I’ve had a home office for years, it started as a study when I was a student and I would use it when I couldn’t be bothered to go to the library and then it became an office when I was a teacher and I would spend most evenings and weekends in there marking but since January when I went self employed full time my office has become the place I spend most of my time. As a self confessed stationery geek I love my office to have everything I need and a few girlie extras that make my working day more organised and more fun, so I thought I would put together a list of everything I think you need to create the perfect home office.
Stand up Desk
The most important item you need to purchase for your home office is a desk. This will form the centre piece for the office and will, of course, be where you spend the most time, therefore it needs to be a good one. There is so much choice now but I recommend the stand up desks, they are brilliant if you spend long period of time on your computer or laptop and have been proven to increase productivity and decrease certain health issues that are connected to sitting for prolonged periods of time. You can opt for a fixed level standing desk or an adjustable standing desk, perfect for those that think they may want to alternate between standing and sitting. Not sure if a stand up desk is for you? Then have a read of this sit or stand desk guide?
Chair
Once you have selected your desk you will need to decide if you will be purchasing a chair too. If you opt for a fixed level standing desk you may not want to but if you go for an adjustable electric standing desk then you may decide a chair is still a good option. If you are looking for an office chair then make sure it offers good back support and is comfy. I recommend the Millhouse Executive Office Chair which is durable, stable and comes in at less than £100.
LED desk light
When working from home I often find that as well as putting in a few hours in the day when the kids are asleep I also put in some in the evenings once they have gone to bed and if you think your office will also be used in the evening then consider getting an LED desk lamp. It is much nicer to work under than the glaring over head lights.
Combination colourboard and magnetic whiteboard
I have three boards in my office. Yep three different boards for three different reasons and I love them, they make it easy for me to see key information, make important notes from phone calls that I wont loose on scraps of paper or pin invoices and tickets to. If you don’t have the room in your office for different boards then I would recommend this half and half, it really is the best solution ever! It literally meets all your needs but requires a fraction of the space, so you don’t have to decide between a coloured board and white board anymore.
Metallic pens
Like I said I am a self confessed stationery geek and I have numerous coloured pens, gel pens and highlighters in my office. I also have certain coloured pens for certain tasks or books, it might make me sound a tad crazy but I find it keeps me organised and the colour coding makes it easier for me to keep track of what I’m doing. I also find that when I’m using different colours I write neater which is always a bonus when I’m trying to find notes from three months ago.
Variety pack of sticky labels
Sticky labels are a must have for all offices but I find that the big ones aren’t always what I need so this pack which contains a selection of sizes is perfect. The leather presentation box also keeps it nice and neat.
Mini pastel stationery set
When I started working from home I realised that I couldn’t just borrow a stapler from someone else’s desk or pinch a few paper clips from the pot on the shelf any more so a stationery starter kit is a great idea, with mini versions of all the essentials. Personally I love the pastel colours as they go with my baby pink office but you can get these in a variety of colours including black if that’s more your office style.
So if you are thinking of creating a home office make sure you have stocked up on all the necessities first otherwise you will be chasing your tail and loosing important bits of paper every other day, or maybe that was just me!
If you are looking at relocating offices as opposed to setting up a brand new home office then make sure you read this article next – 3 things to consider when moving offices.
(This post was wrote in collaboration with sundeela and contains affiliate links but all opinions are my own)