My Must-Have Office Favorites

Wanna know one of the most phenomenal things about working for yourself? Getting to create your own office environment.

No more cubicles, no more weird floor tiles from 1985.  Nope! You get to pick the paint, the décor, the furniture…all of it! But there are some things when you’re just getting started out with your own ecommerce business, that you might not be so sure about selecting. I mean, when I got started it was just me, my laptop, and my phone in my “sort of” office. And if that’s where you are, that’s totally okay—you’ll grow too.  And when you do, I’m going to give you some ideas to think about by showing off a few of my must-have office favorites.

1. An Office Desk that Makes You Happy

Right now, you could be working off your dining room table, which I think is awesome. Why? Because it just so happens that my desk—the one right here in my office—is **ta-dah** really a table!  It’s turquoise, which I believe makes all of the difference, but I digress. The fact is, any sturdy work surface where you can have some focused time gets my thumbs up. But here’s the other thing: I added a cool gadget that transforms my very spacious regular desk into a STANDING desk.

Standing desks are fantastic for increasing focus, reducing fatigue and improving your posture. Seriously, I cannot believe the difference it makes in my workday.  I don’t know if the whole “sitting is the new smoking” thing is true or not, but I can tell you that standing just makes me freaking happy. I’m almost always standing when I’m doing my Facebook Lives with the BecauseICanClan every week!

 2. A Good Chair

Listen, you don’t have to toss gobs of money at getting the latest ergonomic chair with every bell and whistle. But when budget allows, get one that fits you well—and that is ADJUSTABLE.  You want something that will support your back and make you have good posture because it will make your whole body a whole lot happier. I got mine at Costco, and it fits me like a glove. You can also look at office stores; just make sure to give ‘em a good test before you buy.

3. Disinfecting Wipes

Now before you start thinking I’m all OCD or something, just think about how many things your hands touch in a day. (Opening packages from vendors lately?)  Now think about your keyboard, desk, and phone. And if your hands aren’t bad enough, if you have kids, they probably love few things more than hanging out in your workspace. Since getting sick isn’t something any e-commerce entrepreneur has time for, take a few minutes to run a wipe over the top of your desk and give your keyboard a quick clean up too. I promise you’ll thank me.

 

Before you think that’s all of my office must-haves, think again. I have created a list of 8 of the things I love and that I can’t conduct business without…and I’m ready to share it with you.

4. Good Lighting

What is it that they say in Alice in Wonderland?  “We're all a little mad in here.”  Well, we're all a little vain in here, meaning all of us want to look our best. If your office is full of natural light, I completely envy you, because my office is a windowless box. To change that up–especially during Facebook Lives, online meetings, and other video-centric activities, I put together my own lighting kit that includes a softbox lighting kit and a ring light. It's not super fancy, but it makes a huge difference. (Check out my blog post on lighting for all the details.)

5. Pens and Pencils

I have to tell you that I have become the kind of person to whom pens and pencils matter. I want dependability, longevity, and convenience, so I choose ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils. Super simple, super easy. You need to decide what works for you, but those are both on my own must-have list.

6. True Lemonade

It's no secret that staying hydrated is good for you, but sometimes I get really tired of just plain water. True Lemonade comes in those little packets that you can toss in your bag or keep in your top drawer, and I ADORE adding them to my mug of water. They're so dang refreshing and just give you a boost to your day. Plus, they're like 3 calories. Score!!!!!

7. Two Screens

I won't go into the whole PC versus Apple computers here (go Apple!!!!!) but regardless of which one you're using, I suggest getting two screens. I love having multiple screens because I can keep my task list on one while I'm writing, filming or doing whatever else I need to be doing on the other. I've just found the two-screen thing to be more efficient.

8. Noise-Cancelling Headphones

I'm pretty sure I could write a full-on love letter to Bose about their headphones. There are people walking into, out of, and through my office constantly (including my kids) and it can get so freaking distracting! When I pop these beauties on my head, the world disappears. It's just me, my computer, and the project I'm working on.  Sigh…it's heavenly.

I LOVE delivering fabulous goodness via the magical unicorns that run FB Messenger so click the link to get a free download of my Must-Have Office Favorites!

Now get back out there and keep on creating your beautiful, profitable online business!