What can I do with my hair? (Please see details)

About six months ago, I decided to grow my hair out. I’d had it pretty short but now it is not quite shoulder length and it is driving me crazy. It’s not long enough yet to put in a ponytail without lots of strands falling out but it’s not short enough to stay out of my way. I have incredibly thick hair, so unless I have an army of bobby pins and/or barrettes, they don’t do much good. I was thinking I could do a lot of smaller braids, but that would take a lot of time and I want to be able to do something fairly quick when I just want it out of my face. Can the collective give me any suggestions?