What’s in my desk

When I got the job that I have right now and realized that I would have a desk for the first time in my working life I was excited to fill it up with stuff! I read tons of blog posts about great things to keep in your desk, some of which were helpful, and some of which were a little weird.  Since I’ve been using many of these items regularly for the last year I thought I would share what I’ve love having at my fingertips. 

One of the first things that I did was to find an organizer that would fit really well in my desk drawer. I settled on a set that stacks on top of each other, so I keep the office supplies on the top (post-its, white out, 3M hooks, glue sticks, extra tape, etc.) and all of this stuff on the bottom:

Earbuds: When I need to block out the distractions I put these in and find a Pandora playlist that goes with my mood.  When I’m really distracted The Piano Guys are perfect, I also love my Pitch Perfect playlist.  I also use these when I’m watching webinars so that everyone around me doesn’t also have to listen to my webinar.

Gum: Two reasons for this – obviously, if something that I ate for lunch had a strong scent, but it’s also what I need when I’ve eaten far too many little snacks and I can’t seem to stop!

Hair ties and bobby pins: There is inevitably a day when the rain completely ruins my hair, or it is just to hot to keep it down. I’m always grateful to have these because I never know when I’ll need them.

Excedrin and Ibuprofen: These two have saved me countless times! I definitely suggest keeping whatever you use regularly on hand.

Mini Hairbrush: This is one of those things that I threw in my bag to bring in as an afterthought.  I really didn’t think I would use it that much, but I was wrong. I couldn’t tell you where I got this one, but it is one of those that folds in half and has a mirror in the handle part. Both the mirror and the brush have been well used.

Chapstick: I have different varieties of chapstick hidden all over – every bag and purse that I use regularly, drawers all over my house, so it was a no brainer to keep one in my drawer and I use it all the time. Especially on days when I have to train or present because I find that I need it more when I talk more.

Fingernail clipper and file: I used to bite my nails, so now I use both of these obsessively!

Battery charger: I love these and often take this one with me to conferences or trainings, when I know my phone will die and I probably won’t have time to sit somewhere and charge it.  So while I don’t technically use this at my desk (because I can plug my phone into my power strip or my computer) I am glad that I have it and it does get used often.

Lotion: This is a lifesaver on days when I have dry skin or lots of static, it gets used a lot in the winter!

Hand sanitizer: This was another one of those items that I threw in at the last minute, just because I have a ton of them laying around my house, but I use it a ton! I visit a lot of different classrooms and training locations and sometimes I just need that clean feeling that hand sanitize can give you. I also love the way it smells.

Lip gloss: I don’t use this a ton, but sometimes I need to refresh – at the end of long days a little lip color can go a long way!

A couple of things that weren’t in the picture: A regular phone charger that I use almost every day and band-aids (I’m pretty sure I had used them all when I took the picture).

What’s in your emergency kit? Is there one thing that you can’t get through the day without?