Good morning Gentlemen and Ladies,

 

I have been working from home for a few years and I just received a promtion that will require me to go back into the office full time.

 

I'm looking for ideas concerning what you guys carry with and store at your desks at work?

 

I have the usual items, cellphone, pad, pen etc-  I tend to get narrow focused when I think about things like this.

 

So I guess I'm just looking to get a different perspective from my own.

 

I'm open to all suggestions, helpful, inspirational, whimsical etc

 

What do you guys keep at your desks to help you with your jobs and get you through the day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views: 774

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

If you like what you do, and your job is stimulating, you won't even need to think about that stuff. It will just happen.

But at my desk:

lot of photos of my family, and all the things my kids made for me. It reminds me why I'm there when I'm having a crappy day.

Napkins, as I am constantly putting either solids or liquids in my pie hole all day.

My new Mustache mug.

Thanks for the reply Carl, I have the family pictures covered- I also have a digital frame we're not using at the house I might use.

 

The napkins are a good idea as I'm always spilling stuff

Congratulations on the promotion. As for your desk, keep it simple. A family photo or two, maybe a quote that inspires you to look at now and then when things get overwhelming, a desk or wall calendar, a legal pad or two.... and try not to print so much. That's my 2013 resolution, less paper. I've gone kicking and screaming into the electronic age, and have to let go of my "but what if the network crashes" paper obsession.

Thanks Tim, good idea-   

I'm only 32 but I also seem to have a luddite outlook when it comes to paper and electronic networks etc,

 

Maybe because it seems that every company I have ever worked for, their computer networks seem to be held together by rubber bands, ducttape and just plain hope!!!

 

 

 

Two practical notes.  Check the company policy on personal electronics.  Some workplaces are notably strict when it comes to bringing in anything electronic that records and/or transmits.

You also need (particularly if you will be enjoying an office with real walls and a door) the policy on what you can put on the walls.  I've worked in a building where if the landlord didn't put it on the wall, you didn't get tp put it on the wall.

Otherwise, beyond the family photos, you'll want to have a display calendar, preferably with space for notes...(I've seen Outlook go down just enough to want that back up, and the pictures can liven up the cubicle.)  A personal fan is a nice touch, just avoid the cheap ones, you want a discrete breeze from time to time, not a whining small motor.

 

As to the other stuff, iit may be obvious, but sometimes you don't automatically get minor office furnishings, like in/out boxes, pencil cups, staplers, chair mats...be prepared for that possibility.

With all do respect, you are way overthinking it.   You'd be better off getting used to the office environment and then figuring out what you want rather than spending money to take things in that you'll throw out later.   The best things in my office are the things that remind you of why you're working.....photo of your family, a nice photo of an enjoyable/relaxing vacation, etc

Not too relaxed...a photo of you in a bathing suit, holding a beer looking pie-eyed should probably stay at home!

$20, for when you lose/forget your wallet, can't get to an ATM, need lunch money or cab fare

a protein source (I like peanut butter.) for missed meals and late nights

disinfecting wipes (Your keyboard is the dirtiest thing you touch each day.)

aspirin/aceteminophen/ibuprofen

travel-size of whatever you use to clean your face and teeth

safety pins

cough drops

something to hold drinking water

I like a charger at the office for the electronic gadgets I bring to the office

I keep a blazer at the office for surprise meetings and spills. A man could have a shirt instead.

Consider some kind of emergency preparedness. You spend 1/4 of your time at the office. Home shouldn't be the only place with extra water, food, etc. [Some workplaces take care of this for the whole business, but not enough.]

Go minimalist for the first week or so until you get a feel for the environment. Many basic supplies will probably be supplied by your company, so see what is already provided before you go cluttering up the space.

Don't bring things that will distract you from your work. Let somebody else be the guy with all the action figures on his desk.

If it's a "business casual" or "casual" office, keep a sports coat or jacket and tie at the office for more formal meetings or presentations.

Havent read any other posts so i do not get swayed.  I do not keep pictures of my family at my desk, nor do i keep pictures of work at my home.  I do not have my cell phone at my desk, there is a phone already at my desk.  Good supply of pens, an excellent keyboard and mouse set up, notebooks to seperate projects, a clipboard for walk arounds or adhoc meetings, heaphones for when you really get into the work, and a pitcher of water.

Why don't you keep family pictures at the office?  Or your cellular phone?  You seem pretty committed to those positions ... there has to be a reason.  Are you easily distracted or something?

 

I'm a grown man with a degree, not a high schooler or an inmate.  I'm not checking my phone at the door, or shuttering myself in a pictureless blank white room.  Its an office ... not an asylum.

 

JB

RSS

Latest Activity

JonEdanger replied to James!'s discussion Best Manly Insults
"Very well said. Reminds me of the scene in Top Gun where Mav and Goose are standing outside the office listening to Viper get his ass chewed by the tower boss who spilled his coffee on himself when M&G did the fly-by. After he ran into the…"
7 minutes ago
Profile IconJohn C, Joey D and Brian H joined Alex Chaney's group
Thumbnail

Underground Strength Coach

Welcome to the real underground training movement.See More
1 hour ago
Joey D commented on Alex Chaney's group Underground Strength Coach
"Hey, Is this the page or connected with Jason Ferruggia and his training?"
2 hours ago
Chuck Knight replied to James!'s discussion Best Manly Insults
"My office labels them ID-10-T errors.  ID10T.  (Computer tech)"
6 hours ago
Todd Serveto replied to Beowulf87's discussion Not looking for pickup lines, but.... in the group Christian Men
"Hey, Spencer...I've got a word picture for you.  Imagine you want to take a trip to a town in a distant state, but you decide not to drive.  No airports are close by, so you're left with two options: go by Amtrack (the passenger…"
7 hours ago
C.C. Dolph replied to James!'s discussion Best Manly Insults
"Speaking of professional colloquialisms, "FNG" come to mind: Fucking New Guy."
7 hours ago
Ian Wilson replied to Jared J. King's discussion Best places to buy kilts in the group The Kilted Ones
"check out USAKilts.com and join and ask this community about kilts (new and used):Brotherhood of the Kilt"
9 hours ago
Chuck Knight replied to J. Packard's discussion Looking for some haircut suggestions!
"Actually, it's true that your face is round, but it's fairly small and your forehead is huge.  It's just the way you're proportioned.  Consequently, a forward swept style might be more flattering, because it would…"
9 hours ago

© 2013   Created by Brett McKay.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service