I spend most of my day at a desk, either at the computer or next to a printer, so I have opinions about what belongs on one. Not much, it turns out. A few small things that each do one job well beat a drawer full of gadgets. Here are seven upgrades I would actually recommend, all under $20. Some of them I make, and some of them you can find anywhere.
1. A pencil cup that stays put
This is the one I would start with. A cup for pens sounds too obvious to count as an upgrade, but the difference between a pen rolling off the desk and a pen sitting in a cup is the difference between a tidy desk and a messy one. I make the Classic Pencil Cup for $12.99, printed in whatever color you pick. It is simple on purpose. It holds pens, scissors, and a ruler, and it does not tip.
2. A cable clip
You do not need to buy this from me. Any small adhesive clip that holds a charging cable at the edge of the desk will do. The point is that the cable stops sliding onto the floor every time you unplug your phone. It is a couple of dollars for a daily annoyance, and it is the kind of thing you forget about within a week because it just works.
3. A puzzle for the pause
I keep a tangram on my desk for the moments when I am stuck on something and need my hands busy while my head catches up. The Tangram Desk Puzzle is seven flat pieces that fit together into a square, and into a lot of other shapes if you are patient. It is $14.99, it lives in a corner of the desk, and it is a better break than picking up a phone.
4. A coaster
A coaster is the cheapest thing on this list and probably the one most people skip. Coffee rings on a wooden desk do not come out easily. Cork, stone, silicone, whatever you like. Just put something under the mug.
5. A word on the shelf
My A-to-Z Shelf Letters are $3.49 each and come in 12 colors, so a four-letter word runs about $14 and a five-letter word runs about $17.50. People spell names, or WORK, or FOCUS, or whatever they want to see when they sit down. I like this one because it is the only item here that is personal without costing more. Each letter is printed in the color you pick, so the word can be one color or a different color for every letter. If you want the whole alphabet, the full set is $18.99.
6. A plant
A small plant does more for a desk than anything else on this list, and it costs about the same as a coffee. Pick something that tolerates neglect. Even a single cutting in a jar of water counts. It gives your eyes somewhere to rest that is not a screen.
7. A keychain for the keys that always get lost
This one is a little sideways, but hear me out. The Cup Keychain is $10.99, and the reason it is on a desk list is that it gives your keys a spot. Keys on a keychain with some shape to it are easier to find on a cluttered desk than a bare ring. It also makes a good small gift for someone who already has everything else on this list.
The one that breaks the rule
I promised under $20, and the Dinosaur Trash Can is $22.99, so I am bending my own rule. It is a small trash can shaped like a dinosaur, meant for the paper scraps and pencil shavings that pile up next to a keyboard, and it is the piece on this list most likely to make someone smile. If you have a few dollars of room in the budget, that is where I would put them.
Putting it together
Everything I make ships free in the US on orders of $35 or more, and it is a flat $4.95 under that. A pencil cup, a tangram, and a keychain together come to $38.97, which clears that line. All of my pieces under $20 are collected in one place at Gifts Under $20, and every one of them is printed by me, in the color you choose, after you order it.