6 Ways to Personalize Your Desk Space - Career Advice Blog for Millennials

6 Ways to Personalize Your Desk Space - Career Advice Blog for Millennials Shout out to Lexie for this awesome guest post! You are a joy to work with, and a wonderful writer! I look forward to reading many more of your posts, and design tips!   If youre one of many who spend the bulk of your day at a desk, you know how monotonous the sights can be. A computer, a keyboard and maybe a mug or picture frame comprise the majority of your eyes view and little else. Boring, right? Since youre sitting at your desk all day, wouldnt it make sense to decorate like you would your home? After all, you spend more of your waking hours at work anyways. Personalizing your desk space is fun, and can actually result in a feeling of more control that can improve happiness and productivity. Want to spruce up your desk? Try adding one (or all) of these six decorations: Add Plants and Greenery Working at a desk may cause you to miss out on sunshine-filled days, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a little bit of the great outdoors in! Besides adding a little bit of color and life to your space, plants provide a sense of reward-based responsibility: You’re responsible for the plant’s care, but can also reap the benefits of doing so (watching your lovely plant grow!). This reward-based responsibility works well in an office. Plants are much more than a pretty desk accessory; watering or tending to them can provide a useful distraction when you’re feeling burnt out from staring at spreadsheets or typing emails. Plus, you get to experience improved air quality. According to a NASA study, growing live plants in the office will result in cleaner surrounding air. It will benefit you and your co-workers! Pick Up  Pictures The best way to personalize your space is to bring in personal photo reminders of your loved ones. In the midst of stressful work duties, a familiar and smiling face can be calming and reassuring. But let’s be honest: Our desks are already piled high with *stuff* and there’s not always room for bulky picture frames. Another way to remind yourself of great people and experiences in your life is to hang pictures up on a wire near your desk; it’s a less cluttered way to display your favorite photos and personalize your space. Spice Up Your Mug We all need to hydrate during the day. Where our hydration comes from, though, doesn’t matter. You could use a plastic cup or glass, but what fun is that? A plain cup is *not* fun to look at. A mug is one of the mainstays of a desk, so choosing one with your favorite colors, designs, photo or general aesthetic is a great way to add a touch of your personality to your desk. Bonus: it can double as a statement piece! It’s recommended to go for calming colors like blue, green and gray either alone or combined with your favorite colors to help provide a feeling of relaxation whenever you reach for your coffee, tea or water. Magnetize Your Memos In keeping up with schedules, post-it notes are a common go-to for remembering things. It’s very easy for them to get cluttered though, with the potential for outdated post-its to become a mainstay with lack of organization. To prevent the post-it note mayhem, organize your stickies once every few days, and use decorative magnets to stick them to the desk or nearby board. Magnets and pushpins are more visually appealing than post-its and inspire more frequent organization due to their application and general presence. You can also keep notes in colorful holders, or fill them with uplifting and motivational quotes, which can be great for inspiration during a stressful time. Get Creative with Bookends While many professions are going paperless, even the most digital of us have something to hold in place. The cool thing about bookends is that they can be practically anything, as long as they do the job; succulent pots, agate stones, and other pieces of art do the job AND look good, making it even more enticing to reach for the shelf when need be. If you’re looking for a cost-friendly bookend to make yourself, there are plenty of DIY methods available just check Pinterest. Give Your Pens and Pencils Some Life Pretty much everyone in an office needs a writing utensil at some point. Even if you only have a few pens or pencils, make the most of them by adding some effervescence via a flower or colorful design on the top, while using a small mason jar to store them. Even if you don’t use pens a lot, it’s worth making them visually appealing if they’re going to have a place on your desk. A dull desk can make days pass by slowly. Liven things up with some personal touches that show off your personality and creativity. What’s your favorite tip for sprucing up your desk? Share your ideas and photos of your desk in the comments or on Twitter, tagging us @SarahLandrum and @LexieLuDesigner While you’re here, sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more office design tips and tricks sent straight to your inbox! About the Author: Lexie Lu is a designer, writer, and coffee lover. She writes about trends in the web and graphic design industry at Design Roast. Follow Lexie on Twitter to keep up with her latest posts.