Why You Should Be Using Side Desk Storage Pockets

Side desk storage solutions are versatile storage accessories that provide you with easy access to what you need in your workspace. 

These side desk storage compartments don’t replace a full set of desk drawers or shelves, however. Instead, they give you a compact area to store and organize a small number of items in a convenient location. 

They simply attach to one side of your desk and hang off the side. You now have an easily accessible pocket system ready to go.

Let’s talk about why this is such a great solution, and then get into some recommendations. 

What’s So Great About Side Desk Storage?

Compact & Stealthy

The first and most notable characteristic of these side desk storage compartments is their compactness. They can store about the same amount as a small drawer. 

The compactness results in similarly limited storage space. This also gives your storage some stealth. It’s unlike bulky drawers that take up a ton of space. 

This also helps you embrace some minimalism. Because it only has so much storage space, you can’t stuff a bunch of things you don’t really need in there. 

The benefit here is that you can clear out what you don’t need and store it elsewhere. This is one of the methods we touch on in our ultimate guide to a minimal desk setup. We also get into a lot of these “essentials only” ideas in our article on organizing a desk without drawers. 

Minimizing what you actually need and storing them in your side desk pocket will make your workspace more inviting and efficient!

If this is too compact for you, I recommend checking out all-in-one desk organizers. These two solutions used together can really boost organization at your desk. 

Easy Access Solution

Because this is a pocket for your desk, your items are easily accessible for you. No digging through the mess of a drawer. No need to open anything to grab what you need. 

Simply look over one side of your desk, and there are all your essentials! Access to your stuff doesn’t really get easier than this unless it’s just sitting on your desk.

One downside is if you do have a very large desk, your side pocket storage might be pretty far to get to. Those with larger desks can consider placing them in a more convenient location, such as on the front side. 

No Floor Space Needed

Unlike drawers or shelves that need to be placed on the floor, this side desk pocket attaches to your desk. 

It takes up absolutely no floor space as a result. There are so many benefits of freeing up floor space. We talk about those benefits in our floating L-shaped desks article. 

It essentially gives you more floor space, makes floor cleaning easier, and can give you more leg room too compared to normal drawers. Check out our article on how much leg room you actually need.

Adds Organization

Because this is about the same storage size as a drawer, I like to use that as a comparison. 

Drawers by themselves offer absolutely no organizational solution when you buy them. Unless you are proactive in buying more organizers, this can turn into a huge mess. 

For those of you with IKEA ALEX drawers, we have a dedicated article on the best ALEX drawer organizers here.

If you try and organize a drawer without dividers, everything shifts around whenever you open and close your drawer. It can get very frustrating and pretty much defeats all organizational efforts.

This is where side desk organizer pockets hold an advantage. 

Right out of the box you have a fully compartmentalized storage solution. And you don’t have to worry about your stuff shifting every time you use it, unlike drawers. 

Our Recommendations

Finally, let’s get into our solutions.

Keep in mind that some of these organizers are multifunctional items. The term “Bedside Caddy” is one that you will see a lot when looking for side desk pocket organizer storage. This is just because it can also be used as a bedside organizer. 

Everything below will have some method of being mounted to your desk. That includes using Velcro or just sandwiching the dedicated panel between your desktop and table legs.

1) Minimal Side Storage

This first item is a very minimal solution. If you only need to store a small handful of items, consider this one. 

This organizer has clamps ready to go and squeezes on your desk for mounting. No additional hardware is needed. The clamps have an impressively low-profile design.

This organizer has five total pockets. Two large pockets and three small ones. This can hold notebooks and a light laptop in the largest compartment.

2) Large Side Storage

This storage solution is for those that need a bit more storage space. There are four compartments and two hooks for hanging items below the pocket as well! 

The main compartment is very large and can hold a handful of books, electronic devices, and even a water bottle!

The other three pockets are for smaller-sized items, like a compact notepad or a cell phone. If you need something with a large main compartment, consider this option. 

3) Compact Two-Pocket Storage

If you are looking for a dead simple storage system just for book-sized items and no small items, this could be for you. 

This is a very minimal storage system that has two main pockets for some organization options. Both pockets have dimensions of approximately 8 x 8 x 2.5 inches. 

This also comes with a proper mounting bracket so you can have a very secure connection that will hold your heavy books, planners, and tablets very safely. 

4) Felt Large Storage

This is another five-compartment solution. There is a large main compartment, two thin item compartments, and a water bottle pocket as well. 

The large main compartment has a separator, so there is some more organization that is hidden here. A feature on this item that is absent on all others so far, is that this has a cable pass-through hole.

This allows you to have a charger routed into the storage system so you can charge your laptop or tablet while it is neatly stored. A welcome touch!

This is also one of the better-looking storage systems on this list! It comes in a clean dark felt option as well. 

5) Power Strip Mountable Storage

This last side desk storage solution is pretty unique. It is a five-compartment solution with a large main compartment along with four mesh outer pockets. 

This organizer forces all of your items to be at an angle with a tapered main compartment. That makes everything fall into place when dropping it in. 

The most unique thing about this organizer is that it comes with a dedicated fabric ‘shelf’ that is designed to hold a power strip! 

The shelf is collapsible, so you don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. This just makes it a very convenient place to plug things in. 

In our article on cable management, we talk about elevating your power strips. That makes this solution very capable of being a cable management accessory mounted to your desk! 

It might not be as effective as table mounting your power strip, but it’s a decent option.

Still need help staying organized? Check out this fantastic organizational video below by Matthew Encina!