Recently, the Lifehacker office was thinking: What’s the best pen?

Ever walk into an art supply store and wonder what all the different kinds of pens and pencils are for? Is there a "correct" one to write with? What's the best pen for lefties? Watch our simple video guide to the best uses for ballpoints, gel pens, and roller ball pens.

Turns out there's a right and a wrong way to peel sticky notes (AKA Post-It notes). Think side-to-side, not bottom-to-top.

You may have seen the iconic Eames Elephant before, but never as an office supply organiser. Mette, creative blogger at the helm of monster's circus, saw it as an opportunity to create something functional.

If you ever need to staple something large or unwieldy, a regular-sized office stapler can be ineffective. This video from Instructables user DIYHacksandHowTos shows off one quick way you can make a basic stapler far more versatile.

Like buttons, you probably don't think of scissors as something that needs an upgrade. However, Fiskars Softouch Spring Action Scissors manage to solve a number of problems you've likely ignored over the years and just make your cutting needs a lot easier.

If you have a roll of sticky tape that's not in a dispenser, finding the end can be a pain. How-to illustrator Yumi Sakugawa suggests that you use a toothpick to mark the end of the roll.

Real Simple magazine found that a standard paper clip holder works well to hold bobby pins. You could also hold any type of light metal item such as straight pins, safety pins, screws, penny nails, etc.

Did you know there's such a thing as a dry highlighter that doesn't bleed through pages and won't give you a highlighter fume headache?

As we've seen through our featured workspaces, offices can be very specific and particular. Chances are if you've got an office, you've stocked it up with exactly what you need. So what are those things? What does your workspace require?

If you're not using your finished cereal boxes for drawer organisers, gift boxes, or an army of DIY projects, you can also create this really nice upcycled memo holder that'll fit nicely on your wall.

If you want to keep office supplies organised and at hand, even if your desk lacks for extensive storage, this simple Lazy Susan hack keeps all your supplies at your finger tips.

Whiteboards are great to have, but maybe you don't need a big one, nailed to a wall. Previously mentioned Whiteboard now makes sticky-note and notepad-sized stick-on whiteboards. They're convenient in offices, kitchens and other spaces worth writing in.

Despite thousands of years of use and design, women's bracelets can be pretty tricky to put on, often requiring some tricky manoeuvres or a two-person effort. MacGyver's favourite tool, the paper clip, to the rescue.

If you're looking to add to your arsenal of office pranks, you can turn a film canister and some paper punch cast-offs into a harmless but colourful confetti bomb.

If you have a large number of small parts around your office or workshop, you know what a pain it is to store and organise them. This clever hack uses 3-ring binders for no-fuss parts organisation.

The web-watching boss, the overly chatty coworker, the kids sneaking into your home office — nobody should have the jump on you while you're at work. A small convex mirror gives you a better view of who's about to enter your space.

Patented 100 years ago to mitigate the time-consuming process of manually hole-punching and thread-binding papers and manuscripts, the classic piece of office-supply brilliance known as the binder clip deserves a prominent spot in every office, home and quick-and-dirty DIYers' toolkit.

Keeping an office organised depends on a good storage system, but office supplies can quickly get expensive. Chances are you already have cheaper and more attractive alternatives in your kitchen.