May 03, 2001

office supplies


For the benefit of anyone starting, or starting back to an office job, or moving to a new office, and mostly just because I was thinking about it, here is my rendition of the cubicle dweller’s survival kit. This is the stuff you should bring to work to make your work life more pleasant:

  • A calendar whose pictures are interesting enough to look at for a month at a time. I favor Sara Steele watercolors or, for inspiration, images of the more photogenic outdoor sports.
  • A Dilbert desk calendar. Required.
  • A coffee/tea mug, minimum 12 ounces, preferably the kind with a lid. Must be ceramic or steel, as the plastic ones retain flavors.
  • Good tea -- even if your office stocks teabags, as mine does, they’re probably your basic Tetley. Add hot cocoa if you’re in a cold climate.
  • A sweater or jacket. Almost every office is cold at least some of the time.
  • Hand lotion, because the air is also usually dry.
  • Tissues, because the cold dry air makes your nose run.
  • A fidgety-toy. This can be one of those balls you squeeze, or the kind of thing you buy in science toy stores that can turn and twist into different shapes -- anything to keep your hands busy. Otherwise you’ll just end up playing with paperclips.
  • At least one pen that’s a pleasure to write with.
  • At least one picture of the most important person/people in your life, even if it’s your dog. There’s nothing wrong with having pictures of your sweeties, friends, kids, and your dog. Or cat.
  • One CD of music you can concentrate to, for tuning out distractions, and one CD of kick-ass music (whatever that phrase means to you) for when you need to blow off steam.
  • Headphones
  • Foam earplugs, if you have no way to play CDs or you prefer silence.
  • A dictionary, to clear up arguments, even if you don’t do much writing.
  • A road atlas, to clear up arguments, even if you don’t do much traveling.
  • A couple of band-aids, just in case.
  • Bubbles, preferably packaged so that you don’t get soap scum all over your hands. Because nothing can improve your mood faster.
  • Posted by dichroic at May 3, 2001 04:31 PM

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