I usually prepare my room for a life change every year (well, almost every year). Going back to school, or just plain needing a change, my room’s layout gets revamped. And while I acknowledge that it is very labour intensive and er, dusty, the results are totally worth the muscle pain and allergic rhinitis.

Tidying up also involves my desk, and I make sure I have everything I need within reach, so it’ll save me time trying to fumble with drawers and looking for things. Let me take you for a mini-desk tour, where I’ll show you all what’s on my desk.

I’ve had this desk since I was in high school. My father bought it from a Japanese surplus store, and it was such a wonderful surprise since he bought us our very own study tables whilst my sister, brother and I was away at camp! However, I’m considering getting a new one as I need something larger that can also make room for a printer. For now, though, I can make do.

I used to have a lot of stuff on my desk, but the clutter stressed me out so I decided to clear it out and only put stuff that I need. While there are more items on the table than is pictured above, it is considerably more minimalistic than usual. 🙂

I love my pen dispensers. It’s pretty much made me focus on the stuff I need. Also, there’s something really pleasing about seeing what you need and being able to get it immediately instead of rifling through a mug and wasting precious time.. The mini bucket that holds my coloured pencils used to hold all my pens until I realised I’m wasting a lot of time looking for a pen. Hence, the new pen dispensers.

Beside the mini-bucket is a lamp I’ve had for a year already. Mini-storytime: I bought it on a “pick-me-up” shopping trip the day after a guy broke my heart. Yep, that’s it basically. It’s a pretty nifty lamp–you can adjust the brightness into three modes–light, bright, and then REALLY BRIGHT. You can guess which mode I actually use. Hehe.

Next to the corkboard is a really old–and I mean vintage–Sesame Street bookend. Yes, I am that old. I grew up watching the show as a little girl in the eighties. This bookend supports two books on Labour Relations law by two different authors (I never seem to escape the law, even in grad school, heh), and two notebooks. Sadly, these bookends are most likely no longer in circulation. Sorry about that.

Next to the books is a plastic container holding different things ranging from my graphics tablet to unruled index cards. When school starts, I’ll really have to change the contents of that box to more useful stuff that I really need. (Hello, more unruled index cards! Hello, page markers! Hello, notepads!). And then there’s the pencil sharpener next to it. Carl Angel-5 pencil sharpeners are the absolute best. They’re kind of pricey (well, for me), but they’re worth the buck.

I almost forgot the nifty little things standing next to the mini bucket. The frosted flower-like thing is actually a candle holder, but as I don’t have a candle in my room, I repurposed it into a container for my push-pins for the corkboard. A little shot-glass that I got at a work friend’s wedding as a giveaway serves as a container for paper clips.

(Side note: you wouldn’t want me to bore you about the medicines I take. Let’s skip that.)

While you’re reading about my rambling about the stuff on my desk, I know you’ll be asking: what’s the point of this post? Having everything you need–from tools to stationery can save a good deal of time, and save you from being annoyed when you don’t find what you need. And you don’t want that. Time is so, so precious, and you don’t want to waste that on being annoyed about a missing piece of stationery.

My father often tells how important it is that all the things you need for studying or working should be in its proper place. While the stroppy teenaged me would roll my eyes as I search for my missing pair of scissors, I now realise how right he was. Well, it’s never too late to learn.

Take a look around my messy work area (lol). Pictures were taken at different days, and at different times. Sorry.