Desk notes

Pulled a name and the limit is £20? Eight desk gifts that someone will actually use, with the honest small print for each one and the dates to order by for an estimated delivery before Christmas.

The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, and the light at the window runs out before the working day does. A practical guide to daylight, lamps and screen brightness at a small home desk, with what the research does and doesn't say.

A practical care guide for the materials on a desk: faux leather, felt, aluminium, wood and silicone. What to use, what to avoid, how often, and what to do when coffee goes over.

What large studies show about AI assistants at work, where they help and where they quietly make things worse, and a practical routine for using them without giving up your attention or your judgement.

What the Pomodoro technique is, what research on breaks and interruptions actually shows, and a practical way to use it at work without becoming a slave to the timer.

A complete method for taming desk cables, starting with the electrical safety checks UK experts recommend, then counting, routing, fixing and keeping them tidy.

A step-by-step workstation check based on UK Health and Safety Executive guidance: screen height, chair, keyboard, laptops, glare, eye breaks and what your employer has to provide.

A complete, step-by-step plan for working well at a small desk: how to measure, what goes where, how to use height and light, and how to share the space with the rest of your life.