When it comes to getting through the work day, we need all of the help we can get. So, in the spirit of making 9–5 just a bit more bearable, here are 50 hacks for use in the office (or wherever it is that you might need them).

1. 49
Office Hacks to Get
You Through the Day

2. Hey, when it comes to getting through the
work day, we need all of the help we can get.
So, in the spirit of making 9–5 just a bit more
bearable, here are 49 hacks for use in the office
(or wherever it is that you might need them).

3. brought to you by:

4. 01
Binder clips to
organize wires
Dozens of tangled and intertwined wires have you
down? With the help of some friendly binder
clips, you can make sure that they stay where
they’re supposed to.
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5. 02
Hair straightener
on wrinkled collar
If you’ve ever made it to work, only to find that the collar
on your shirt is doing it’s best to take flight, you know
how difficult it can be to iron those things down. Use a
hair straightener on it instead of an iron, and you’ll have
it laying flat in no time.
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6. 03
Mirrors for
more light
If you find yourself crammed back into a cubicle,
with dozens of twists and turns between you and
the light source, don’t fret. With a few well placed
mirrors, you can reflect all the light you’ll need
right down onto your workstation.
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7. 04
Kitchen basket
under desk
Another great way to corral all of those loose wires is to
buy a simple plastic kitchen basket, and to attach it to
the underside of your desk for easy, out-of-the-way
storage.
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8. 05
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Tie-pocket
Face it, the pocket on the front of your dress shirt
is practically useless . It looks ridiculous when you
have it stuffed full of pen and pencils, and it never
misses a chance to spill out its contents whenever
you have to bend over to pick something up.
However, with just the most basic sewing skill,
you can add an easy to access pocket that’s also
nice and concealed.
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9. 06
Spice-rack office
supply organizer
Repurpose any old spice rack to serve as an organized
and accessible way to keep track of all the little things
that you can never find when you need them.
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10. 07
Spring to
organize papers
It’s not fun to have to dig through piles of paper to
find that one important memo or note hidden
among the junk, but by removing the spring from a
pen, laying it on its side, and using it to hold your
important papers, you’ll be able to see at a glance
what’s in your pile.
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11. 08
Sunglasses as a
rearview mirror
If you work with your back to the door, it can be hard to
know when the boss is looking over your shoulder.
Consider getting a pair of mirror-tinted sunglasses and
leaving them propped up on your desk to use as a handy
and unobvious rear-view mirror.
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12. 09
Herbs to
freshen the air
Sometimes working in an office really stinks. When this
is literally the case, don’t waste time trying to mask the
stench with environmentally unfriendly aerosol sprays;
instead, fill a few cup with fragrant herbs and place
them around your desk.
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13. 10
Use nail polish to
help identify keys
If you have a hundred different keys for home and work,
you probably know what it’s like to be standing around
in the cold while trying desperately to find the one that
unlocks the door. You can make it easier to identify
which is which if you paint the ends of the keys with nail
polish.
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14. 11
Sock on vacuum
(to find small dropped items)
Drop something small at the office, like an earring
or a contact lens? Just place a nylon sock over the
end of a vacuum cleaner hose, and turn it on. You
lost item should stick to the front, but be kept
from going down the tube.
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15. 12
Use twist ties to
organize wires
With all of the wires that we use every day, sometimes
you need to store some of them in a drawer. Keep them
from turning into a rat’s nest by using twist ties to keep
them separate and organized.
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16. 13
Keep supplies in a clear,
hanging shoe-rack
These cost almost nothing,,and can really save you
some space for more important things.
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17. 14
Use whiteboard or
blackboard paint
If you’re sick of countless notes, or you need a way to jot
down information for everyone to see, consider painting
a wall in whiteboard/blackboard paint. It’s exactly what
it sounds like, and it will allow you to write right on the
wall.
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18. 15
Google as a timer
Most of us have watch timers or alarms on our
phones, but when you’re really concentrating on
work, it can be easy to accidentally ignore your
alarms when they go off. Instead, have google
keep track of the time for you. Just enter “Set timer
for ____” in the search bar, and a handy
countdown clock will appear right on your screen.
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19. 16
Paper clip to mark
spot on packing tape
There’s nothing more invisible than the lost end of
invisible tape. Make it more easy to locate by stick a
paperclip to it once you’re done.
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20. 17
Velcro to hold
things in place
If you find that things that shouldn’t be moving
are getting lost or misplaced, buy some adhesive
velcro strips, and attach them to your objects and
the desk. Now, things should stay put until you
need them.
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21. 18
Cardboard form old
cereal box to help
organize a desk drawer
With a cereal box and some scissors, you can create
useful dividers in your desk drawers.
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22. 19
Old CDs to
fix wobbly
Chances are, there are a few software CDs left over from
the 90s laying around the office that no one will miss. If
you have a wobbly desk or chair, place one of these CDs
under the short leg to even everything out.
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23. 20
Cassette case for
smartphone stand
Remember cassette tapes? Well, they used to come in
these handy clear-plastic cases, and although you may
not have much use these days for the cassette itself, the
cases can be used as smartphone stands.
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24. 21
Wrap your computer
monitor in clear
plastic wrap
Office computer screens have a tendency to get
really dirty. Keep yours clean by wrapping it in
plastic sanitary wrap. When it gets too dirty or
starts to tear, simply replace it.
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25. 22
WD40 to get rid
of ink stains
When you carry around inkpens in your pockets,
eventually one is going to betray you. Ink stains on
clothing can be difficult to remove, but by using a spray
of WD40, you can loosen the stain and possibly even
remove it. Just make sure to test an out of the way corner
of the material first, to make sure it doesn’t react badly to
the spray.
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26. 23
Fabric softener sheet
for stinky shoes
Smelly feet are unforgivable in the office, so if
your shoes are stinking, stuff a dryer sheet into
each one, and keep it in there while you wear
them.
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27. 24
Clear nail polish to
stop a run in stockings
A small run in a stocking can quickly become a big
problem for a woman in the office, but a dab of clear nail
polish can stop that snag in its tracks.
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28. 25
Bounce batteries to
see if they’re still good
When something stops working, you can test the
its alkaline batteries by holding them about three
inches above a hard surface. A dead battery
should land with a thud, while a full battery will
bounce.
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29. 26
Silica gel in drawers
to prevent moisture
damage
If you live in a humid area, you might notice that
moisture gets into your drawers and causes damage. You
can absorb this moisture before it can make any trouble
by keeping silica gel packets (such as the kind that come
in shoeboxes) in the drawer.
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30. 27
Heal paper cuts
with lip balm
A paper cut can hurt far worse than it has any right
to, but by rubbing lip balm across the cut, you can
simultaneously speed up the healing process and
relieve the pain.
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31. 28
Close gushing cuts
with superglue
For real gushers in the office, consider using super glue
to close your wound. It’s perfectly safe, and can actually
work better for sealing deep cuts than stitches.
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32. 29
Clear tape to
clean keyboards
It’s probably better if you don’t think too long about all
of the dirt, grime, and dead skin cells that end up
between your computer keys. However, you should
clean it out every now and again. Just get a strip of clear
tape, and then run it between the keys.
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33. 30
Change monitor
brightness to
decrease eyestrain
One of the worst thing about staring at a computer all
day is the potential for eye strain. Help reduce your risk
by adjusting the brightness on your monitor.
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34. 31
Freeze candy for
a fun office treat
For a fun treat at work, try freezing some of your
favorite candy. Atomic Fireballs are especially
good because, when you pop a frozen one in your
mouth, it tends to explode into shards of flamingly
good shrapnel.
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35. 32
Use a mug to create
levels in a microwave
If you’ve got a full office and only one microwave, lunch
time in the break room can get a little crowded. Well,
here’s your solution.
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36. 33
Clean microwaves
by cooking a bowl
of water
And once you multilevel microwave inevitably
results in a spill, you’ll need a good way to clean
all of that baked in grease from off of the inside.
Just heat a bowl of water for 2–3 minutes; the
steam should loosen the grease and make it easy
to just wipe away.
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37. 34
Mount your tablet
with self adhesive
plastic hooks
If you’d like to be able to see your tablet while you work,
but don’t want to have to hold it, just buy some plastic
adhesive hooks, and mount it on the wall.
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38. 35
Lazy susan for
office supplies
If you find yourself working at a large table with
several other employees, a great way to make the
office supplies available to everyone is to place
them on a lazy susan in the center of the desk.
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39. 36
Clothespins to keep
chip bags closed
Office snacks are great until they spill everywhere. Keep
your bag of chips closed with a clothespin.
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40. 37
Binder clips for
wobbly keyboards
A wobbly keyboard can be a real annoyance, but
you can even it out with help from a few binder
clips.
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41. 38
Use half of an egg
carton to cool laptop
If you find that your laptop computer has a tendency to
overheat, try lifting it off of the desk so that its fan has a
chance to do its job. Half of an egg carton can provide a
level pedestal that also helps to keep everything cool.
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42. 39
Attach an empty tissue box
to a full one so you have a
place for your garbage
Instead of letting used tissues build up around your
desk, just rubberband an empty tissue box to a full one,
and you’ll always have someplace to put used tissues.
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43. 40
Write random letters
over words to make
them illegible
Sometimes you need to cross out something on a
handwritten note. If you want to make sure that what
you cross out is completely unreadable, don’t just
scribble over it; write random letters over it.
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44. 41
Dryer sheet over vents
to freshen office
Another way to freshen up a stinky office is to
tape dryer sheets over the middle of some of the
air vents (unfortunately, this one only works in
summer when the AC is being used. Try it with a
heater and you’ve got a potential fire hazard on
your hands).
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45. 42
Iron button-up
shirts inside out
Buttons on shirts tend to get in the way of the iron, so
turn that shirt inside-out and iron it without having to
fear snagging a button.
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46. 43
Pants hanger to
hold open book
If you need to keep a book open without using
your hands while you work, consider using a
pants-hanger. You can even hang it up, as
demonstrated in the image.
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47. 44
Use a spring from old
pen to keep your charger
from bending/breaking
Phone chargers are most fragile near the ends by the
plugs. Keep these areas safe by wrapping the springs
from old pens around them.
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48. 45
Toilet paper rolls to
organize cords in a
drawer
Another way to keep wires from tangling in a
drawer is to use old paper towel rolls.
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49. 46
Cut open an empty
bottle of lotion to make
secret item storage
If you have to leave valuables in the office throughout
the day or overnight, consider converting an empty
lotion bottle into a secret storage case.
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50. 47
Use cup as impromptu
smartphone speaker
Want a louder volume setting on your
smartphone? Don’t buy speakers; just get a cup.
Place the smartphone in the cup, and you’ll be
amazed at how much louder it sounds.
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51. 48
Open blister packs
with a can opener
Blister packs are the worst things in the universe, but you
can get into them without lacerating your hand by using
a can opener.
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52. 49
Bread clips to
label wires
All of the wires that feed into the back of a computer
can get kind of confusing, especially if you need to
locate a specific one. Bread clips with the
name/function of the wire can help keep everything
straight
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