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Classics: Work desk essentials for the well dressed guy

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The Suggestion: What to keep in your desk at work

Originally published 3/3/12

The employee handbook, batch of pens, and preferred brand of stapler is all up to you.  These are a few suggestions that most probably don’t already have in their desk.  Leave any other suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of the page.  Top Photo Credit: jlodder

Clockwise from Top Right:

1. Shine Eraser / Blotting Sheets – By the end of a long work day, some of our foreheads will look like we just spent the last 8 hours in a squat rack instead of at a desk.  That won’t look real good if you’re headed out to a happy hour right after you clock out.  These dry blotting sheets return your face to it’s normal, matte state.

2. Extra Pocket Square or Handkerchief – Always good to have a spare on hand.  Its uses are numerous.

3. Toothpaste & Toothbrush – Some people are more than okay walking around all day with the taste of the 10am latte warring with the 12:30 red-onion topped lunch salad in their mouth.  Some aren’t.  Give brushing your teeth at work a shot one afternoon.  You’ll feel better, more awake, and believe it or not, more productive with a clean mouth.

4. Floss – If you can’t bring yourself to brush your teeth at work, then this is the backup for when the poppy seed muffin wreaks havoc on your confident corporate smile.

5. Nail Scissors – Nail clippers are good, but a curved blade nail scissors will more easily remove stray threads on your clothes… as well as stray hairs in your nose.

6. Extra Pair of Socks – So you got a last minute invite to head out somewhere right after work.  But you wish you could grab a shower first.  The next best thing is a fresh pair of socks and…

7. Spare deodorant – … a fresh swipe of deodorant.  Might want to use a shine sheet too.

8. A favorite spirit – Check that employee handbook, because having this in your desk might get you fired.  But as our tech & travel correspondent Paul Olson once said about business travel: “nothing in your hotel room is yours outside your suitcase – the pictures on the walls, the furniture – not yours.  With whiskey, your room has your drink.”  Almost the same can be said for that taupe box you call home for 8 – 10 hours a day.  Keep that bottle sealed and only open in extreme circumstances.  Consider it a discreet outpost for your personal freedom.

Comments

  1. some people might think this is overkill, but a white dress shirt is great to have in your drawer just in case… 

  2. All good suggestions.  A few things to add though…

    1.  Add a bottle of Scope or Listerine to the tooth brush and floss.  If you want to counteract an aggressive lunch, this can be faster in a pinch.

    2.  An extra tie or two in case you spill something on yours (or if a coworker needs to borrow one).  They should be as neutral and versatile as possible so they can go with just about anything.

    3.  Kiwi express shoe shine sponge.  Perfect for when there’s an unexpected high profile visitor to the office or if you need a quick shine before a meeting with the boss.

  3. I just added stain remover wipes for silk to my desk drawer.  I have not yet had to test them out, but I hope they work next time I get a stain on my tie.

  5. A friend of mine who worked at CIA kept a blazer in his office.  Apparently, the atmosphere at Langley is very casual, but he needed to be ready to testify on Capitol Hill and look ready, hence the ever ready, tailored, navy blazer.

  7. I keep a full file cabinet drawer full of things like:
    -Change of clothes, shoes
    -Spare work uniform
    -Benadryl for bee stings and naps
    -Claritin/Zyrtec for seasonal allergies
    -Tylenol for headaches
    -Spare cell phone charger
    -Headphones

    Plus what’s mentioned in the post, or the most part. Cleaning out other folks’ desks, it seems adult magazines is another popular choice.

  9. Never gave it much thought, but in addition to typical paperwork and office supplies, I’ve got:

    breakfast/snacks
    french press coffee maker/ground coffee (in single-pot packs)
    duck tape
    hand sanitizer
    Listerene/floss/toothbrush
    Dayquil/cough drops

    I don’t see myself loading up with everything on this blog post, but deodorant seems like a no-brainer.

  12. You gotta include some kind of container or case for the toothbrush if its just laying out like that in your desk that’s not a good look at all.

  13. I’ve got the toothbrush/toothpaste, but that’s it. Deodorant isn’t a terrible idea! The rest are not really necessary for me.

  15. If you’re *really* in a pinch, disposable toilet seat covers work well as a blotting sheet. The material and texture are similar, plus it’s stocked in most corporate restrooms.

  16. Instead of brushing teeth at work. I use Botot (Search Amazon for: Botot). It gets rid of the coffee breath and is a cool looking conversation piece for the desk with its apothocary-looking label.

  23.  I think the toothbrush travel case is implied as everyone knows a toothbrush shouldn’t just be lying in your desk drawer.

  24. Nope, my public transport card is in my wallet, I wouldnt get 100 meters without it.

  25.  Public…transport? 

    What strange place do you live in?  Surely not America; the land of the charged favors single-passenger automobiles, unless you live in one of those crazy frenchified places like Boston, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, or Satan’s Lair (DC).

  29. A bottle of febreze air effects to-go….for the guy who devastates the bathroom and isn’t familiar with courtesy flushing.
    An extra shirt, extra slacks, extra underwear.  You never know.
    Deodorant
    Gum

    If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m big on hygiene contingencies.

  30. One of the features of our new newsroom was that they replaced the old and busted coffee maker with a Keurig machine… and they charge $.75 for a cup. Suffice to say, almost every reporter and editor has either a small coffee maker, French press or drip coffee maker at their desk.

  31. A former boss (boss’s boss, technically) once told me that you should select a spirit that comes in a square bottle, so it doesn’t roll around in your desk drawer 🙂

    The “spare” this-and-that reminded me of a favorite line from the Drew Carrey show:

    “I’m going to get my spare pants from the trunk of my car”
    “you keep spare pants in the trunk of your car?”
    “comes in handy more often than the spare tire…”

  33. When I moved to New York last year, I sold my car. It was the best decision I could have possibly made.

  34. I’ve seen this done – used to work in the news biz, never know when you might have to go from a house fire to a meeting at City Hall…

  35. This is easily one of the most obnoxious comments I’ve ever read on this site….

  37. My desk at work has 6 drawers. 5 are used for work, and I treat the 6th like it was my locker in high school. Currently, in my 6th drawer: a box of zycam (that stuff is magic when you have a pesky cold), a lint brush (highly recommend), a deflated beach ball (I inflate it when co-workers kids come bay the office, it keeps them surprisingly entertained), bottle of Scope, a copy of Peleton Magazine (for lunch reading), and a travel umbrella,

  38. The CIA has a gift shop where you can get the normal stuff you’d expect, but also all kinds of jewelry for people in this exact situation. I think there’s a florist in there too.

  39. Depending on your job, I’d throw in a conservative, neutral tie and a basic navy blazer. Well… I wouldn’t throw the blazer in the drawer, but leave it hanging somewhere it won’t get wrinkled. You never know when something will come up and you need to look a little more polished than you do. Even if you’re wearing a casual shirt and jeans on a Friday, you will look more polished with a jacket to top it off and you’ve got a surprise lunch meeting with some bigwig.
    I usually wear a jacket/tie to work anyway, but I leave a spare of both at the office in case I need them and didn’t plan for it. Plus the extras make good backups if I AM wearing a jacket/tie and something happens to them.

  40. Pick and choose based on your style and body. After being an Eagle Scout and former Military I am overly prepared I know:

    -Imodium for those bad days or spicy lunches.
    -Concealer (I know I know) but sometimes you have a big meeting, and a tiny dab to lighted blemishes or shaving cuts is great. Especially if press is possible or appearances are very important.
    -x2 on the travel umbrella
    -x2 Tide Pen
    -Dress/casual shoe laces (I broke one tying my shoe one morning and it ruined the rest of the day. They are cheap and don’t take up much room, but if you have spare shoes in the office you can steal one lace)
    -Safety pin (lose a button or other issues and its a life savior)
    -Hand sanitizer
    -Small Pocket knife, or the scissors work
    -Nail clippers
    -Granola Bar/Soup, they last a long time and come in handy when you don’t want to leave your desk in the evenings or rush and miss breakfast
    -Spare generic Birthday card, Sympathy Card, Thank You notes,(and Anniversary card like above)
    -Extra thumb drive
    -Extra Car and house key
    -Cheap digital camera (just in case)
    -Lotion, lip Baum
    -Advil
    -Ear plugs, you never know when construction work outside will drive you crazy
    -Extra sunglasses
    -$10 in ones is the best because no one ever has change. I keep a spare $20 in my glove box of the car.
    -Extra Resume/Award/etc. quality paper if the office doesn’t stock it normally
    -2 AA, 2 AAA batteries

    If you have the room
    – Extra fold up tote bag/messenger bag
    -Extra outfit/old suit you don’t ever wear but can work in a pinch with shoes

  42. On this website I notice a distinct lack of articles or even acknowledgement of guys who work outside of an office- tradesmen, for example. I mean, some of this stuff still applies to my toolbox (extra socks especially!) but I’d like to see more articles catering to the working man.

  44. Thanks for the comment Thomas. Spent 3 years (awhile back) as a carpenter’s assistant (I wasn’t very good) so while there might be a lot of “office” talk around these parts, know that the outside of the office workers are not forgotten. There’s plenty of the upscale rugged thing flying around these parts, but that still might be off duty compared to on, where you guys are in things that need to withstand a serious beating every day.

    Anyway, will keep it in mind for sure. But you might want to watch that last bit of yours. Some might take it as you believe those who are stuck in a cubicle under florescent lights don’t truly “work.” Sure, lots of office work is BS, but not all of it. And there are plenty of fellas who would kill to make their desk jobs more creative, hands on, and physical.

  45. Agree with the spirit, but rum is downright immoral. A good bourbon or scotch only.

  50. Haha, I just realized how bad that advice sounded. No: adultery, misogyny, drinking excessively, smoking, etc. are NOT worth doing.

    I meant in regards to being well dressed. You cannot deny that Draper is most always very well dressed. Whether it’s at the office, on vacation/poolside, etc.

    Or in bed with a young mistress. 😉

  51. Old spice classic! “you wouldn’t be here if your grandpa didn’t wear it.” I hate going to the store and having to sift through the other terrible scents. With this, you just can’t go wrong. Same for the body wash, but good luck finding it. Buy it in bulk when you do.

  54. I don’t get a drawer/locker at work but I keep a tiny pack always with me carrying chapstick, a pocket knife and a tiny vial of peppermint essential oil. Just a sniff of it improves concentration, wakes me up and keeps the sniffles at bay.

    In my car I keep spare socks, extra money (hidden well), flashlight, old cellphone (charged) and a small deck of cards, along with extra sunglasses, a notepad and a pen (with my documents). I plan on adding an umbrella as soon as I find a sturdy one.
    (Don’t be scared about my lack of “car things” in the car, I keep those in the trunk, the list above is my glovebox stash)

  55. One of my coworkers dubbed my desk “The Convenience Store.” This was verified when, aside from the snacks, the drinks, etc, he realized I also had stamps.

  57. +1 to this. In fact, I think they work better than blotting sheets, and you can find ’em in most bathrooms.