Five weird-but-awesome desk hacks
I had another post planned for today, Werk It Wednesday, but then I got a package in the mail and decided to change everything and write about a topic inspired by the delivery IMMEDIATELY!
These desk hacks are not even specific to writers or freelancers, really, except for the fact that we need to make every minute count. If we’re not churning out the words, we aren’t getting paid.
You’ll see a common theme in these hacks: how to remain glued to your desk without feeling physically uncomfortable, hence upping your productivity.
Ready to get a glimpse inside of my weirdness? Let’s go …
1. Writing gloves.
Gretchen Rubin wears special fingerless gloves to keep her hands warm while she’s typing. I kept meaning to order a pair and never got around to it, and then a bit of Googling led me to discover that she’s wearing thicky wooly ones that I knew I’d find uncomfortable.
After some MORE Googling I came across The Writer’s Glove. That’s what was in the package that arrived this morning!
They’re thin silk gloves that fit snugly and you can still type normally — even on touchscreens like my iPhone. They’re 20 bucks, U.S., and come with free shipping. I have the extra-small size and they’re fantastic. (It’s also really gratifying to be an extra-small in something, ha.)
2. A good thermos (and a pretty cup).
I’d always brought giant mugs of tea down to my office, only to have them get stone-cold while I responded to emails or wrote a story. Then I’d eventually bring the mug back upstairs, microwave it, and start the process all over again.
Darling Husband and the kids got me this Contigo SnapSeal insulated travel mug for Mother’s Day (well, I bought it myself and handed it to them to wrap, but you get the idea).
I’d been planning to tote it to the bus stop with me in the mornings, but it keeps my tea SO VERY HOT that I can’t. It burns my mouth unless I leave the cap off, which defeats the purpose.
I’ve started bringing it downstairs to my office instead, filled with hot tea (and a splash of milk), and unsnapping it to pour a few sips of tea into a pretty little teacup. I drink what’s in the cup, go back to what I was working on, and the tea’s still hot the next time I pour a bit.
3. Hands-free hydration.
Before Christmas I’d been Googling to find some kind of hands-free water solution for my desk, since I wasn’t drinking enough water and getting headaches as a result.
See, when you’re typing and typing and typing ALL the live-long day, sometimes you literally just can’t take your hands off the keyboard to take a frigging drink of water. I know, it sounds ridiculous to the non-writers reading this, but … the flow! You can’t break the flow when the words are pouring out of your brain!
So one of my Christmas gifts was the super-cool Camelbak Eddy hands-free adapter. It fits onto a Camelbak water bottle and gives you this long, flexible straw with a bite-y end you can put in your piehole to slurp away — no hands required. I love this thing!
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| Glamorous, isn’t it? |
4. Bland protein you can barely tolerate.
Writers have their heads in the clouds pretty much always, but especially when they’re sitting at their computer working on something. And do you know what can happen when you’re spacey and not really paying attention?
You can eat a crap-ton of calories.
True story.
So these days I don’t bring any junky snacks to my desk, otherwise I’ll end up mindlessly eating way too many AND I won’t even get the enjoyment. I’ll just look down between paragraphs and wonder who ate all the mini chocolate bars.
I keep a can of natural, sodium-free almonds on my desk and will eat a few if I’m starving but can’t leave the office. I don’t particularly *like* them, but they’re a safe choice and I won’t overdo it with them. They’re filling enough to tide me over until I can escape to the main level and get something else to eat.
5. An iPhone holder.
During a recent Clay Cafe visit with the kids, I spotted a business card holder and thought it would be a perfect iPhone holder. I mainly wanted one because I use my phone to watch Netflix when I’m sewing, but I’ve wound up using it constantly while I’m working.
What’s so useful about this? Well, I’d always just laid my phone on my desk, but I was constantly having to stop and pick it up when there was a notification. Now it sits up in its little stand — horizontally or vertically — and I can glance at the screen or swipe away a notification without much effort.
I kind of want to make another for the kitchen, so I can sit my phone upright on the windowsill when I’m washing dishes. iPhone holders everywhereeeee!
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By this point in the post, you probably think I’m even weirder than you previously thought. But these hacks really do help me write quickly and (fairly) comfortably, along with some of the things I’ve mentioned in earlier posts — like my comfy chair and my thermal water mist.
What are your favourite writing hacks? Or hacks for being stuck at your desk for a long time? Hit me up in the comments or over on Facebook!
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2 Comments on “Five weird-but-awesome desk hacks”
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Heather's Handmade Life 
Very creative hacks Heather! I hope they all work well for you!
Jane xxoo
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