It has been over a year since all of our lives were turned upside down by a global pandemic. We have had to change so much about our day-to-day lives: wearing masks, social distancing, and working remotely. While many of us are slowly returning to offices and workplaces, others are still working from home. After a year of using our homes as our offices, things could be getting cluttered and stale. It’s time for a refresh! While we love our fancy swag, sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. Here is our list of 10 work from home essentials that every home office needs to flourish.
Sticky Notes: They’re colorful, they’re convenient, and they’re a must-have for any home office. Need to jot a quick note during a call? Sticky note. Need to bookmark something in your planner? Sticky note. Need a way to visually organize your to-do list? Sticky notes.
Coasters: We all have our beverage of choice that gets us through those long Zoom meetings: coffee, tea, soda, water. But no one wants to turn in a report to their boss if it’s covered in rings. Coasters also minimize the risk of a disastrous spill. Every desk needs a coaster to keep liquid lifelines in their place.
Paper Clips: These little office supplies are super handy, but we don’t often think about them until we need them. They have so many uses around our home offices. They keep papers sorted and together, they can press the tiny buttons on electronics that our fingers can’t reach, they can clean tiny spaces like keyboards, and they can work as a mini screwdriver for fixing glasses or other office items. It’s best to keep these handy little guys stocked in your office.
Pens: Ever been furiously scribbling down notes during a meeting and your pen runs out of ink? It’s awful. Ever have a great idea pop into your head but can’t find a pen to jot it down before you forget it? Not fun. Although a lot of our work is done digitally, you just can’t get by without pens. They are a must-have for any office space.
Desk Caddy: Our favorite office supplies don’t do a lot of good if we can’t find them when we need them. Especially if the dining table (or bed) is also doubling as the workspace, we need somewhere to store and organize them where we have quick and easy access to them. Enter the desk caddy. They are a great place to store pens, paper clips, sticky notes, phone chargers, or anything else you need to keep close by when you are hard at work.
Charging station: While we are working remotely, our phones have become even more essential than ever. We can’t just peek over the cubicle wall or walk down the hall to find our boss or coworkers when we have a question or a problem. Our phones have become our lifelines to our coworkers while we aren’t working in the same space. A lot of our meetings are done over the phone these days as well. Not to mention all the other things we’ve been doing with our phones since before the pandemic. We can’t very well be letting our batteries run down and die, and who has the time to run around looking for a charging cord? It is essential to have a charging station conveniently located near our workspaces so we can continue working while our phones are charging. Bonus if it comes with a phone stand so you don’t have to keep straining your neck to check messages.
Earbuds/headphones: Our homes may have been transformed into our offices, but they haven’t stopped being our homes. Our living partners are also working from home, our kids have been doing school from home, and with all of that going on, it can get a little noisy and distracting. Having a good set of noise-canceling earbuds or headphones is vital for working from home. We can keep the noise and distractions to a minimum and keep our work conversations confidential from those working around us while limiting the distractions to them. Plus, sometimes you just need some good music to get you motivated!
Dry Erase Board: As quickly as our ideas and to-do lists develop and change, we need to be able to change our notes and agendas. Dry-erase boards are fantastic for this. You can color-code different items with different colored markers and keep track of what needs to be done that day. Then the next day, erase it all and start over with a clean slate.
Snacks: There are no donuts in the conference room or vending machines in the break room when we are working from home. At least not usually. But most of us still want to be able to snack throughout the day to keep up our energy to keep going. Plus, they are yummy. Having a supply of a variety of healthy snacks is essential for our workspaces, even (especially?) at home.
Stress relief: Foam rollers, massage gadgets, stress balls, etc. This pandemic has not been easy on anyone. We are all feeling the effects of dealing with a high-stress situation. It is so important for us to take time each day to unwind and destress. Having something in your home office to help you do just that is a great reminder to take a few minutes to calm down and reset. We can’t sit and stare at our computers all day. Our bodies need to move, and we need to find a way to relieve tension that builds up as we sit at our desks.
If you’re looking for merch to send to your team or customers, consider some of these home office essentials. Send them swag they can and will use, not spam that will end up in the trash. Need help figuring out how and what to give? Contact us and let us help you!
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