As the academic year winds down, now is the perfect time to press the reset button on your student desk. It may be tempting to immediately forget about your schoolwork until September, but one of the best ways to set you up for enjoying the summer break is by decluttering your space.
Coming back to a fresh, inspiring, and tidy desk space is great motivation to tackle your next projects. There are several things you can do to make sure when September comes, you don’t return to the aftermath of last semester.
Here are our top tips for refreshing your desk:
1. Start with a clean slate
Before you do anything, take absolutely everything off your desk. And that means everything! Lamps, chargers, notebooks, folders, pencil cases, pens, even your coffee mugs, it all needs to go. If your desk is particularly dusty, make sure you give it a good wipe down in any forgotten corners!
The perfect blank slate to clear all the clutter you might have been collecting since the start of revision season.
2. Sort your supplies
Your next step will be to decide what needs to be discarded. Start with the most obvious things: any old pens that have run out, broken pencils, sticky notes. If you have any of our Pelikan pens, remember you can always refill them by using the cartridges available on our website.
Next, take a look at your old projects and schoolwork. Anything that is no longer useful can be recycled. If there are assignments you would like to keep hold of, make sure they are filed away in a lever arch file, ring binder, popper wallet or punched pocket. This way, it won’t get lost or thrown away by accident and you can keep your desk tidier.
3. Plan your stationery haul
And now for the fun part! What better time to refresh all your stationery than the start of summer?
At Oxford, we believe that starting with your notebook is the best way to build your student desk. Whether you’re a fan of casebound notebooks, soft cover stapled, or wirebound card cover, choosing a brand new notebook is an excellent way to reset. You might even want to purchase several to organise notes into different subjects or topics.
Next on the list: refill pads and folders. After a long semester of studying and revising, it’s likely that your refill pads have probably run out and your folders are full. Again, this is a great opportunity for you to colour coordinate your folders and refill pads with your notebooks, ensuring that you’re completely organised and prepared for the next academic year.
From there, make sure to grab fresh new pencil cases, pens, highlighters, pencils, and a glue stick so you are ready to go in September. If you’re particularly creative, you may even want to pick up some colourful fineliners too!
4. Set some goals
Even if summer has just begun, having a desk that inspires creativity can go a long way. Perhaps you might want to start a new hobby – our Pelikan Modelling Clay is a great place to start if you’re feeling artistic.
Think about what you would like your new and improved desk space to do. Is it a chill reading space, a new project zone, or an arts and craft station?
Design your desk to fit you. You’re not studying for exams anymore — so let your space reflect this new season.
5. Then, enjoy summer!
Summer is about recharging, relaxing, and maybe reinventing your space (just a little). A fresh desk can help you show up differently - whether you're journaling, sketching, gaming, or just enjoying your iced coffee in peace.
Now go enjoy that summer freedom - your desk is ready for it!