How to Organize Pens and Pencils (and Keep Only the Ones That Work)
Collect every pen, pencil and marker, test each on scrap paper, discard the dead ones and split the rest into a small working set for the desk and a backup box stored with your supplies.
At a glance
What you need
- Scrap paper for testing
- Tray or towel to sort on
- Rubber bands or small zip bags
- One desk cup or drawer tray
- Lidded box for backups
- Pencil sharpener and eraser
Most homes own far more pens than they use, and a fair share of them no longer write. They fill cups and drawers anyway, so finding one that works means trying three. The way to organize pens and pencils is to test every one, keep the ones that work and that you like using, and then split those into a small set for the desk and a backup stock stored elsewhere.
The whole job takes about 30 to 40 minutes, and most of that is the testing.
What to gather
- A few sheets of scrap paper
- A tray, towel or cleared table to sort on
- A bag for trash
- Rubber bands or small zip bags for grouping
- One cup or drawer tray for the desk
- A lidded box or pencil case for the backup stock
- A pencil sharpener
Step by step: collect, test and sort
- Collect every writing tool in the house. Empty the desk cup and drawers, then check bags, coat pockets, the kitchen, bedside tables and the car. Include pencils, markers, highlighters, colored pencils and mechanical pencils. Pile them all on the tray.
- Test each one on scrap paper. Write a short word and draw a loop. A pen that works starts at once and leaves an even line. Give a hesitant pen a few more loops; if it still skips, it goes in the discard pile.
- Check the body. Missing caps, cracked barrels, clips that have snapped off and leaking tips are all reasons to let a pen go, even if it writes. Pencils shorter than your finger are hard to hold and sharpen; discard those too.
- Discard the dead ones. Put them in the trash bag. If your area has a collection point for used pens, set them aside for it.
- Sort the survivors by type. Make a group each for ballpoint pens, gel or rollerball pens, pencils, highlighters, permanent markers, fine drawing pens and colored pencils. Use whichever groups match what you own.
- Pick favorites within each type. Hold a few and write a line with each. The ones you would reach for first go to the front of the group. Pens you dislike using, such as free ones that scratch, can be donated if they work.
- Choose the working set for the desk. Take only what you use on a normal day; the next section suggests how many.
- Bundle the rest as backup stock. Group each type with a rubber band or in its own zip bag and put them all in one lidded box.
How many is enough for a desk cup
A desk cup works when you can see every item in it and lift one out without the others coming too. For an ordinary cup, that means about eight to ten items in total. A reasonable working set:
| Item | How many | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday pens | 3 or 4 | One in use, one spare, one or two in another color |
| Pencils | 2 | One sharpened and one ready behind it |
| Highlighters | 1 or 2 | More colors only if you really use them |
| Permanent marker | 1 | For labels and boxes |
Tip
Use the cup itself as the limit. When a new pen comes home, it may join the cup only if another one leaves for the backup box. A cup that is never allowed to get crowded never needs sorting again.
Cup or drawer tray: where the working set lives
A cup on the desk suits people who write by hand many times a day. Place it on your writing-hand side at the back of the desk, close enough to reach without leaning. Choose a cup tall enough to support a pen over half its length, so nothing tips out, and heavy or wide enough at the base not to fall when you pull one free.
A drawer tray suits people who write only now and then, or who want a clear surface. Give the pens the front compartment of the top drawer, laid flat in a single layer, all pointing the same way. The guide on how to organize desk drawers shows how to plan the other compartments around them.
Use one or the other, not both. Two pen locations at one desk simply doubles the number of pens that settle there. If you have just cleared the pens off the surface as part of a wider tidy, the method for decluttering your desk in 30 minutes covers what else earns a place on it.
Store the backup stock together, away from the desk
The backup box holds everything that works but is not in the working set. Keep it with your other supplies, not in the desk, so the desk holds only what is in use.
- One box for all writing tools. A lidded box about the length of a pencil is ideal. A large pencil case or a shallow drawer works as well.
- Grouped by type inside. Rubber bands, zip bags or small dividers keep ballpoints from mixing with markers, so a refill for the cup takes seconds to find.
Where the box itself should live, and how to store the rest of your stationery alongside it, is covered in the list of office supply storage ideas.
Storing markers, highlighters and pencils
Markers and highlighters
Keep every marker and highlighter capped, and press the cap until it clicks or seats fully; a loose cap is the usual reason these dry out. Beyond that, follow the storage advice printed on the pack or barrel, since makers differ on whether a particular marker is best kept flat or upright. If nothing is stated, laying them flat in the backup box is a sensible default.
Pencils
Store pencils point up in a cup, or all pointing the same way in a tray, so the tips do not break against the base or mark the other contents. Keep a sharpener and an eraser in the same place as the pencils: a small sharpener with a shavings container in the cup’s neighbor compartment or the same drawer cell.
Adapting to your household
Children’s pens and crayons: run the same test-and-discard session, but store their set separately in its own box or caddy, so school and craft supplies do not flow back into the office cup.
Several desks or rooms: one small working set per place where writing really happens, such as the desk and beside the phone, and a single shared backup box for the whole home.
Art supplies: leave large sets of colored pencils or markers in their original tins or cases and shelve them with the supplies.
Frequently asked questions
How many pens should I keep on a desk?
About eight to ten writing tools in total is enough for most desks: three or four everyday pens, two pencils, one or two highlighters and a permanent marker. Everything else that works goes into a backup box stored with your supplies, ready to replace a pen when it runs out.
Should markers be stored flat or upright?
It depends on the marker, so follow the advice on its pack or barrel. If none is given, storing markers flat with their caps pressed fully on is a sensible default. A cap that is not seated properly is the most common reason a marker or highlighter dries out.
What should I do with pens that still work but I never use?
Put the ones you might use in the backup box, up to the limit of what the box holds. Offer the rest to a school, community group or charity shop that accepts stationery, checking first that they want them. Keeping unloved pens in the desk cup only hides the ones you like.
