7 work-from-home desk essentials.
If there’s one thing a lot of businesses have learned in 2020, it’s that they can still operate functionally without being in a physical office. This is great news! I love working remote and believe it really helps me do more of what matters throughout the day. It also secretly brings me great joy thinking about how many people attend Zoom calls wearing business clothes on top and leggings or pajamas on bottom. LOL.
While working from home is new for many, I have been fortunate to work remotely for the last 3 years. Given this, I thought it’d be fun to share the top 7 things I use at my desk every single day.
1.) Blue-light blockers — despite the many insta ads we see for blue light blockers, I’ve found they actually are worth investing in and I’ve got two brands that have a spot on my desk. They really do help with eye strain after staring at a screen for hours on end, and I usually wear them up until bedtime to help minimize blue light exposure and not deplete my melatonin before bed. Plus, they’re just cute to wear anyway. Here’s a link to the other pair I like. 👓
2.) Laptop stand — while everyone’s desk set-up looks different (you can see mine above), if you’re like me and you set your laptop on a stack of books to keep it at eye level for over a year (😆) then it’s probably time to invest in a laptop stand. This is the one I use. It’s great.
3.) Dongles — besides literally cringing every time I hear or say the word dongle (🥴), these bad boys really do help me throughout the day. While I have many for my MacBook Pro — these are the two I couldn’t live without: USB-C USB Hub and USB-C to HDMI (for mirroring to a 2nd desktop screen)
4.) Soft-Cover Moleskine Notebook — I use these Moleskine notebooks for EVERYTHING in my day-to-day. From to-do lists to meeting notes to brainstorm sessions where I collage sticky notes across two pages — these Moleskine notebooks are the foundation of my organization and sanity being an executive assistant. I don’t love writing everything on sticky notes because a.) i think they can get misplaced too easily, b.) sometimes there’s not enough room, c.) with how much I need to refer back to things, these notebooks really are a one-stop-shop and keep me in the game! (PS - If you’re interested in seeing how I fully utilize my Moleskine’s, let me know in the comments below).
5.) Hydration Station — I’m admittedly not the best at standing up or taking breaks once I get caught up in work. If I don’t get my hydration station set up, I forget to drink water. So — get yourself a hydroflask to keep your water cool til the afternoon (I use the 40 oz and think they really are worth the hype) orrrr, if you like drinking water out of regular cups or mason jars, these glass straws are my fav! After almost piercing the roof of my mouth with a metal straw in a freak clumsy accident of 2019, I’m only into glass straws now (which also rule for smoothies, and you know we love a good smoothie around here).
6.) Phone Stand - I got this for my birthday (thanks mom!) and it’s been the handiest little thing to prop your phone on at your desk (if you use a PopSocket). It’s like a little chair for your phone! From being your tripod during FaceTime calls, a hands-free way to join conference calls from your phone, or to just keep propped to watch YouTube or read an e-book on your lunch break, this is a great addition to your desk.
7.) House Plant(s) — No haul of mine would be complete if I didn’t include PLANTS. Duh. Given that I personally own at least ~40 houseplants, I am slightly biased, BUT, it’s my full belief that adding a houseplant to your desk will not only bring you joy, but also add life to your desk AND purify the air you’re breathing. It’s a win/win/win. A future blog post is coming about which houseplants reign supreme, but you can’t go wrong with a snake plant, a pothos or a ZZ plant in my humble plant-mom opinion. Your local nursery is for sure to have these plants, or google a local plant shop in your area to support a small business (before you run to Lowe’s or Home Depot). I follow many plant shops across the US on insta, so please reach out to me if you want help finding a local plant shop to support! 🌿
What are some of your work-from-home desk must haves? Sound off below!
Happy working!
