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What's currently on your computer desk?

Asked by Male (1353points) October 1st, 2011

Can you stand having a messy computer desk?

For some reason, I can’t concentrate when I’m studying or doing homework when I have litter all over my workspace. I feel like I’m cluttered, and I get constantly distracted by stupid little things, like nutritional labels (49 grams of sugar!?!?) or a Rubik’s cube.

At this very moment, I see 4 bags of chips, a cookie jar, a half-empty water bottle, a pencil, and a bowl of fruit all on this “desk” (which is really a coffee table). I’ve moved my computer from my room temporarily, so that explains the oddity. I don’t work in an office or anything, this is all in my house.

What’s on your desk?

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42 Answers

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

An stone egg made of cat’s eye.

Two ceramic Chinese floating balls.

Photographs of me and my family.

talljasperman's avatar

Lots of paper, a printer, a bag of Zesty Doritios, the computer montior and speakers, a cheap cell phone and random junk.

Bellatrix's avatar

My desk at home and work is invariably very messy. Today I am working on my laptop at home and I have it on a board on my knee. No room for mess.

GabrielsLamb's avatar

My I-pod, headphones, glasses, a nail buffer, sunglasses, and my copy of James Joyces a portrait of the artist as a young man, a notebook, some quantum physics notes, a red pen and a bill of some sort that I really don’t even want to know about to open it.

TexasDude's avatar

Here’s a corner of my desk. I’m away from it for the weekend, but when I return, I’ll take and post a picture of the whole thing.

jaytkay's avatar

Pens, pencils, headphones, salt shaker, phone, Tabasco, nail clippers, flashlight, Kleenex, Carmex, coasters and more!

Berserker's avatar

Ashtray with a smoke in it, a mug of beer, a pack of smokes, a computer, a monitor, my journal, some fucker’s teeth, a modem, speakers, mouse and mouse pad and a pen.
I’m a neatfreak, everything is in the order that I want it to be in.
I find that when doing homework or working on projects though, that doesn’t save me. I often eventually gravitate towards something nonconstructive to read, or just go take a nap lo. Or come on here lol.

Blackberry's avatar

Bills, pictures from my high school graduation, change, a notepad, and a cup with pens.

lillycoyote's avatar

A bunch of crap.

woodcutter's avatar

The monitor, a 3 drawer file thing, notebook, screen cleaning spray for my spectacles, pliers, a bottle of DR.Fred Summit arthritis rub (with capsicum) and a flashlight, banana skin.

TexasDude's avatar

@Symbeline, so if everything has its place, where do you typically keep some fucker’s teeth in relation to everything else?

ddude1116's avatar

I have a few empty glasses, a harmonica, a calculator, random bits of paper, a picture of Audrey Hepburn not framed, just laying there, headphones, a stack of blank CDs, a stack of non-blank CDs, some remote controls, a few reeds, a Batman action figure with its arms missing which I found frozen to a park bench eight months ago, even devised a comic book worthy story to go along with him, a several week old Rolling Stone magazine, some empty tubes of lip balm, hand sanitizer, a Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS Lite, a AA battery, two USB drives, a nail clip, a ball-in-a-cup game, a hair brush, and a highlighter. There’s more on the part of my desk that isn’t for the computer, but that’s even messier. So, as you can probably tell at this point, clutter doesn’t disrupt whatever it is I’m doing, and in fact, keeps me more focused on my work as long as I’m not cleaning my desk, for I don’t want to disrupt it. Unless it encroaches the eight-by-six-inch measured with the engineer’s ruler from Beynon & Co. Real Estate I have on the extended portion of my desk space designated for my mouse, then it’s a problem.

Berserker's avatar

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard If I actually did have some fucker’s teeth on here, they’d be splayed out in neat little Satanic designs. Lots of empty room on here.

Nullo's avatar

One (1) digital recorder
One (1) remote control for stereo.
One (1) spoon
One (1) cell phone (deceased})
One (1) Pseudopod MP3 player
One (1) package of replacement box cutter blades
One (1) pair of plastic-handled Fiskars elementary-school scissors, vintage 1991
One (1) PS/2 to USB adapter
One (1) shirt button
One (1) external hard drive
One (1) key
One (1) SD card
One (1) adhesive bandage
One (1) miniature padlock and key (inoperable)
One (1) car console coin carrier (for nickels, dimes, quarters)
One (1) spool fishing line w/ weights and hook
One (1) large safety pin
One (1) spool twine
One (1) air filter
One (1) knife-sharpening dingus
One (1) Sony CD Walkman
One (1) one-inch nail
One (1) commemorative photograph of myself posing in front of U-505
Two (2) flashlights, one of them UV
Three (3) boxes of pens, because people at work keep stealing them
Misc. magnets and related hardware
Misc. notecards and scratch paper
Misc. CDs, DVDs
Set of common computer I/O peripherals

So yeah. Time to clear off some stuff.

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

Well, my desk has shelves.. so I’ll go by shelf.
1 (The main desk area): computer, notepad, 2 ceramic coasters, 3 small, decorative jars containing pens, markers and scissors, and two notification cards from the Board of Elections (one for me, one for my husband.)

2 (Small shelf): Computer games and programs in their cases, and an address book.

3 (Top tier of desk): Several framed family photos, a desk lamp, and two bottles of nailpolish.

It’s actually not cluttered at all. I can’t stand clutter, so it would drive me crazy if it was. It sounds like a lot of stuff, but they are mostly small items that have their designated place on the desk.

martianspringtime's avatar

a comb, apple core, calculator, a notebook, a lot of notepaper and pens, a few old computer games, lamp, an old talking neopet thing, and a (real) cat

doesn’t sound terribly unorganized but it is a wreck

Ayesha's avatar

ipod Speakers, headphones, a Dire Straits album, Biology book, ipod, scissors, pens, glue, rubber, glasses, calculator, cellphone. Oh would you look at that! A bra too, apparently.

lillycoyote's avatar

@Nullo Awesome inventory, a little obsessive-compulsive, but fine work. My only suggestion would be to move the “One (1) spool fishing line w/ weights and hook” elsewhere, perhaps to a tackle box. They can be very useful for protecting yourself, and protecting and organizing things like fishing lines, weights and hooks. I have miscellaneous fishing tackle lying around all over the place and man, I do not at all like to come across those hooks when I am not expecting them. It is, of course, your own business what you do with them; this is just a suggestion from a friend. :-)

Nullo's avatar

@lillycoyote About half of what I do, I do for effect. :D
The fishing tackle is currently inside a heavy plastic bag. I don’t actually fish; its presence on my desk is a testimony to happenstance.

lillycoyote's avatar

@Nullo, my dear, it appears that your entire desk is a testimony to happenstance, as is mine. :-)

augustlan's avatar

This is my desk. You can see some reference books leaning behind the tiny monitor.

The left side holds my daily medication and magazines, pics and CDs, the thingy for my wireless mouse and keyboard, and a USB hub. That blue thing is a little pillow to rest my elbow on. That can on the coaster is not a beer. :(

The right front corner is full of files.

Back right corner/middle-ish area: Smokes, a big bag of coins, some mail, lamp, pen/pencil basket, additional meds and lotion. Way back in the corner is a pic of Obama. It’s tilted to the side, so you can’t really see it.

AmWiser's avatar

@augustlan your desk is so neat.
My desk stays neat for about 2-days after I clean it off and dust. Right now I’m looking at pen, note pads, calendar book, remote control, coaster, lottery tickets, hand cream, printer, stapler, picture of hubby, letter opener and that’s just what I’m looking at directly.

tedibear's avatar

Because I have a laptop, my computer desk is my lap. Therefore, my computer desk currently has black, pink, white, gray and silver plaid cotton pajama pants on it.

GabrielsLamb's avatar

@augustlan Did you clean up a bit before snapping that pic?

syz's avatar

Two cats.

Prosb's avatar

My wallet, mp3 player, gum, keys, cellphone, necklace and mini M&M container for change.
Those go with me everywhere though, other items include:.
A monitor.
A desktop mic.
A modem.
A wireless router.
2 lint-rollers.
Tall plastic container for mixing a night/days iced tea.
A chopstick used to mix said container of iced tea.
2 compressed air canisters.
An Xbox 360 controller with wireless hub.
Ziploc bag with a memory stick and the reader for it inside.
A DVD of The Darjeeling Limited. (I still haven’t watched it, a friend recommended it.)
A small notepad.
A stack of bargain brand post-it notes.
A pen.
A bag of colored rubber bands.
Portable battery powered speaker/mp3 case.
A long roll of paper that would usually go into a machine for printing receipts.
A candle with a lid.

A few items that probably don’t belong on my desk . . . probably.
A pink baseball bat that blows bubbles.
A tin of Magnetic Thinking Putty.
A tiny xylophone.
A small ceramic cat, wearing a bowl of fruit on it’s head, tacked onto my monitor.

As @Nullo said, it just might be time to clear some stuff off of here.

Neizvestnaya's avatar

I use a laptop at home and at work. I like clean spaces and clean keyboard. Right now I’m at home with the laptop on our kitchen/living room stone topped room divider. We eat at this spot sometimes so there are barstools under one edge, a cool looking pumpkin across from me, my handbag and a glass bowl we keep our receipts and bills in.

flutherother's avatar

“Some fucker’s teeth” @Symbeline I can’t beat that. I’ve got…

A CD of Glasgow songs
One spec case
One mobile phone
A packet of Kleenex
The Guinness Book of Record 2012
One notepad
2 Bic pens.

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

Going to take @augustlan‘s cue and post a picture. My desk looks the same as it did this morning, just with an added Zune.

augustlan's avatar

Disclaimer: I didn’t straighten up before I took the pics, but I had just recently done a major purge. My desk was a disaster area a week ago, and had been for months!

Now, @ANef_is_Enuf‘s desk… that is neat and tidy. :)

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

@augustlan actually, after looking at that pic I wanted to straighten it up a little, lol. But thank you.

XOIIO's avatar

A printer, shelf full of odds and ends like CD’s, external hard drives, rools of wire (should be in my workshop), my laptop which I am too lazy to fix, a model helicopter with spycam that I need to fix or put the controller circuit in another helicopter, a few hard drives, one of those globes that you touch and the ebams move towards your fingers, and basic computer stuff.

TexasDude's avatar

Alright, I am back at school now, and I took a better picture of my desk. It’s still a crappy cellphone pic, but you get the idea.

And here is a picture of my desk last year, for anyone who is interested.

ANef_is_Enuf's avatar

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard you have all kinds of interesting stuff on your desks.

Bellatrix's avatar

You do @Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard and you also don’t have a very big desk!

AshlynM's avatar

Nothing…I don’t really work at a desk….mostly I sit on my bed…which is littered with some of my clothes and a few books at the moment

Berserker's avatar

Did you make that other guy beside him, too? (on the right of the skull)

TexasDude's avatar

Nope. I wish I did.

dabbler's avatar

You folks are neat and tidy! On my desk:
no skull or teeth :-(
three monitors, two keyboards, three trackballs, monitor/USB switch
a dolby 5.1 set of speakers
power strip and several gadget chargers
two cameras, a point-and-shoot and a DSLR
two harmonicas (G and E major)
ladder salvaged from kids’ bunkbed, has on it
– calculators
– three collections of parrot feathers
– Ganesh in an inflatable doll’s chair
– headphones
– a gooseneck LED lamp frankenstein’ed together from three IKEA lamps
salvaged window with an airbrushed painting of tulips in the grass behind it
backup disk drive
two electric screwdrivers, a little one for light duty, one serious
two wood screw clamps and a level
three khaki ballcaps, one with an LED flashlight on the brim
cupful of markers, cupful of pens/pencils; pencil sharpener
bobble-head moose from Yellowstone
sunglasses
a cup full of cast-off parrot feathers
A Peruvian goddess figure
Ukulele
a vertical chest of six tiny drawers my uncle made, with stuff my aunt left in it
clipboard with ToDo List that includes “clean the desk”

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