Exploring the Essentials: What's on My Desk?

Aside from the obvious laptop, computer screen and mouse, there are a few essentials that I have on my home office desk, that are key to me having productive day. I thought I’d share them with you here.

A favourite scent

I like having a scented space to work from, and have always loved essential oils from when I was a little girl (my mum used to use oils a lot, and I can remember getting aromatherapy books for Christmas and so on!). I think anchoring a scent to a way you want to feel is helpful; so for instance I don’t use the same oil(s) that I would at night-time for the times when I want to do focused work. The only thing I do need to be careful of is the oil that I use, because Evie (my 3 year old Cavachon pup) comes in and out of the office as I work. Sat on my desk is my Neom essential oil diffuser, or pod as they call it. Neom are a certified BCorp; I try and shop from BCorps when I can.

I’ve also got a couple of candles; one favourite is from Wedding Artwork. Daria is a client of mine, and she gifted me a beautiful candle that her soon-to-be husband hand poured in their studio in Glasgow. In addition to all the beautiful wedding stationery that they design and create, they can make you beautiful personalised candles for your special day. Such a talented pair.

My favourite mug

Part of my ritual for deep work is making myself a cup of tea, and even better if it can be in my favourite mug. I was gifted this mug by my good friend Anne… and although I don’t actually swear all that often, I find this mug so amusing and it always brings a smile to my face. I am a massive advocate of affirmations, and have been using this as a tool most days as part of my morning routine over the last couple of years as I delve further into personal development.

My notebook

Although I have a Google drive filled with docs, there’s still something so lovely about scribbling out some thoughts into a notebook - it’s more of a sensory experience. Up until now, I had been using a paper-based system for my to-do list but I’ve actually been trialling a project management tool (Asana) for the last few months and think I’ll stick with it. If I team up my Google calendar, with my Asana dashboard and my physical notebook… it’s a powerful triad. The physical notebook that I’m currently using is this planner from Hello Time (full transparency, the lovely Sam at Hello Time sent me a planner so I could try it out). The planner is undated, which I love and it’s just ever so aesthetically pleasing! The paper quality is lovely - nice and thick! The planners are also made in the UK, and sustainability is an important value for the company. I particularly like the ‘My Year’ spread, shown below, which is super helpful for big picture planning.

Tell me, what are your desk essentials?

Let me know in the comments what your desk essentials are.