Our lives are so busy that our desks are often the very last place we look to in order to tidy up. In fact, a lot of us who own a desk never even use it for its actual purpose which is to work at it; mine and many others' desks have become more of a collect-all space for knick-knacks or other things we aren't quite sure what to do with. Just because it's a collect-all space, though, doesn't mean it has to be cluttered and messy! Here are some ways to keep your desk organized throughout the year that will satisfy both your artsy and organizational needs.

1. Toilet Paper Roll Organizer

Toilet paper roll crafts aren't just for kids crafts anymore! There are a couple of different ways to approach a toilet paper roll organizer: the first is to put the rolls into a decorated box and the second is to decorate each roll and glue the rolls to a base.

The first option looks something like this:

And the second option looks something like this:

The great thing about toilet paper roll organizers is that you already have most of the supplies at home! Scissors, the toilet paper rolls, tape, glue, and whatever you may want to decorate the rolls with. It could be as simple as covering them in wrapping paper! If you don't want to wait for that many toilet paper roll tubes, you can use any other sort of old can, box, or tube.

2. Create a Paint Strip Calendar or To-Do List

All you need here are enough paint strips to make the calendar, list, or anything else you were aiming for, along with a large photo frame, a piece of paper to glue everything onto, and a dry-erase marker for the finished product. In the end, it could look anything like these, or something even cooler from your own imagination!

With this, you could even use old scrapbook paper squares, fabric squares, or really anything you want! I've seen people do a full ombre calendar, felt squares, anything you say goes.

3. Tiered Organizer

I mentioned this in one of my previous articles, so I'll keep it short. Basically with a couple of glued-together pieces, you can create a tiered organization contraption like this:

These are commonly made out of plates, bowls, or serving dishes for the platforms and cups or candle stick holders for the levelers. (A more detailed description of this organizer and some other great DIYs can be found here.)

4. Large Shoe Box Organizer

It's amazing what you can do with an old shoebox! When I first saw the finished product, I didn't believe it had once been a shoe box. The great thing with this craft is how incredibly easy it is. This could be finished in about five to seven minutes depending on how you want to decorate your box. As the picture shows, all you have to do is cut two triangles from the middle of opposite sides of the box, fold it in half, then decorate!

5. Decorated Mason Jars

I. Love. Mason. Jars. So. Much. My mom makes a lot of jams and canned vegetables, so we always have unused mason jars floating around. I've learned a thing or two over the years as how to best use those so they aren't just always taking up space in our pantry, empty.

If you need more organization on your desk, decorate some mason jars with paint, stickers, glitter, buttons, etc. and then you can use it (without the lid) to hold pens and pencils, or rubber bands, paper clips, and many other office supplies.

If you need more in-desk organization, these jars are my favorite go-to. I keep the things I rarely need in them so it won't get tangled up will all of my other mess, but I still have it within easy reach if I need it. If my jars are going to be inside of my desk, I prefer to have them clear so I can see what is in them with a quick glance. A great way around this if you want to decorate them is to use a type of label for quick identification.