What’s Appropriate?
Understand your corporate culture, career, industry, etc. You don’t want to dress your office desk up like your living room or bedroom. Sure, the point is to bring your personality to the office desk, however, there’s a fine line between a personalised office desk and an inappropriate office desk. The key is to incorporate elements of your personality while still maintaining professionalism.
Functionality
Think of the stationery, files and documents you use often, make sure you have them closer to you than the rarely used items. Do a little clean up of what’s used often and what’s not. You can even place your stationery kit on the right-hand side if you’re right-handed, just to be specific. Play around with all the other essentials on your desk to make it as functional as possible.
Matchy-Matchy
Pick a colour and style you want. Ok, so it may seem juvenile to have a colour-coordinated stationery kit and everything else on your desk following that colour scheme, but if you do it at home for feng shui reasons, then you can most certainly do it at your work desk. It’s where you spend most of your day.
Framed Photos
Although it’s a bit of a cliche, why not put some framed photos of your favourite people on your office desk? You can make it even more meaningful and choose a photo of a loved one who inspires you to work harder, makes your smile or someone you want to make proud – anything sentimental really.
Inspirational Quotes
Inspirational quotes do wonders for daily motivation to get your work done. Depending on your desk set-up you could make fun holders for your quotes or paste them somewhere you’re guaranteed to see them whenever you need a bit of a push. You could even have the quotes in or on your notebook. Whatever you find most convenient and most helpful.
Colourful Calendar
A great addition to your desk is a colourful calendar on which to write your to-do list for the day, week and month. Use your colourful pens and pins, appeal to your inner child and make your workdays that much more interesting.
Add Some Greenery
Scientific studies have shown that having greenery in your workspace is beneficial and uplifting. Apparently, indoor plants can reduce carbon dioxide by about 10% in air-conditioned offices. Perch a small pot plant or succulent on your desk, don’t forget to water it, and enjoy having a bit of nature in your workspace.
Mug Upgrade
Sure you could use the company mug but why blend in when you can stand out and let your personality shine through? Get your own mug that represents you. You’re probably thinking it’s just a mug but is it really? If your personality screams strong and alpha, do you really want to drink your coffee out of a puny teacup you have to keep refilling? Upgrade your mug!
