Wednesday 8 August 2012

My Slice Of Office Paradise

One of the fun parts of working in an office is getting your own desk and space. You spend so much of your life at your desk, so you want it to make you feel happy, calm and represent who you are.

Some people have very empty desks, with nothing but bare space and paper scattered everywhere. But I find just looking at their desks very un-motivating and boring, let alone working at it every day.

I consider my desk to be very cheerful and inspiring, and have filled it with things that I love. You should do the same with yours, to help you to deal with the drudgery of work just that little bit better.


What’s on my desk?

  • A lucky bamboo- It’s nice to have a bit of greenery on my desk, and it’s probably the coolest plant I've ever seen. I love how the bamboo twists around in a spiral. It’s really easy to take care of too, just one small water a month. You also need to purchase some bamboo fertiliser which you dilute into the water. This stops the plant yellowing. If yours yellows, then give it some fertiliser and it will return to green again quickly. I purchased mine from Bunnings Warehouse for around $15, and the fertiliser was $8.50 there also.

  • Pen holder- I purchased this cute one from Typo for around $6. It’s pretty and practical.
  • Black desk organiser- I received this as a present, but I know it’s from Kikki K and probably around the $50 mark (look on their website). I love how the rainbow highlighters look against the black! In the back right of it I also have a Kikki K diary and pen which is great for staying organised and on top of things. The green lidded bottle in the front is hand sanitiser, great for freshening up after a dirty train commute.
  • Rainbow Post it notes- So colourful and fun to write notes on!


 

  • Colourful desk drawers- Bought from Typo for around $15. Great for giving you increased  desk space and for your personal items. The top drawer is filled with little perfume samples, lip balm and hand cream. The middle drawer is filled with mints, gum, cough lollies, pain killers, tic tacs and other lollies to suck on. The bottom drawer is filled with tea bags and food items like biscuits and chocolates.
  • Desk bin- Bought from Smiggle for around $10. It saves me having to get up and down all the time to the office bin (we don’t have personal ones), and also looks cute.
  • Water bottle- Bought from Kathmandu for around $40. This is a gorgeous green colour (my favourite colour), and it is metal so it stays cool and is better than dirty plastic ones. A bottle is far better than a single glass when your desk is located as far from the kitchen as mine is. It saves you from getting up all the time and from being thirsty.
  • Cereal- I have a box of museli at work for when I don’t have time to have breakfast at home. This one’s Carman’s Original Fruit Free Museli, and it tastes so yum and cinnamony.
  • Mouse pad- Why not have a super cute looking one? Mine's decorated with olden day tickets. From Typo, $10ish.
  • Photos- It’s nice to surround yourself with photos that inspire you. I have one of my bunny! Lots of people have their kids/partners/etc also.
  • Mug- I have my own mug because I find it kind of gross to drink out of the communal work ones. From Typo, $6.
  • Cupcake notes- Its purpose is looking cute rather than anything else! Received as a gift, but you can buy them cheaply from Peter Alexander.
  • Blue Leather folder- So practical and gorgeous to look at and feel. Inside is a notepad, and a place to hold papers/business cards/phone. Great for carrying to meetings. It’s from Kikki K, I received it as a present but I know it’s pretty expensive, around the $120-150 mark.

Other tips:

  • I have a high heel drawer so I wear flats to work then high heels when I’m here. This saves me a lot of pain and from damaging my nice shoes too much.
  • I try to bring food and snacks to work so I don’t have to make full lunches to take to work every single night. I probably buy lunch 2-3 days a week, then bring lunch from home the other days. I generally don’t have to buy snacks because I have my own ‘pantry’ in my desk! I find it fun to bring food that needs to be stored in the fridge or heated up, it makes my day slightly more interesting somehow.
  • I also have a calendar hanging on my desk so I can keep track of dates etc.
It’s really all about making your desk a more enjoyable place to be, a place that inspires and motivates you to work.

So what do you think of my desk? Anything I’m missing that I should have? What do you have on your desk?

7 comments:

  1. I too wanted to spruce up my desk a while back, so I decided to get creative. I had a blast making this with a friend one afternoon - it's a cheap weekly planner "whiteboard":

    You'll need:
    - a simple A4 photo frame (from a $2 dollar shop is fine)
    - a sheet of fancy A4 paper for the background (I got mine from a scrapbooking store)
    - 7 of those free paint colour sample cards (from the local hardware shop)

    I arranged the paint sample cards on the backing paper to represent the days of the week (writing "M, T, W", etc in the corner), then framed it. Using an erasable "liquid chalk pen" (like the ones they use to write the menu in restaurants), I can write on the glass of the frame to plan out my week. All for under $5, and a very professional-looking end product. Give it a go!

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  2. Wow what a brilliant idea, most definitely making this! If you like, send me a picture of your creation and I'll create a blog post for this crediting you. Or do you have a blog I can visit so I can shower you with praise for your creativity? :P

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  3. This is a great post! I want to take a picture of my desk space now, although it isn't as colourful as yours. :) I believe that bright colours make SUCH a difference and I love to personalize things - so I totally know where you're coming from.

    By the way, I'd like to follow you but can't find the follow button. Am I missing something? I wouldn't be surprised if I am - it's Friday night and it's been a long week :)

    http://beautybunting.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sneha! Thanks so much for your lovely comment! Do you work fulltime? You should do a desk post too, I'm always interested in seeing people's spaces!

      Just fixed up the follow button, it should be there now! I'm brand new to this blogging thing, still getting the hang of it all :) So glad it's the weekend now!

      I'm going to hop over and have a look at your blog now! x

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    2. You're welcome! Yes, I do work full-time as well. :) Am following you now! x

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  4. Love these terrific ideas Kate! I'm going to try some out.
    Hellie

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! You should definitely try some of them out, they make your work day so much better somehow. It's so great to work in an inspiring space that you've created yourself :) xo

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I'd love to hear from you, and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! Thanks so much for reading :)