I’m a firm believer that a clear desk helps to create a clear mind. As soon as my desk becomes untidy, filled with notes and scraps of paper with to do lists that’s when it all starts to go wrong. Motivation dips quickly, I don’t know what to focus on and then I run off to make a coffee.
To avoid that happening in 2016, or at least to ensure it happens less there are a few essential items I’ll be keeping on my desk and then hiding clutter away in folders and draws.
At the moment I’m getting ready for the year ahead and two of the most important items on my desk (aside from my laptop) are my 2016 diary and notebook. This year my parents treated me to this lovely gold Saffiano Filofax. I spent a long time trying to figure out which diary to go for this year. In then end I decided upon the Filofax because it can be used year after year and it’s filled with lots of nifty pockets for storing receipts. This is such a versatile diary and you can customise the inserts to suit your needs.
The notebook is such a beautiful design and really adds a lot of colour to my desk. I like to use a notebook alongside my diary for daily lists and brainstorming.
I don’t listen to music as much as I used to. I find that I now work much better in silence. However, since I started vlogging and editing videos on a regular basis I’ve found that using headphones makes the job much easier. I like to keep them close to hand but they can often make the desk look messy or they get lost in my bag. By keeping them in this cute little tin it keeps the desk neat and I can quickly pick them up and chuck them in my gym bag when I need to.
Pen pots are always on my desk. I like to colour code my diary so that I can identify meetings, deadlines, social events and gym sessions quickly. I think I should probably go through these pots to make them a little neater but they’re in use every day so that could be hard. I’m also using this hole punch which I believe was from Paperchase a very long time ago. I think I got it back in my uni days, it’s lasted for years.
I always like to keep a candle on my desk and I tend to go for a fresh scent. At the moment I’m burning this lovely candle from Orla Kiely, isn’t the jar beautiful? It’s the Fig Tree scent which is very fresh and calming, perfect for burning during the day. The scent fills the room quickly but it never becomes too overpowering.
I always have at least one lip balm on my desk. If I don’t leave it there then I’ll waste time hunting for one in my handbag. So, I find that it’s best to have a dedicated desk lip balm to hand. This one is Blueberry & Dark Chocolate from Burt’s Bees, it smells so good. I’ve gone through quite a few of these Revitalizing lip balms over the years, they’re very hydrating.
Sticky tabs are something I use on a daily basis. They’re handy to use in my diary, within work and they’re very useful for planning out meals. All my cookbooks have little tabs sticking out to notify me of my favourite recipes or new ones to try. These cute ones are from Paperchase.
At the moment I have a spare lens (24mm) on my desk. I probably won’t keep it there all the time but as I’m working on a few photography projects I think it makes sense to have it to hand.
I spend a lot of time at my desk. Actually, I spend the majority of my day at time my desk so it needs to be comfortable, organised and pretty. Not only is it important to be organised but it’s also essential to be aware of the importance of a quality desk. If like me, you work from home, it can be tempting to sit in bed and answer a few emails on a cold and rainy morning. Those emails turn into work which then leads you to the middle of the day and terrible backache. It’s very important to have a desk at an appropriate height and make sure you actually use it.
This beauty of a desk was sent to me from the very kind team over at Kit Out My Office. They’re a small family run business from Dewsbury, which isn’t too far from where I’m currently based. They make all the furniture themselves in their factory and they’re FSA approved. This means they’re an environmentally conscious brand. I’m a big believer in supporting small businesses and it’s even more exciting when they’re local.
The desk you can see in this post is the UCLIC Aspire Desk in Dark Olive. It has two draws which are very deep and make it easy to store away extra notebooks, pens and stationery. This beauty arrived just before Christmas and you can spot us putting it together in Vlogmas Day 16 and then organising everything in Vlogmas Day 17. The instructions were easy to follow and it was very simple to put together.
I particularly like the 60s style of the draws in this desk which is why I decided to go for the dark olive shade. When I was putting the desk together I could tell that everything felt strong and of a high quality. I can see this desk lasting for years and moving with me to my next home.
Thank you so much to Kit Out My Office. I’m really enjoying using my new desk, it looks good in my study and helps to keep my sitting straight throughout the day.