Advent calendar
A physical countdown, daily reveal box, desk display, or tiny ritual that changes over time.
thingondesk
Make something to put on your desk we’ll give you something for your desk
Build something people would keep on their desk.
It can be practical, weird, calm, flashy, analog-inspired, or fully digital. The only rule is visible progress.
1
Track time
A timer, calendar, focus display, or Hackatime dashboard that makes minutes visible.
2
Show growth
A plant, river, skyline, creature, garden, or anything that changes as work stacks up or is completed.
3
Keep it desk ready
Make something you would actually leave open beside on your desk.
Ideas
It does not have to be just code.
Software, hardware, physical devices, artwork, printed pieces, and desk objects all count. The goal is a project that makes time, progress, or work feel visible.
Smart dashboard
A focused screen for weather, todos, timers, calendar events, music, school, or your own stats.
Activity visualization
A graph, light pattern, sculpture, chart, plant, or other view of what you worked on.
Digital calendar
A desk calendar, e-ink panel, tablet view, printed artwork, or calendar object with a twist.
Need a way to display what you ship?
Create something nice that you would want to keep on your desk, and we'll send you a way to display it, or something else to keep on your desk! or a desk itself!
Filter by hours
Showing 18 of 18 prizes.
Apple iPad, 2025 128GB WIFI + CELL Renewed
- Hours required
- 78
2 lbs of candy
- Hours required
- 3
Lenovo Tab One
- Hours required
- 30
Hen Glass Candy Dish
- Hours required
- 4
Vintage Gumball Machine
- Hours required
- 7
Amazon Echo Show 5
- Hours required
- 20
FEZIBO Standing Desk, 48 x 24 Inches
- Hours required
- 21
Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo
- Hours required
- 22
ELECROW ESP32 E-Ink Display 5.79
- Hours required
- 11
12 lbs of candy
- Hours required
- 16
TRMNL
- Hours required
- 31
Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3
- Hours required
- 92
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet, 8” HD Display, 32 GB (2022 release)
- Hours required
- 15
Like-New Amazon Fire 7 tablet (newest model)
- Hours required
- 11
Carlisle 13 oz Candy Bowl
- Hours required
- 2
Amazon Echo Spot
- Hours required
- 18
WAIT FLY Heart-shaped Bowls
- Hours required
- 3
8 lbs of candy
- Hours required
- 10
FAQ
Start here if you are wondering what counts.
What is thingondesk?
thingondesk is a ysws where you make a small project for your desk and shows time, progress, growth, or work in motion. Ship the project, document it, and you can earn something desk-related.
How do I submit?
Finish your project, collect a short demo or a few photos, and follow the submission form. Your project should be open source, functional, and include a README.
Who can participate?
Teens ages 13-18 can join. thingondesk is hosted by Hack Club, and everything is free.
How do I join the community and ask questions?
Jump into the Hack Club Slack channel. Share progress, ask questions, and post updates as you build.
What should I build?
Build anything that makes work feel more visible: a clock, tracker, timer, calendar, growing plant, snow falling onto a street, status display, or some other desk companion.
How do I track my hours?
If you are building software, use Hackatime to track your hours. For hardware projects, use Lapse and Lookout docs for recording timelapses and validating work.