I love reading other student blogs about how they study, what stationery they use (I’m a stationery addict!) and I’ve been itching to update you all on my own. Thing is, I’m technically a student this year, but not really – out on my placement year I’m working in a fancy office, with massive desk and two (sometimes three) computer screens. Pretty sure what’s on my desk isn’t as exciting as most students, though I’ve tried to make it as ‘me’ as possible.
I’ve found a good stapler and hole punch an absolute must in the office. Anything printed has to be filed away immediately, and definitely not left unattended on your desk (confidentiality and all that)…and whilst the printer generally at least handles the stapling side (but not for my fancy Adobe software that took four months for IT to give me permission to have) hole-punching is definitely beyond its capabilities. I prefer to keep these items as small as possible, and I’ve found Leitz to offer some great ones. The
hole-punch* might be small, but it can still go through at least 25 sheets. The
stapler* is pretty damn strong, and it also comes with a 5-year guarantee…though I’m finding it pretty difficult to find Leitz branded staples!
As I’m on placement, I have a mountain of paperwork I need to keep up to date with from university. Monthly blogs, quarterly reviews, a report, plus gradings from my supervisor and the standard H&S rubbish. This all gets thrown into the Leitz magazine rack* – not only functional and sturdy, the lovely pink color really brightens up my desk!
Regular readers will know I can’t live without my Filofax, and this has become even more true for this year. Keeping track of meetings when I’m not in the office would be impossible without it, as I don’t have a laptop (reason: I requested not to have one as I’d never switch off). I also use it to keep note of what I’ve been doing, meal planning, calorie counting, and blog organisation. You could say my entire life is in there!
Some beauty treats also feature in my desk – my top drawer is actually dedicated to them! I couldn’t live without a decent handcream or lipbalm – air conditioning is a killer! My current handcream is from Yes Nurse*, and is one of the better ones I’ve used. Lightly and subtly fragranced (I loved one from Orla Kiely, but the smell made it impossible to take to work), quick to absorb and it comes with an adorable cover. It also raises funds for Breast Cancer Care, to which I donated on receiving this to review. I’m unfussy about lipbalms, and tend to switch between Bodyshop offerings, or Burts Bees. I’ll always have the lipstick I started the day wearing in my handbag too!
Pens are one of the banes of my life (along with
my hair). Being left-handed everything seems to smudge. I get covered in ink and my work is illegible. For rough notes I’ve taken to using
BIC biros*, as they are cheap, cheerful and come in pretty colours. I can’t use these for proper notes though, as they do smudge if I write properly. So I’m still resorting to my Pental Frixon erasable ones – and yep, they still cost a small fortune.
Other less exciting things – a stock of fruit (apples and oranges seem to last best at work), and some emergency biscuits and chocolates. The lovely mug W got me for
Christmas. My
Logitech mouse, it’s so much easier on my RSI strained hand. A stash of Yorkshire teabags (the company provide PG Tips…), and a pair of black ballet flats (so if it rains I can walk to work in wellies and change).
It’s a wonder there’s any space left on my desk to work! What are your desktop essentials?
