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Brando 4-in-1 desk lamp
When I first read about the multifunctional Brando 4-in-1 desk lamp I was intrigued. I like it when I find items that have utility and can complete more than one task. But, then I studied the product details, and I was underwhelmed. It is hectic and distracting. And, a desktop fan is useless to me. (When was the last time you used a desktop fan?!) It felt like the fan was thrown in just so it could say it had four functions. I also have no use for a webcam or a microphone since both come installed on my laptop.
It is USB powered, which takes away one of your computer’s USB hubs, but it does provide a LED light, fan, webcam, and microphone. I’m not excited about this product, but maybe it’s just me. I’m interested in hearing from our Unclutterer readers in the comments section. Are there other multifunctional items that you had high expectations for and then were disappointed by the reality of the product?
(via Engadget)
Popularity: 6% [?]
In defense of a messy desk
A Financial Times Deutschland article asks the following question: “If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk say about the quality of your ideas?” I guess the assumption is an empty desk equals an empty mind. I think an empty mind can help you focus on what the task at hand is, while a cluttered mind makes it a bit more difficult to concentrate.
The article continues:
Ian Smalley, creative director of corporate digital communications agency CTN, is a believer in just that sort of messy medium.
The perimeter of his desk is delineated by towers of paper: “I have a relatively big desk so as long as there is elbow room, things tend to pile up, even if some of them do date back to 2004.”
But his main reason for untidiness is lack of time to tidy:
“It is a busy environment and at the end of the day, while all confidential documents are shredded and recycled, I want to leave and see my son, not file bits of paper.” He adds: “I can get a professional-looking desk by doing a ‘five-minute tidy’ where I straighten all the piles of paper up if I need to.”
Keeping a clean workspace isn’t the only key to being successful at your job, but it doesn’t hurt. Yes, there are some people with tidy desks who don’t have the best work ethic and there are people with messy desks who are invaluable to their companies. But, as a rule of thumb, it can be more efficient to have a well organized workspace. An organized workspace allows you to focus on the task at hand rather than losing focus while looking for a misplaced paper or file.
What do you think of the article? Agree or disagree? I’m eager to read your responses to it.
Popularity: 11% [?]
That wire mess can win you a prize
The contest is called “What’s Under your Desk” and that mess under your desk can qualify you to win a dinner with Peter Brady, er, I mean, Christopher Knight.
The contest is sponsored by Green Plug.
Green Plug’s mission is to sign up electronics manufacturers to use its chip that would go into power supplies. With the chip, consumers would be able to plug any device into a hub to power multiple devices. Software, which the company intends to make available for free, will be able to read exactly how much power a device needs.
Here at Unclutterer, we have made it our mission to rid your workspace or entertainment center of that wire monster that may be lurking under your desk. The wire monster is incredibly pesky and hard to control, but with some tips and the right plan of attack the wire monster can be conquered.
(via Crave)
Popularity: 13% [?]
Home office in a box
If you are strapped for space and you need a workspace for your house or apartment, you may want to check out the CI Desk from Creative Industrial Objects. Its small design and compact storage drawers offer a welcome alternative to a space-hogging desk.
The CI Desk looks a bit like a storage unit on wheels, but it is more than just a way to store your office supplies. The top flips out to supply you with a solid place for your laptop to rest, instead of using your lap. From Creative Industrial Objects:
A multi-functional home office on wheels, in its handy size and elegant shape, adapting to the flexible working habits of the individual at home or in the office. Through a 180-degree turn of its top, it unfolds into a small workstation for laptop users. The smooth contours of the desk cube in fact reveal the delicately inbuilt wooden drawers that open to the front and sides. CI desk provides mobility and a practical working space for any busy individual.
If one was to go this route in a home office, you would more than likely have to keep all clutter out of your streamlined desk. There just isn’t enough room for a junk drawer or desk top toys and trinkets … which is probably a good thing.
(via Apartment Therapy)
Popularity: 24% [?]
Unitasker Wednesday: The StockCast
Do you like to keep your eye on the stock market? Well, how about picking up the StockCast Wireless Stock Market Tracker? The StockCast may take up a bit of extra space on your desk, but how else are you going to keep track of the Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P 500? That information is nearly impossible to come by these days.
Wireless stock market tracker delivers updated information for the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500. Get daily stock market activity wirelessly, with updates every 15 minutes from the Ambient wireless network—no PC, wires or subscription needed. Easy-to-read numbers and icons clearly show market gains and losses. Built-in, self-setting clock provides amazingly accurate time. Display on desk, table, refrigerator or other metal surface (stand and magnet included). Uses 3 AAA batteries (not included).
Now if you can come up with a better way than The StockCast to keep track of the stock market, I’m all ears.
**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Workspace of the Week: Minimalist Desk
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Lucy’s 10 Lives’s minimalist desk.
This isn’t the most unclutered workspace I’ve ever seen, but there’s still something very charming about it. I like the symmetry bewteen the right side of her desk with the walls and the open desktop on the left for multi-purpose workspace. I find it comforting.
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
Popularity: 41% [?]
