant. If they’re no longer relevant, toss them. If you’re not sure, consider transferring these scraps to a note-taking app such as the Notes app from Apple. Referring to notes is easier when you can search for keywords.

• Expired coupons

Need I say more? Obviously useless.

If you want to dive really deep into organizing your paper, get The Complete Paper Organizing Formula to get your papers sorted and organized into the right paper hubs. Check it out here >>>.

02. Reading

• Unread/unloved books

If you haven’t read that copy of The Book Thief, you probably never will (ahem, sorry, that’s me). Donate those books to your local Friends of the Library chapter to spread the joy of reading. We sometimes hang on to books because we think they make us look well-read and educated, but honestly, they’re just taking up valuable space or they make your blood boil. (Goodbye, Scarlet Letter.)

• Old textbooks

Textbooks are tough because most of us spent an arm and a leg to buy the newest edition your professor insisted you needed. It’s best to sell new editions and donate the old to Friends of the Library.

• Old magazines
• Instruction manuals

Scan those magazine articles you really like into an app like Evernote or Dropbox. Most of the images are available online, so use Pinterest to save them for later. Sometimes old editions of magazines can be donated to libraries or assisted living centers.

As for instruction manuals, most instruction manuals are available online. All you need is the name and model number of the product.

 

03. Supplies

• Inkless pens
• Busted pencils
• Empty markers
• Dried glue
• Dried whiteout

There’s not much else to say about these, but throw them straight in the garbage.

• Unused office supplies
• Duplicate office supplies
• Old/random craft supplies

When my office moved out of state, we were told to take as many office supplies as we would need for our home offices. I ended up with a lot of duplicate supplies that I never used. The same thing happens to old craft supplies. Throw these in a donation box to donate to a local school.

04. Electronics

• Old electronics
• Random cables
• Broken iPhone cables

I recently learned that Staples has a recycling program for electronics, crayons, and old luggage. By recycling once a month, you can earn a small amount of points back if you have an account. If you don’t care about points and only about decluttering, there’s a full list of recyclable items here >>>

05. Miscellaneous

• Old greeting cards

It is okay to let go of greeting cards. If a certain one really means something to you, find a special place of honor.

• Loose change

Put your loose change in your wallet or your kids’ piggy banks.

• Hair ties & cosmetics

You know these are in your office, ladies. You probably only need one hair tie, one lip balm, and one lotion bottle to get by. Put the rest back in the bathroom where they belong.

What else would you add to this list to declutter a home office?