Here are the 10 Must-Haves for Your Home Office – Home Office Essentials.
How many stay at home mamma’s (SAHM’s) also work from home?
Either part-time or full-time? I know a lot of mamma’s that even when they have their hands full they still do a side hustle.
Whether it be for their sanity.
To bring in extra cash. Or just to do something they enjoy.
Whichever category you fit into, here are some of my top 10 must-haves that I find are crucial to supporting my WAHM (work at home mamma) lifestyle.
Setting up a home office definitely takes some planning.
Assure that your office space is organized and equipped to help focus, work, and generate creative thoughts.
Your goal should be to merge workspace aesthetics and productivity.
Whether you’ve chosen a room in your house or a corner in your bedroom to transform into a work space.
Make it YOUR space.
I do recommend not putting your home office in your bedroom.
When you work from home one of the biggest struggles is creating that separation between work life and home life and putting your office in a space where you should be resting is not ideal. Do what’s best for your lifestyle and budget.
You do you.
1. High Speed Internet
The number one requirement when working from home is high speed internet.
Who wants to setup a web call and then get disconnected halfway through. Or get a completely garbled conversation where no one gets their point across.
Invest in a reliable internet provider, modem and router so that it exceeds your business requirements.
2. Computer Equipment
Whether you’re working for yourself or for a company you will require a laptop or a desktop and monitor.
I find that even if you have a laptop having an extra monitor to view your work on a larger screen is definitely a nice perk.
Add that in depending on your home office budget. Otherwise keep it basic and add it in later as your requirements and budget expand.
Additionally, if you have a laptop you may want to use a separate mouse and keyboard.
Depending on the work you do, invest in either a good quality MacBook or PC.
Do your research and find out which option is going to be beneficial for you.
3. Ergonomic Desk Space
Now, several home business owners use a tablet or laptop over a computer in their home office.
They are sturdy and portable. But to enhance productivity, you may consider adding a laptop stand with a similar design and keyboard stand to your desk set up.
Pick ergonomical designs for your laptop and keyboard stands.
There are so many different options these days that you don’t have to have just a simple desk and chair.
Choosing an ergonomic design also helps in improving standing / sitting posture and preventing carpal tunnel syndrome.
If you choose to go with the traditional seated desk, ensure you have an erogonomical chair to match.
Choosing the right chair is crucial to your comfort. Especially if you’re going to be sitting at your desk for long hours each day.
4. Lighting
Lighting is crucial for your home office space. I recommend trying to get as much natural lighting in as possible.
However we know that is not always the case. A good desk lamp is key for those late nights or gloomy days where extra lighting is needed.
Desk lamps are a vital accessory even if you have enough lightening in your home workplace.
It helps in preventing eye strain and also provides design flair.
There are cheap and well-designed options you can purchase from local stores which won’t break the bank.
Apart from selecting a desk lamp with a unique design and a good light bulb from a renowned company like Helia or Apple’s Nightshift, make sure the room is also properly lit.
5. Power
With having a work laptop, personal laptop, a tablet, and a cell phone the cords are endless.
The secret of having an organized workplace at home that will help to better your work productivity is selecting desk accessories which increase productivity without cluttering your office.
Two of my most used accessories are a cord stand and a good power bar, which keeps all your cords plugged into one spot.
Working in India the power fluctuations are endless – you’ll actually be able to hear the power surging and buzzing through the cords.
Every once in a while you’ll also get a nice pop and you know you’ve blown something. Invest in a good power bar because that will help protect all your other precious equipment.
6. Office supplies
Just because you are not in an actual office doesn’t mean that you don’t need office supplies.
Below are some of my regular supplies.
- stationery cabinet (I usually just designate one drawer from my filing cabinet)
- filing cabinet
- printer
- shredder
- water dispenser
- desktop / laptop speakers
- headphones
- book and file holders
- notepads
- post-it notes
- pens
- pencils
- stapler
- paper clips
A good filing system is crucial. Devote space for work files and use them.
I recently bought a couple filing cabinets after working from home for 9 plus years and they are so convenient.
I found my desk drawers were overflowing and the filing cabinets definitely occupy more space but also keep things more organized.
I also keep a separate filing cabinet for all my kids important documents and paintings.
This allows me to just do a quick audit each year if I find it getting too full and minimize what I don’t need anymore.
I myself am a post-it note person – I’ve definitely reduced my usage over the years.
But for those that know me, my laptop or desk is covered in little sticky notes with reminders. Find a system that works for you and stick to it – got it? Stick to it. Just don’t turn the fan on or my system may blow away!
A good notebook for jotting down points during a meeting is always helpful. Especially when you are screensharing and you can’t type your notes up on your laptop.
What do you do with your old notebooks?
I seem to just keep them but should I be tossing them after a year or two they’re filled up and of no use? Or do you keep them for reference? Comment below on what you do with yours.
Most laptops, tablets, and computers have their built-in speaker systems; nonetheless, this may not be sufficient, particularly if you need to do online training, listen to the audio files or enjoy listening to music when you work.
Portable speakers can provide excellent sound quality and are available in multiple sizes, shapes, and functionalities. They also allow you to not have earphones stuck in your ears all day.
The supplies should help to improve productivity and maintain a clean work desk, which can be an exception if you have a lot of accessories, paperwork, and reference materials.
Keep your files and reference books set up on your desk with file holders, trays and bookends.
For example, if you work as a web developer, you can put printed versions of your web designs portfolio examples on your desk.
But keep in mind not to overexaggerate this. Select only a few files or books that you feel you will need often, and organize them so that they’re in easy access, but don’t get in the track of working.
Even if the rest of the house areas are messy try to keep your workplace neat and clean as it will help you get in the zone.
7. Backup Drive
How many of you have lost all of your files from a laptop or desktop during a crash?
Yup I know I have! Even with running backups I find that there is still a chance of losing the data. Nowadays there are a lot of easier ways to backup your important data and files. Subscriptions like Dropbox, Backblaze, iCloud, etc. are all automatic syncing options that are definitely useful when you are always on your computer.
Alternatively if you don’t want to purchase a subscription, you can always manually backup your files on an external hard drive. Choose an option that is sustainable for you.
8. Calendars
For family syncing, putting together everyone’s calendars I love a good back to basics wall calendar.
Kids love to visualize things and there are so many fun calendars that you can involve them with stickers and add-ons that they’ll love too.
For work, what’s speedier: clicking on Outlook and waiting for your calendar panel to update, or taking a quick glance at a wall calendar?
When various deadlines are sneaking up on you, a quick visualization can help you see them clearly.
So when a customer says, can I get that file by tomorrow? You’ll be grateful for the quick access to your timetable. And, you can use it to beautify your wall space.
9. Clock
One of the more often overlooked but still crucial desk accessory is a desk clock.
The clock on your laptop or smartphone may not be sufficient to keep you mindful of the time.
Nowadays, there are portable desk clocks in catchy shapes, sizes, and designs that have extra functionalities like LED displays, Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone charging, and many more. Selecting a multipurpose desk clock will assist keeping your desk organized and clutter-free.
10. Personal Touch
Most of the times, office desks can get gloomy and dull.
Especially if you only have your computer monitor or laptop to look at the entire day.
You can add colors and inspiration with a picture frame or your loved ones or friends. You can select a traditional metal or wooden photo frame. Or use a digital photo frame which permits you to make a slideshow of your favorites snaps like the Instacube.
Moreover, you can select a multifunction photo frame that can be used as an accessory to charge slots and a pen holder.
One of the ideal parts of the home workplace is that you can make your office your own.
There’s nothing less inspirational than a blank wall.
Add some personality into it: you know what motivates or inspires you but make sure it helps you in remembering that your job is more than just responding to the emails and finishing the assigned tasks. Make a shine to creativity.
Moreover, if you are not lucky enough to have a workplace with a river-side view, you can grow yourself a house plant, which is pretty low-maintenance.
Try to keep your office space separate. It’s good to close the office after a busy workday. It also helps reduce distractions.
Do you have a small studio apartment? Clean out your closet and use that area as your office hub. You can use any space to make an office, but it should be the only area that is dedicated to working.
I hope you find these top 10 items beneficial to helping you create a productive office space at home.
xo, Zarine
