Despite having an online business and only working with people virtually, I do like to have all the essentials in my home office—physically. Here’s a secret to start off the post: I really like paper. I’ve tried to go paperless, and still do scan in everything important, but I find that things stick in my mind more when I write them down.
Every single instrument or product I use in my home office is carefully chosen. I have an open-concept living room/home office/dining room so there’s no hiding anything! Right now, for the first time ever, I have a moveable desk! It’s actually a table top with legs that have castors on them. I have a second one that is the same on the other side of the room. I use that one for dinner parties (so far, I’ve only had one), staging photos, making crafts, and organizing things when I pull it close to my desk.
I have a few things in my home office that are kind of luxuries, but here is my list of home office essentials.
This post is sponsored by Diamond Bloggers. All opinions are my own.
Paper organization/storage
No matter what kind of business you have or even if you’re using your home office for household organization and tasks, you’ll end up with paper that needs to be put somewhere.
Use binders for each area of the home, month or client.
What I do:
I have a binder for budgeting/finances, each of my mastermind groups, each VA client, and one last one for warranties. I like the binders pictured below. They are really durable with an expandable spine, easy-open rings, a reinforced spine, plus a closable pouch inside to put writing instruments, loose papers or whatever else. The binders come in a few different sizes and colours.
Storage for all the digital stuff
Now, I did just mention that I like to use a lot of paper, but I do most of my work digitally. I have 3 external hard drives, one of which is my 2TB one that is just for backing up files. I also have a few small flash drives. These are great for putting files and documents that I need to add to another computer or to view on my Smart TV. Other than this, I do use Google Docs for spreadsheets, and Dropbox for pictures and other files. I store articles and .pdfs on Evernote, which is synced to my phone and iPad.
I use these products and services in order to be as efficient in my business as possible. It’s important to track things like sales, the number of customers who opt-in to my newsletter, and the number of customers who are no longer interested in your product or service during a given time (this is called customer churn). Knowing and tracking these key metrics will help you to succeed.
I keep files of the things I track in a filing cabinet. Other options for storage include an accordion file, or a rolling cart which can also hold all your other office supplies (things like Post It Notes, notepads, paper clips, rubber bands, etc.).
A good notebook goes a long way. My problem is that I start writing in a notebook and then decide that I want to use it for something else! With these customizable notebooks, you can pull out pages, move them around, add in graph paper, to-do lists, or even your own pages (that you punch holes in with a special hole puncher).
I can’t believe that I didn’t have a set of highlighters before! Now, I have a full-colour set that has yellow on the other end. This is great so that I can colour-code my daytimer! I feel more organized already.
Another thing I didn’t have—pencils! These cute wooden-pencil shaped mechanical pencils are colourful, a good size to grip and too fun not to have in a home office. I found many of my home office essentials at my local Staples store, but you can find many things at a dollar store or online where you like to make your purchases.
What are your home office essentials? What did I forget to include?
