I am jealous of everyone who gets to go back to school shopping. This week, we’re counting down my top three office supplies.

Technically, office supplies are anything you see when you walk into Staples or Office Depot. If I were to be let loose inside one of those stories with an unlimited budget… I would probably just buy the whole store. I have a thing for new pens, paper, and paperclips. I never met a folder or label I didn’t like. I adore drawer organizers and file holders. Give me a snappy stapler and the clean woosh of a new roll of tape. I want it all.

As a kid, I rejoiced in filling my backpack with new supplies every year. When I started a new job, I treated myself to fancy desk stuff. Last year, we moved (temporarily) into cubicles and I immediately purchased new office supplies to make my cube more workable.

Office supplies are a small thing that make me incredibly happy.

Binder Clips

Paper clips are great, but I love the ka-chunk of securing a binder clip to a thick stack of papers. While you can get staples strong enough to hold reams of paper, I like having the ability to separate the sheets without damaging the pages. I love squeezing the metal clamps, sliding the pages out, and flipping through my work one page at a time.

Binder clips also have secondary organization abilities. Then come in all colors of the rainbow and a myriad of sizes. If you’re feeling fancy, you can get them with different colored clamps or shapes. I love using one color for each category of document. This lets me see at a glance what’s in my piles and files.

As a bonus, you can also use binder clips to hold cables, as a pen loop, or as a cell phone stand.

Post-It Notes

I assume most people know that Post-It Notes were pretty much invented by accident. The lightly sticky, reusable adhesive is the perfect invention for office ephemera. It lets you add your note and then remove it when you’re done. You can move the same item multiple times, stick them to each other to form a chain, or stick it to your computer monitor as a “quick note” that ends up living them permanently.

I love post-its because I can use them in many ways. I can write a quick note to myself and stick it to my phone so that I actually do the thing. I can use the small ones as bookmarks to flag research. (Although please remove these before returning your library books. Deflagging books takes forever. Looking at you graduate students.) I can develop a Kanban board to keep track of projects. I can add a quick memo in my bullet journal without permanently marking the pages.

The only downside to post-it notes is the curl. You have to peel them just right so they lay flat.

Spiral Bound Notebooks

I love all notebooks. When I walk into my favorite local stationery store, I have to remind myself that I do not need any more notebooks. While I do use a hardbound, flat lay notebook for my bullet journal, my heart belongs to spiral bound pages.

Spiral bound notebooks get a bad reputation. They spirals smush, they warp, they can get tangled, or they catch on things. I’ve had spiral bound notebooks go wonky on me, but I find them too useful to care. The spiral style means I can fold the pages back on one another and focus on one page. I can hear the paper’s crunch as I fold it back. Spirals let me use a notebook of any size while sitting in a chair with no desk. They fit perfectly on my lap. Spirals let me lay things flat on a desk where I can smooth out the pages before I write.

Plus, they’re so pretty! You can find any style, any size, any color, and any material. They can be cheap paper or rich leather. They can be plain, glittery, sophisticated, or fun. Spiral notebooks let you show off who you are.

Best of all, you can use them for anything. Spiral notebooks encompass possibilities.

Carbs in circle form are one my favorite foods. Next week, we’re counting down my top three bagel flavors.

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