I was more than a little excited to notice that a post I did on free desktop wallpaper designs a couple of years ago has been pretty popular lately.

Not only does it mean that I’m not alone in my geekdom—at least in its relation to pretty, inspirational design—but it gave me what I considered a damn good excuse to scour the internet for more.

So I did. And I spent way too much time poking and prodding to find designs that not only look pretty, but give you a little extra motivation without being obnoxiously overachieving. Because we all want to do good things, right? We just don’t need to shackle ourselves to doing them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s a lesson I’m desperately trying to learn for myself, so I figured at least a few of you might be in the same boat.

Here’s to being balanced boss bitches.

You know all of those blog posts out there about what’s inside someone’s purse or diaper bag? I’ve always been inexplicably obsessed with them. I think I just really like getting behind scenes glimpses into how other people live. I totally realize that many of them are meticulously stylized or even purposefully incorporate a specific brand for a sponsored post. I still love them.

Lately I’ve been wondering what other people’s workspaces look like—especially when they work from home like I do. I want to see how they set up their space and I want to know what works and what they love about it.

I’m hoping to start a series of posts like this one, where small business owners show off the space behind their work. If you’re interested in participating, send me an email at jen@cuddlesandchaos.com.

This week I have Brianna Baker back. Last week she showed us a little behind the scenes peek at how she creates a children’s book. This week she’s showing off where she actually does her work.

September always feels a bit like January to me. It must be all of the fresh notebooks, newly sharpened pencils, and clean sneakers. It makes me want to sit down to a nice, clean, organized desk, set new goals, and make plans for kicking butt.

It also makes me really, really excited about office supplies. I mean, I normally have a weird affinity for the things (I always, always have to touch them). But when they’re in my face as much as they are during the back-to-school bonanza, I get a little crazier than usual. I want my desk to have all of the cute and quirky things.

So, of course, I had to shop around a little…

This morning I found myself avoiding work by searching for new desktop wallpaper. Important stuff, right?

Only to me, it sort of is.

I can be a total slob with the best of them, but sometimes I get into these very serious organizational spells. When I’m in one of those modes, everything needs to be clean and fresh and clear before I can even start working on anything.

If I don’t have a fresh slate, I’m completely distracted and unable to focus because I keep remembering the dishes in the sink or the laundry that needs folding or the half-finished project on my desk.

My husband likes me best like this and, luckily for him (and maybe you?), I’m in the thick of it right now.

Somehow, before I started working today, my desktop also needed to be tidied. I’m rarely this neurotic, but it was really important to me today. So I decided to multitask and show you guys some of my favorite free desktop wallpaper designs I came across.

I’m not going to lie, I might end up using all of these before the week is over…

Way back in September (seriously, it feels like forever ago!) I wrote a post on how I need to organize my life. One of the biggest reasons I did that post was because of the state of my office (well, office may be too grand a word for the corner of my bedroom that has become my work space since my little bean’s birth).

It was and still is a complete disaster. I don’t know about you, but messes can really get to me when I’m trying to work. I can’t concentrate completely when I’m surrounded by clutter because it distracts me (honestly, it’s a wonder I get anything done considering the state of my house on a regular basis… just ask my husband).

I think my biggest problem is letting little things go (like the mail or papers sent home from school with my daughter). Little things become big things when they pile up. My work space is just one big mess of little things.

I wish my office looked more like these gorgeous spaces (see Pinterest for sources):

Don’t these spaces make you drool?! They’ve sent me into an online window shopping frenzy. I love office products in the first place, but now I’m on the hunt for relatively inexpensive, clever office organization solutions. Here’s a little taste of what I found:

spice rack :: drawer organizer :: baskets :: 5 drawer cabinet :: birdcage
shampoo rack :: cardboard organizer :: paper sorter

These ideas have totally inspired me to tackle my mess. I might (might) even go crazy and tackle one of these DIY projects (lord knows I have a hefty collection of empty boxes left over from the holidays!).

What is your work space like? Are you messy like me or does everything have its place? And if you’re neat, please share your secrets! I need them!!!