A couple of weeks ago, I experienced a great loss: someone walked off with my pen. As you can imagine, I was bereft for about 10 days, wandering the universe, unable to write on a lark. Couldn’t fill in paperwork. Couldn’t sign things for players or scouts or anybody. I was, in short, totally dependent on the pen-providing skills of others.
Now, this wasn’t just any pen, of course: my chrome bullet space pen. With the bold weight, blue ink refill.
I could defend my pen choice, sort of. (It fits in my wallet! The bold ink compensates for my weak, cramped handwriting! Merlin Mann told everyone to buy one years ago!)
But of course it’s just a stupid pen. You’d be shocked at how infrequently I’m asked to write in space, or upside down, or underwater, or through butter. While I don’t care at all what kind of paper, or sticky note, or index card, or paper clip, is available . . . I do like that pen.
ProfHacker has a whole series of posts with the tongue-in-cheek name “[X things] I can’t live without,” in which we try to offer up gadgets or tools or apps that are in some sense genuinely useful.
Office supplies, though, also take on the qualities of a totem or fetish*: we like them so much that we begin to think they’re more important than they are. Since the choice of office supplies is usually something we can exercise absolute control over, and since we make that choice over and over again, we often start to invest it with meaning.
This is different from so-called productivity pr0n, which involves fiddling so much with your tools and systems that you never get anything done. Instead, it’s more like a lucky rabbit’s foot–a little prop that gets you through your day. Worthless in itself, but through time and obsessiveness, somehow indispensable.
In the end, everything worked out for my pen. I remembered who had it, he returned it promptly, and all was right with the world.
But enough about my stupid pen. What’s your office supply fetish?
*(The first draft of this post involved the phrase “office supply fetishes” in the title, but I wasn’t crazy about the kind of of search traffic or Twitter spambots that would elicit.)
Photo by Flickr user Mr. Bill / Creative Commons licensed
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68 Responses to On overvaluing office supplies
cardinalham - October 27, 2010 at 8:12 am
Bic mechanical pencils with 0.7 mm lead. Fortunately they come in packages of five, so even if I lend one to someone I have many more to take its place.
profesoraglam - October 27, 2010 at 12:06 pm
My current favorite pen is a Pilot Hi-Tec gel ink in navy blue (a nice compromise between plain blue and black) that I get at a local Japanese stationary store. I keep a big cup of other random pens on my desk that students and other visitors can freely use. And if they accidently take one, it’s no big deal.
Besides pens, I have a massive paper fetish, which extends to Rhodia A4 paper pads, Miquelrius notebooks (plain cover designs), and a large hard-cover Moleskine. Oh, and calendars/datebooks (I used Uncalendar for years, but recently switched to a weekly Moleskine). I don’t see myself ever going paperless!
drnels - October 27, 2010 at 12:15 pm
This is why I have a pen holder on one side of my computer in my campus office that contains pens from hotels around the country. Students who need them can grab one and take it away if they want. But my Pilot Gel Retractable Blue Pens stay with me on the other side of the computer where they can’t reach.
lkcoleman - October 27, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Ah, three Lamy Safaris on the left side of the box in the illustration. Yeah, fountain pens are my can’t-live-without office supply. I have several and rotate them.
profjw - October 27, 2010 at 4:28 pm
My labeler (Brother P-Touch, PT-1830.) I’m a fan of “Getting Things Done” and getting all my *stuff* into folders and then making a beautiful typed label often gives the the “lift” I need to attend one more meeting. People say “you’re so organized” which I am definately not — but those labels sure cover for it!
frandell - October 27, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Hilarious! I can relate, I laughed at myself all the way through the article —-even more when I realized that you are talking about the SAME pen I have had by my side for 2 years. I got my Fisher Space Pen at the Museum of Flight in Seattle! It’s my first office supply fetish. : )
laker - October 27, 2010 at 4:32 pm
binder clips…
11182967 - October 27, 2010 at 4:53 pm
I’m reminded of Dorothy Parker’s reproted response to Harold Ross when he asked why she hadn’t turned in an assignment: “Someone else was using the pencil.”
shushufindi - October 27, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Departmental letterhead used to be very important for writing letters of recommendation, but now most employers and institutions want them e-mailed. I also like to use manila inter-departmental mail envelopes for storing things. They are somewhat oversized and serve nicely for my income tax records (please don’t rat on me).
kevingannon - October 27, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I’m glad that I’m not the only one with a deep-seated commitment to the Pilot retractable gel blue pen. Now I know where to go for support and affirmation when someone walks off with mine.
drnels - October 27, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Oh, don’t get me started on my label maker. I adore it.
eetempleton - October 27, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Of course, there’s the magic pencil (a Sensa mechanical pencil w/.7mm lead) and the magic eraser. . .
But I, too, have a thing for binder clips, though I use them as much in the kitchen as in the office, and I have a deep and abiding love for yellow legal pads as well.
rosmerta - October 27, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Binder clips! Oh, my precious binder clips, so much neater and more secure for high-page-count documents than the supremely annoying bent-out-of-shape paper clip … longer-lasting than the dessicating rubber band … a great help to the dieter needing to put a close on that chips bag instead of devouring the entire contents … even an aid to the DIY assassin.
gabrielinaz - October 27, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Our department has a deep, bitter division with half preferring the Pilot G-2 05 pens and the other half (heretics all!) insisting on the Pilot G-2 07′s. At least we all agree on black ink.
lyndahar - October 27, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I guess you must buy your own pens instead of using the cheap ballpoints provided by the university… Post-It Notes anybody?
drnels - October 27, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Nope, @gabrielinaz, it’s .07 and blue ink.
crankycat - October 28, 2010 at 5:05 am
Pale purple mechanical pencil, .9 mm lead. I will look for it for 15 minutes rather than make a mark in my calendar with anything else. The calendar? Gallery Leather, 3-ring, week-view, cream-colored paper.
geneseo - October 28, 2010 at 7:23 am
Ticonderoga pencils. Blue Bic pens, regular point. Red ultra-fine point Sharpies for grading. Don’t no one touch any of these :-)
lee77 - October 28, 2010 at 7:33 am
Postit flags, Postit file folder labels, and (perhaps too new to be fetish yet) – Postit box labels (sticky all over); black Sharpie ultra fine; a white Staedtler plastic pencil eraser I’ve had 30+ years (obviously, not a lot of pencil erasing in my work life); and a retractable knife (indispensable for breaking open plastic wrapped office supplies.)
lsmarx - October 28, 2010 at 7:40 am
Definitely post-it notes and “clicky” pens.
hesterlfuller - October 28, 2010 at 8:00 am
I have two writing implement fetishes: one is a hefty, steel mechanical pencil that takes 0.5 mm leads — I think it’s a Pilot. I can focus my attention instantly simply by grasping it firmly in the writing grip. A statistics instructor handed them out to her TAs when I was in grad school, and I loved mine so much I went out with my first paycheck and bought 4 of them to put away for later years. I also love the G2 gel pen — blue, fine point. I buy them by the dozen at Staples. I’m a sucker, too, for those project notebooks with the numbered lines and the blank box down the left margin for “action notes.”
My top office fetish, though is Evernote, the cloud-based open-source note-keeper. I have it installed on my office computer, my iPad, my laptop and my home desktop computer, and I frequently use the web version from internet cafes. I keep my whole “brain” up there.
amscheye - October 28, 2010 at 8:22 am
The PostIt highlighter with built-in mini PostIt flags…multitasking incarnate
usaret - October 28, 2010 at 8:32 am
Papermate PhD pencils and pens, no longer made, alas, but I can still buy the pencils from a local pen store (at least until they run out); fountain pens; blotter-size desk calendars–a month at a glance, to supplement the calendar in MS Outlook and my 20-year old Filofax; Post-it notes; index cards for dividing students into groups, running quick classroom assessments, or very short writing assignments.
iep_university - October 28, 2010 at 8:32 am
Pentel Energel Needle Tip 0.5 Blue Ink. And grid paper pads for taking notes at meetings.
krissydawn16 - October 28, 2010 at 8:33 am
geneseo! My favorite pen is the blue BIC round stic med. Except, this fall I could not find them anywhere! BIC changed the style, and I am no longer a fan (although I’m in the market for a new favorite and you have all provided great recommendations!).
I’m also a fan of the post-it flags. On my agenda for today is “Go to supply room and get more sticky flags.”
rhetprof - October 28, 2010 at 8:33 am
Zebra F-301 stainless steel barrel, non-slip grip ball point pens and narrow rule legal pads! And, I need to mention that binder clips are also great for temporarily hemming your dress pants so you don’t walk on them during the walk to work in your sneakers.
drj50 - October 28, 2010 at 9:11 am
How do you get a space pen in your “wallet”?
tbstoller - October 28, 2010 at 9:20 am
My husband is in love with the Zebra F-301 pens (the fact that I actually know this attests to the strength of his love). I and my daughter love the Pilot Precise V5 extra fine tip in black. She loves the fine tip for writing Arabic. I am also a fan of truly good paper with a high rag content, but I don’t get to indulge in this very often.
gwwyo04 - October 28, 2010 at 9:27 am
I, too, am somewhat distraught! I’ve been using green PaperMate, medium point pens to grade ever since I started teaching 23 years ago. I have one box of 12 left and I can’t find more of them anywhere. I may have to retire.
erictho - October 28, 2010 at 9:40 am
@crankcat — I have a series of coloured mechanical pencils which I thought I’d love, for all the obvious reasons of colour! pencil! ability to colour-code!, but I find my leads always break within seconds and I *swear* that I’m not putting too much pressure on the pencil (I have too much respect for my office supplies to abuse them that way). What’s your secret? And can you share? I so want to add my coloured mechanical pencils (purple, red, dark blue, light blue, light green, and pink) back to the in-use pencil pot.
Beyond coloured ink (and leads, if I can figure them out), I love all colour-coded office supplies and post-it notes in multiple shapes and colours, and notebooks. September, when I can re-stock my office supplies, is the most wonderful time of the year!
socialsciences1 - October 28, 2010 at 9:42 am
Gel pens in “happy” colors–esp green and purple. Post-its. Binder clips. Couldn’t live without the latter two.
hesterlfuller – Thanks for the recommendation for Evernote. I’d love to put my brain somewhere. ;-)
Finally, who wants to offer recommendations for a labeler? I need (okay, want) one!
swish - October 28, 2010 at 10:24 am
Pilot pens are great, but I’d be really upset if someone absconded with my wonderful pair of scissors. Best I’ve ever had.
benbel28 - October 28, 2010 at 10:28 am
Thinking wistfully of my Pentel 0.7 Twist-Erase mechanical pencils — always one in my purse and in my planner. and just realized that my desk-workhorse Pentel 0.5 mechanical pencil (w-twist eraser, bright yellow clip) is nearly 10 years old. Lost it for a couple years– what joy when it rumbled its way to the top of a drawer!!
for comments on student papers– (also Pentel) blue Hybrid-Gel grip pens. not sure if they’re making them any more, but I still have a box in my office.
marigolds - October 28, 2010 at 10:39 am
Oh, I feel your pain; I can’t find my fountain pen case, with four of my favorite fountain pens (including my most expensive/favorite one: a Sailor ProGear in orange.) AND two Visconti travel ink pots.
I’m praying, hoping, looking everywhere. PLEASE let it be in my messy office.
Perhaps I’ve taken the office supply obsession a bit too far?
crankycat - October 28, 2010 at 11:09 am
@erictho – Do love my purple pencil – but it’s just the pencil, not the lead, that’s colored. Papermate Vibz. The .9 mm leads are studier than .7′s and don’t break as easily. The .5′s? Forget it – I can’t keep those going at all. To keep the leads from breaking in use, best thing I’ve found is to use smooth, even pressure – almost like using a fountain pen.
And if I ever find colored leads…. oh my ….
ianative - October 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm
I LOVE my Zebra F-301 pens (black, blue, and red). We can’t buy these from the “official” office supplies place but (inexplicably) we are able to buy the refills for the pens. So, I have a bunch of the pens in case they are ever discontinued (perish the thought) and rely on the refills at work.
My very special pen, however, is a narrow-bodied Cross pen that I’ve had for years. Love the sleek look and it writes beautifully!
djs1635 - October 28, 2010 at 12:02 pm
At work it’s Post-It brand SuperSticky post-it notes (I hate post-it notes with weak glue that comes undone easily) and ultra fine point Sharpies in any bold color. At home it’s 1″ marking flags (I put one or more inside the cover of every book I own, so I have an easy page marker to where I left off and extras in case I need to mark a spot with important information).
In my 41 years I have yet to find the pen of my dreams. I keep searching, but it keeps eluding me.
adronzek - October 28, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I am addicted to fountain pens, and own more than I should really admit to or people will look at me funny. (This includes antiques from the 1930s-50s that I bought on ebay when I was in grad school.) I think my current favorite is a bright yellow Namiki Vanishing Point (it’s retractable!).
Sadly, I spend very little time actually writing by hand on real paper now, and a ton of my writing is done in the margins of books (as well as underlining passages). And most books don’t have FP-friendly paper (tragic!). So my FPs languish, but I do love a nice Parker Jotter BP for writing in books. And actually, hotel ballpoints are often really nice, too. I prefer colored ink when I can get it, but it has to be vibrant and flow well, and sometimes black ink works much better.
I’m also partial to the post-it filing tabs – they’re so sturdy! They’re great for marking places in books I’ll be going back to again and again. Or the little flags – the plastic-y ones, rather than the paper, because I find the plastic ones sturdier – the paper ones age less well. To write on these, I really like Sharpie ultra-fine points, or Sharpie pens, or occasionally a good rollerball will do.
And marigolds, I really truly hope you find your pens!!
facultydiva - October 28, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Xenon Gel pens; also Waterman – their blue ink is much nicer than Cross’ and I can play with a pen that doesn’t click during meetings. Or Bic Wide Body for the cheap version – and lots of vendors give them away at conferences. The new fine point Sharpie pens are also very nice. Couldn’t live without Post-its in various sizes. Also love my flat cinch stapler which keeps stacks of paper flat. Okay, okay, I’ll stop.
rosmerta - October 28, 2010 at 2:01 pm
djs1635 et al.: you may wish to check out the Cheap Pen Review. I’ve found some good pens that way.
rosmerta - October 28, 2010 at 2:07 pm
…and iep_university, I see that your favorite model is among the latest reviewed. I may have to try the Pentel Energel Needle Tip .5 myself.
On a related topic, I see from the photos that David (as one might expect) knows how to hold a pen correctly. Is it just my imagination, or does everybody under 35 hold a pen in their fist like a kid with a crayon?
lginger - October 28, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Uni-ball micro pens with black ink for everything except grading, which requires a Uni-ball micro pen with red ink. Yellow post-it notes with my name on them. Most important of all is my old Filofax–I do not believe in keeping my calendar on line.
englishwlu - October 28, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Guilty pleasures: Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens. They never leak ink all over you but they are pretty nice fountain pens, superb for paper grading, and no worse for the landfill than any other Pilot throw-aways.
11161452 - October 29, 2010 at 1:19 am
Binder clips…and I don’t even have an office. I should have bought stock in these when they first came out.
copyme - October 29, 2010 at 6:50 am
Waterman – their blue ink is much nicer than Cross’ and I can play with a pen that doesn’t click during meetings. Or Bic Wide Body for the cheap version – and lots of vendors give them away at conferences. The new fine point Sharpie pens are also very nice. Couldn’t live without Post-its in various sizes. Also love my flat cinch stapler which keeps stacks of paper flat.Reviews at http://www.btscene.com
erictho - October 29, 2010 at 8:35 am
@crankycat: I think it was Pentel that made my coloured pencil leads. I found them at Staples a few years ago, but am finding the leads a bit too soft, even with gentle pressure. But they are still fun!