Or … what you don’t see on Zoom!
I wish it looked like those amazing home offices you see on social media or in display homes:
But the reality is my office looks very different – probably because I work from home full time, so practicality wins out over aesthetics!
We definitely drew inspiration from display home office and study set ups, particularly this one:
And I think we did okay EXCEPT then when you add two humans, one cat, and their clutter to the picture, it gets a bit chaotic!
It looks pretty snazzy in the branding photos I had taken for my business about a year ago, but that’s not the day to day reality 😉 . For starters, I now have THREE monitors, not two (and you’ll notice I’ve grown my hair a bit since then too!)
First of all, Fleur liked to plonk herself front and centre of whatever I’m working on. She’ll even start chewing on the end of the pen I’m trying to write with. Or, if the pen is just lying on the desk, she’ll pick it up with her teeth and carry it away – or swipe at it with her paw until it falls to the floor (insert rolling eyes emoji here!).
She also likes to lie down and rest her head on my mouse. (In the pic below, she looks like she’s saying “Look mama! I caught a mouse!!!”)
But even when Fleur is elsewhere, there seems to be a lot of stuff that collects on my desk. So let’s take a closer look at what’s in front of me whenever I’m writing a blog post … (like right now).
What’s on My Desk (Usually)
- Phone – not in the pic because that’s how I took the pic. I keep my phone in front of me because the husbear says I’m ‘uncontactable’ due to my habit of turning off the sound. (I hate the click when I’m taking photos).
- A lamp – in rose gold, for those times I need a bit more light – and because I love it.
- A mug – given to me by my beloved kidults; due to the gold finish it shouldn’t really go into the dishwasher, so I use it to store my “pens”, a couple of business cards, and glasses for computer work.
- My water bottle – gotta stay hydrated folks!
- A cork mat – these last two are sitting on a cork mat – not sure why – to protect the desk I guess? Fleur has been known to chew on it like it’s “some sort of delicious biscuit” (if you are a Black Books fan, can you name the character I’m quoting?!)
- Cat hair – because there is a certain little champagne ginger who likes to keep me company.
- A jar of water – for said ginger kitty.
- A box of tissues – always handy, and not just for me. Sometimes Fleur has a very wet little nose which she tries to wipe on me – cat snot, ewwwww – so I wipe her nose with a tissue. (Not in the photo … it sits to the left with Fleur’s water).
- An A5 spiral notebook – I take notes of every Zoom meeting and phone call here, I often refer back to it.
- An A4 notebook – with my “To Do” list, updated every day.
- Computer stuff – keyboard, blush pink mouse mat, cordless mouse, three monitors (though mostly I use two, but there are definitely times when I need all three!), a plethora of cables.
- Current reading – whatever book I’m reading at the moment usually ends up on my desk too
- Printer ink – to remind me I need to order more.
Now, that’s what it looks like on a good day!
When I’m busy, you can add these to the list:
- Dust
- A couple of pairs of glasses
- Several pens
- Scraps of paper
- Workbooks from my business coaching group
- Business cards from people I’ve met
- Dirty plates and/or cups
- Crumbs
It gets quite messy.
And don’t get me started on the husbear’s desk – we have a long desk with two work stations, mine is closest to the sliding glass doors out to the deck so I have a lovely view over our suburb and even glimpses of the bay.
The husbear only works from home one day a week (now – he spent over a year here during Covid!) but he’s not exactly a tidy person, so I have developed the skill of ignoring his mess (much like mothers learn to tune out whiney kids LOL).
Fleur is enjoying the fishing chair the husbear received for Father’s Day, but this is only temporary. Usually the top drawer of that middle filing cabinet is pulled out, and a cushion placed on top for her furry majesty and our office su-purr-visor.
While Fleur definitely adds to the overall clutter and chaos, she’s a good office companion and so cute, how can I possibly be cross with her?!
What’s usually on your desk?! Is it an inspiration to others or a desk from the real world like mine?!
