Spring has sprung like an unruly jack-in-the-box. And since our sunny Easter weekend is well and truly over, it is time for everyone to place their noses firmly to the grindstone. But, slowed down by chocolate avocados and barbecue meat as we are, the return to hard work may take more than a little prompting.

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Enter retail therapy.

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I have not yet met an upstanding human whose life is not slightly brightened by a fresh set of stationery. After all, what is a worker without their tools? And with the mental spring-clean we have all undergone, hitting the refresh button is surely in order.

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Should you be partial to tradition look no further than Moleskine; their classic collection of journals, which come in joyful colours such as Dandelion yellow, are timeless and adorable – you can even add a monogram (www.moleskine.com journals from around £13.99, £5 for personalisation). Or, for a truly luxurious experience, try Jardine of London where hand-crafted Spanish bovine leather is used to heighten notebook making to an art (www.jardineoflondon.co.uk Suffolk Leather Journal for £75).

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To write love notes to your new spring fling, a superb letter set is essential. The Rifle Paper Company use quirky prints and high-quality paper which will make your words look truly special  (www.riflepaperco.com Shanghai Garden Stationery Set for $22). Alternatively, swing by Paperchase on your next high street trip – from geometric patterns to flamingos and unicorns, it’s hard to resist letter sets that are both cute and affordable (www.paperchase.com Bold Geo writing set for £5, Flamingo letter writing set for £5, Unicorn Writing Set for £7).

 

Of course, something exquisite is needed to fill these pages with whatever you choose. For a real investment, or perhaps a self-directed birthday/Easter/just-because present, visit the Parker Pen Company’s website to find and customise your writing instrument. Whilst “researching” for this article, I fell in love with the Sonnet Special Edition Metro Fountain Pen (available at www.johnlewis.com for £246). However, for those of us whose bank accounts demand a more whimsical purchase, there is always Present & Correct’s colourful range of pens and pencils – from the Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen (www.presentandcorrect.com from £20) to the Delfonics Wood Pen (from £1.50) – the collection holds stylish solutions to all your pen-related woes.

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But whichever goodies you choose refresh your work life with, I wish you a productive and colourful spring!