Seen loads of pics of people’s desks on here, with loads of toot all over them some of them, but what objects do you have on your desk what are actually useful and that? Penholder? Coffee cup mat? Paper tray? Stapler? Tape dispenser? Which items are actually indispensable to your every day work?

And do you have any favourites? Particular things you love having and using? Anything particularly unusual that others might not have?

Feel free to post loads of pics.

An orange and some tissues.

The selection of pens i have in my pen mug. I don’t physically use it a lot, but my external hard drive wurrs away frequently backing stuff up.

Keyboard, mouse, computer, monitor, coffee. All you need for programming…

keyboard, mouse, phone. that’s it. The few papers are stuff that’s just in transit.

Marker pen, stanley knife, packing tape, E45 hand cream for my eczema, Helix ruler.

A rock, a stapler, a coffee cup and a photo of yo momma.

aha .. someone must be as bored at work as me

I have a computer. Mostly used for trawling STW.

Phone, speakers, wallet, hat, keys, the rules to wheelchair badminton, a pair of funky christmas antlers that play tunes and light up, an elf hat, garmin edge, two pens and a pencil, a business card for a “mobile bicycle repair” man, knife, toothbrush, brake pad spacers, passport, 3 calculators, power ball, various bits of paper and notes, tesco online shopping leaflet, bar ends, notebook, ipod sync cable thingy, heart rate monitor, various cables for getting things to talk to other things, marker pens, rulers, spare change, exposure charger.

And that’s just on the desk. If I were to tell you what’s in immediate reach we’d be here a lot longer, and it would include at least 2 bikes.

EDIT: oh, and there’s a laptop in here somewhere.

Thing I use the most.

Thing I use the least.

Laptop, cafetiere, mug, vernier, calculator, speakers with sub and digi. radio underneath. As well as lots of pen and staplers and boring stuff.

All the paperwork I am meant to be addressing, a couple of computers and a swear box

I have some of this.

iMac and an old Anglepoise lamp. Nothing else.

Minimalist. Only way I can work.

I have no desk 🙁

french press

Little League baseball for throwing at minions (so comforting)
Apples, for eating anytime I want crisps.
Phone, for ignoring.
STW browsing contraption.
USB charging bike lights
A massive Rock-n-Roll Lubrication box that says “THE KING OF LUBES – EXTREME – COMPLETE KIT”, that I keep my pens and stuff in, as a gentle reminder to all that I’m being royally screwed on a regular basis….

An old (male) boss had a vibrator. This was found out after the office was broken into and the contents of his drawers were left scattered everywhere.

Ohh how we laughed etc…

Everything on the desk is used otherwise it belong ina drawer. My coffee cup is used more than my mouse

Tea cup. Tabasco sauce. Mouse. Keyboard. Laptop.

Everything else is just clutter.

a pen, a datebook and a little rag doll called Brigitte 😀

This is where I put everything on my desk, and behind Totoro is just my pens/pencils, put the pot I keep my pennies in.

phone, computer, tear off order book, samples, more samples, a big book of contacts, and some more samples. Oh, and some more samples over there…*points*

edit: can I have your tottoro?

Excellent. More pics please!

How do you organise stuffs? Is it all neat and tidy, in pen holders and trays and stuff, or is it all higgledy piggledy? Can you find stuff easily, or are you always swearing cos you can’t find what you need when you need it?

Oh, and what area is your desk? EG mine is 100x60cm.

I have no desk

Flipping make one then you lazy wally. Jeeze…. 🙄

Oh, and what area is your desk? EG mine is 100x60cm.

I’d answer, but the one useful thing I don’t have on my desk is a tape measure. 😥

my stuff is everywhere, there are tights in the drawers, emergency tampons, pens, tissues, spare pair just in case, mascara, moisturizer.

samples everywhere, and half drunk cups of coffee.

I like to paraphrase Ian Faiths quote from Spinal Tap

“Its a “totemistic” mascot. Certainly in the topsy turvy world of graphic design, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is quite often useful”

Not many people ask me to change things any more 😀

Nice LART you’ve got there, sir.

Like a few here I’m aminimalist kinda guy, so:
Phone
Lappy
Pen

However when it comes to coffee cups I have 6 used paper jobbies and 2 plastic water cups just hanging around.

And

Under my desk lays my Dahon Vitesse.. weeeeeee, click, weeeeee, click, weeee

I have a little globe. A phone. Two monitors. A laptop. A Camelback water bottle. And err, that’s it.

You’ve really disappointed me now Flashy. I had you down for this type of thing. In fact; exactly this type of thing

😉

Needs more red braces. 🙂

you designing office furniture elf?
.
I have:
– a laptop, phone, monitor, etc.
– pinboard with stuff I need access to quickly but never use
– a small selection of books which make me look like I read books that I never use
– calendar
– pen pot stuck to desk partition
– small tray attached to desk partition with paper fasteners, stapler, stick of rock and any other guff on
.
It’s a corner desk which is about 1.5m square. We are being ‘call-centred’ soon which means about 50% less space…
We have a clear desk policy so nothing personal or client related can be left out overnight.

I have lots of stuff on my desk, but the most frequently used items are one of my calculators (I have to have a spare for those times when I’ve misplaced (ie its buried under one of the piles of paperwork) the other one) an A4 ringbound notepad (ringbound so that it’s easier to utilise both sides of the page) and whatever pen is currently my favourite.

Among the other random stuff on my desk though there are currently a few maps and plans of sewage treatment works that I’m working on, a copy of the WRc Sewerage rehab manual, a set of sewage works design manuals from the 1970s, a huge box of disposable earplugs, 2 unused laptops and a couple of reports that I need to find the time to read through.

you designing office furniture elf?

(Whistles nonchalantly…)

I’m ‘researching’. Just interested to learn how people organise stuff on their desks. Not all desks have drawers (mine does not in any way, but I have a shelving rack next to it).

More pics will be espeshly appreciated. Lots of valuable info in pics.

my stuff is everywhere, there are tights in the drawers, emergency tampons, pens, tissues, spare pair just in case, mascara, moisturizer.

I wonder if women have more things on/in their desks, on average, than men do?

Are drawers important, or not?

I can’t take pics – client confidentiality needs to be preserved.
I have drawers for:
– current work
– storing my laptop in
– personal stuff (meds, beer)
.
women need a shoe drawer

No, drawers are not important. Well, I say not, but I do store my less well/often used rubbish in there.

Desk. Hmmm. My desk is a classic corporate IT quarter arc type with three monitors at the apex, a phone to the right, four PG Tips monkeys and a Mac laptop to the left, and stacks of random paperwork and technical books on the extreme right.

My RC helicopter and Arduino stuff is on the extreme left. The RC aircraft and tools are on another desk. And under another desk. And hanging from the ceiling on bits or fishing line.

No, drawers are not important

Hmm. To you, or in general?

women need a shoe drawer

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of a private storage space away from general view, really. For the reasons Emsz illustrates. Maybe such private space is more important for women, I dunno.

Does anyone ‘share’ a desk? I walked past an estate agent’s t’other day; roughly 1.5 square metre table (no drawers) was being used by 4 people. 4 monitors, hole in centre for all cables. Looked like there could potentially be ‘territorial’ issues.

With office space costing ever increasing amounts, space is at a premium, but then surely there’s a need for ‘adequate’ personal working space?