Age of child? What does she have now? How much room do you have for a desk? Does she like or dislike putting things away neatly? Is a desk what she really needs?

My daughter is 11, and she hates putting things away, her room is a mess, but that is manageable. The space is 35 by 12 inches.

Her desk is really in need of organizing ideas, since I have tried multiple things.

Can you post pic of desk please

Clutterbug on youtube and blog has some information on organizing hints for different personalities. You might look into it. Organizing is hard enough and it is extremely difficult if you and your daughter are wired differently.

Unless you can put in a fold up desk with some place else to put stuff that space is very small for a person that likes seeing all her stuff out. Can you extend it into the room more? Can you put cubbies above it? What sort of stuff is making the mess?

My childhood desk was about the same as my mother's, 18" deep and maybe 4' long. It was pretty and I loved looking at it but hated using it. She loved hers. I used the 4" square table in the corner between the twin beds in preference. I needed lots of depth to spread out.

I'm a recovering messy person and now that I've found ways I like to sort and organize it's fun and easy. A HUGE part of that is decluttering. I thought that since the section of the buffet for pens, pencils and markers wasn't overflowing that it was fine but it wasn't. Too many duplicates and just plain too many. Now I've cut back to a couple of each item the area is more functional.

I am sorry to say to everyone that I am not at liberty to show my daughter's room, I personally don't need her on the internet. I love all the ideas, and I will post a picture on my next post.

Check out this sketch from houzz - https://ml.houzz.com/AzGf/spBgjkMzGJ

A small table and two drawer filing cabinet that will roll under the table when not in use might be better than a large desk. Getting a two drawer filing cabinet that can be painted the same color as a table will give more table top space and storage space as well and a filing cabinet could double as a bedside table, too.

Consider taking your child to a Habitat for Humanity Restore Store and see if you can find a used beginner's table or desk that is suitable -- something affordable but that could be painted the child's favorite color(s).

Wall hung shelving above the desk can also help create a place to put stuff away.

If you're currently putting her stuff away, invest in a large plastic storage container and/or laundry hamper* and, instead of "putting it away" -- just dump it all in the container and leave her to sort through what she has for what she needs.

*If your child wants her favorite clothes washed for school, she needs to be either hanging them on hooks behind the door to be re-worn and/or putting them in her own hamper after wearing them.

Is there room to the left of the desk to put the drawer unit and maybe some shelves to hold the items on the hutch? Without being able to sit in the middle of the desk, it may not feel very functional to your daughter and thus it becomes a junk harbor/landing zone for "stuff" vs. an actual work area.

Are you trying to get her to use the desk for homework when she prefers to do homework on the bed or at the kitchen table? Or trying to teach her to keep things neat and orderly? These are two different issues.

Some 11 year olds are starting the independence-seeking teen years.

I am trying to have my daughter stay organized, since this is her first year of Middle school. She likes to do her homework on her bed, but that gives her bad posture, and I didn't buy her a desk for nothing. I love the ideas, and I have ordered shelving. Next weekend, we are going through her desk. Until then, I love the ideas!!

When my daughter was this age I put a large frame with cork board behind her door this gave her a place for all the things she wanted to save. By placing behind the door the mess was blocked from view. We also have her an additional shelf in her closet and decorative boxes to stash her treasures that clutter all surfaces. As to studying on her bed, if she is comfortable let it go. After being forced to sit at desk all day maybe the bed is a nice soft spot to study. Our daughter is now grown, but even in grad school although we furnished her apartment with a large table and book case for her to study/write at she choose to sit on her sofa.

That desk is useless unless she is writing in a journal. Even clear there's no room for more than that.

Can you pull it to the left and put another table on the adjacent wall so she has an L shaped work surface? That would be a terrific arrangement.

Other then that I'd put shelves up above the desk for the non paper work things she has and reserve the drawer for things she needs at hand. Nothing allowed on the desk and put a cute clamp lamp so she can see what she is doing.

She will still want to work on her bed. You could give her a dollar every time you catch her doing schoolwork at her desk and she'd probably earn $3 over a month's time if that.