As the end of summer break is in sight, it is time to get ready for school to start. The following are some back-to-school ideas, for yourself or for the other academics in your life…

Replenish your supply of pens. These write very well, especially for the price, and they take refills.

If you need a suitable way to keep track of the minutes ticking by as you make your way through the never-ending piles of papers to be graded, consider the Sisyphus Watch.

Unmess your bag.

A wall-mountable white board to keep your ideas and tasks in view, or to use during meetings with students, is a good addition to the office.

I have considered joining the standing desk craze. For a laptop, this looks like a good option. For a whole desk that moves up and down, this is reasonably priced and well-reviewed.  Either way, you’ll need something cushioning to stand on.

I’m a fan of the walking meeting — for office hours, chats with colleagues, and phone calls. For the latter, a good pair of noise-blocking earbuds with an in-line microphone is helpful. I have these, and they’re great (good on a plane, too).

Teaching ethics this semester? Liven up those thought experiments.

Winter is coming. Here’s a small, quiet, and effective space heater for your office. Because you can’t bring yourself to wear this at work. At least I hope you can’t.

For good coffee at home or the office, you’ll need your beans freshly ground. Here’s a good-quality-but-not-outrageously-priced burr grinder. (For beans see the ad in DN’s sidebar).

And of course, no gift list at Daily Nous would be complete without one of these simple pencil sharpeners.

Other back-to-school ideas?