5 Essential Supplies You Should Have On Your Office Desk
If you’re starting a new job and you’re going to be sitting in an office, whether that office happens to be at home or elsewhere, there are some office supplies that you’re definitely going to need on your desk to make life easier and for your work to go more smoothly. Here are some ideas of what you might like to include:
1. Water Bottle
It’s easy to get through a busy day without thinking about how much you have had to drink, but it’s also important to ensure you are getting enough fluids. Water is by far the best thing you can drink – it keeps your energy levels up, can stave off hunger pangs, and it keeps your body fit and healthy. Therefore, having a water bottle on your desk that you can drink from all day even if you are hugely busy will stop you from becoming unwell, prevent dehydration headaches, and improve productivity.
2. Storage
Whether this is in or on the desk, storage is important. Without it, things are going to get super messy and a messy desk is not usually a productive one. You can lose important documents, for example, or not have enough room to work.
Firstly, de-clutter and remove anything that you don’t need (invest in a waste paper bin next to your desk to make things really easy). Then, when you’ve only got the things you need, look for a way to store it all neatly. That might be lever arch files or trays to keep things separate. Whatever you choose, just keep everything away from your work area.
3. Stationery
Everyone who works in an office is going to need stationery supplies. Notepads, pens, pencils, Post-It notes, paperclips, staples… the list is endless and everything has its own place and level of importance. When you first get your desk, take some time to browse online and find all the stationery that you’re going to need to be at your most productive and happiest.
4. Mug and Mug Warmer
So, although water is super important as we’ve already discussed, you’ll probably want a hot drink too. Perhaps coffee, tea, maybe even hot chocolate. The problem is, you can get up and make a hot beverage but then you put it down on your desk and forget about it until it gets cold because you’ve had to take a phone call or finish a report.
This is where a mug warmer can come in useful. They plug into a USB port and gently keep your hot drink hot – so even if it takes you a while to get around to drinking it, it won’t be a cold and unpleasant surprise!
Keep a couple of mugs on your desk too so that you will always have something clean to make a drink in. You can’t trust that the mugs in the kitchen at work are going to be clean (and you can take your own mugs home with you to clean them for the next day). Why not add some coasters too? Then you can still keep your desk looking smart and clean even if you do have mugs and cups on it.
5. Cleaning Putty
Keyboards get very dirty. General debris and crumbs can get caught in the keys and make your laptop a germ-infested item on your desk. So, get some cleaning putty to keep nearby. All you have to do is press it across your keyboard and it will lift the nasty bits and pieces that got caught in it. You’ll be working in a much more pleasant environment and the germs won’t make you sick, meaning less sick days.
