10+ Home Office Essentials You will Actually Use
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Working from home for the last ten years has taught me that I need a place where I can work. When I was creating my workspace, I realized there are some home office essentials you need to consider!
Before I had a designated workspace, I was working on my bed, or my couch, kitchen table, Starbucks, and the library. I had stuff scattered all over and I was having a hard time keeping track of everything. Additionally, my husband was annoyed that I had stuff scattered all over the house (think notebooks, piles and piles of notebooks).
I quickly learned I needed a designated workspace to help me focus. So I started scouting out a good place to have a home office in our home.
But don’t get me wrong. There are days where I take my business on the road and work at Starbucks or from the couch. Because sometimes you just need a change of scenery.
Why you need a designated home office workspace
There are several reasons why you need a designated workspace or home office. By having a place where you go to work, it tells your brain that this is where you work. That way when you are in other areas of the house you can rest. Especially if you were using your bed as your workspace.
Now your bed can be the place of rest it is meant to be.
Also, it signals to your family that you are working when you are at your desk. This helps them to know to be respectful of your time.
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Where should your space be?
I know it was really challenging for me to figure out where my workspace should be. Our office space is designated for my husband since he is the main breadwinner in our family.
We decided to put my desk in a low traffic area in our home. Since I generally work when the kids are at school this was perfect. My desk was out in the public for guests to see I had to keep it fairly neat.
We decorated the area to keep it looking like part of our home while also being a productivity space.
Home Office Essentials
In your home office, you are going to need reliable high-speed internet, computer desk, chair to house all the notebooks and stuff you need for working at home. While I was setting up these were my home office essentials.
Desk options
Finding a desk that will suit your needs can be difficult. I decided that since my desk was going to be part of our home decor, it had to look nice and like it belonged in our home.
These are a few we looked at:
Stone & Beam Barrett Reclaimed Wood 2-Drawer Desk
Modern Newport Desk with Drawer
I settled on the first white one. I love the drawers and I feel like it’s just the right size. We also took into consideration that the desk was going in our living room and made sure the desk fit the decore of the room too. I also like that it kind of blends into our home. My last thought about the desk is that I love that it’s white. The rest of our home has a lot of wood tones and I love that my desk is white to offset that a little.
Chair
Picking a chair took a little longer. I really wanted the chair to be comfortable and I didn’t want it to have that mesh seat. I found my chair on clearance at Staples, but it is very similar to the first chair below.
My husband has a mesh chair and I don’t like how it feels. I often work in shorts and the mesh hurts my legs. The second chair below is the mesh chair my husband has. He loves it.
I recommend you get a rubber mat for your chair. This will save your flooring and if you have carpet it will make it easier for the desk to move around. They have them in clear and black.
Lighting
I strongly recommend you have a lamp on your desk. Especially if you are going to be doing video calls or creating videos. The light will help illuminate your face so people can see you.
I wanted a lamp that was a little more useful than just shinning light. I also wanted one that wasn’t too desk lamp looking since the desk was in our living room. This is the one I bought:
Desk Lamp Perfect for Bedroom, Living Room or Office
I also looked at these:
Brightech Elizabeth Office Desk Lamp
Decorating your home office space
Decorating is more a creative way to make your workspace feel complete. By decorating your space allows you to feel comfortable in that space. Here are a few tips or ideas of what to put in there.
- Succulent Cactus Plants Planter Pot
Behind your desk
Don’t forget to decorate behind your desk. If you are doing video conferencing you will want something behind your desk for people to look at.
Maybe your space is small and you need to put something on the walls behind you. If you have a dedicated room, you can have bookshelves behind you and decorate them.
Make this space personal and inspirational so you feel creative in your workspace.
If you are doing a lot of video conferencing or making videos, you may want to consider getting a drop clothe to use as a background. You can get a green screen and hang it behind your chair.
Creating a designated workspace at home to inspire creativity
Now that you know what you need in your workspace, you need to also figure out how you are going to reduce distractions. Putting your workspace in an area where there isn’t a ton of traffic is essential to being productive.
Once you have your desk all set up, you need to test it to see how it feels. I’ll be honest it was hard for me to switch from sitting on my bed to sitting at the desk. But I loved not working in my bedroom.
The technology side of home office essentials
I left out the part about technology for two reasons:
1. I hate technology
2. I assumed you already had that covered.
But let’s talk about the technology you may need for your workspace at home.
You are going to need a fast internet connection. If you don’t have that yet, I recommend you put that on your to-do list this week. Call and upgrade your internet service.
Oh the other thing you may need for your Wi-Fi is an extender. If you need something like that, look into the Google Nest WiFi Router system. We just got it and it is amazing!
You also need a great computer and the ability to back it up to some sort of cloud service. I am an Apple lady, so I use a MacBook Pro and I love it. This is the one I have. But if you are a PC person, I am certain there are good PC’s too. I am not the person to ask about it.
The last thing you should consider by your workspace is a power strip. That way you have multiple outlets for all the devices that you need.
Home Office Essentials
Hopefully, you found some great tips in this article to inspire you to create the best-designated workspace at home for your home. If you used any of my tips while creating your workspace, I would love to see pictures! You can tag me on Instagram @stickynotemom. 🙂
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Stephanie has been blogging at Sticky Note Mom for 4 years. Before starting her blog she worked in the finance industry working on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade to working for major financial institutions with personal financial planning and the mortgage industry. Now she shares all she has learned about frugal living to help others learn how to stop spending and start saving more.
