6 Essential Elements of an Efficient Home Office
November 7, 2015
When we decided to sell the townhouse last year, one of the things that excited me the most about getting a single family house was having a space dedicated to a home office. I used to work on the dining table, the kitchen counters, the living room sofas, … and let’s be honest, I still sometimes get work done in those places! But now, I have a room dedicated to be a home office and it has been wonderful for my productivity and being able to get more done in less time! There are no distractions and everything is right at my fingertips there. From proper lighting to little organizers, here are my must-have items for a home office (and here’s a sneak peek at my desk!)
6 Essential Elements of an Efficient Home Office
Essential Elements of an Efficient Home Office
1. Back-up Storage
I recently had a back-up hard drive fail, and I had to pay BIG MONEY to get the data recovered. It was a stressful experience and so now I back up my back-ups… and I urge you to do the same. Get a great backup hard drive (or two) and back everything up to the cloud as well.
2. Ergonomic Office Chair
This is an area where you don’t want to skimp. Get a high-quality office chair that’s great for your back and stylish for your office!
3. Pretty Folders
Okay, the fact that the folders are pretty is not necessarily a requirement of an efficient office, but they sure do make it more fun to work in there. Make sure you have plenty of folders to organize your papers and keep your desk neat & tidy!
Pretty Folders
4. Clear Organizers for Small Office Gear
All those paper clips and erasers need a dedicated place to stay! I love these clear acrylic organizers since they work with every color palette and neatly keep all those small office supplies in order.
Acrylic Organizers
5. All-in-one printer/scanner/copier
Luckily, the days of having a separate printer, scanner, fax machine and copier are long gone. Nowadays, a unit that takes care of all of these functions is smart and saves so much space.
6. Stylish lighting
Stylish Lighting
Needless to say, a great lamp is a must-have for a home office. Not only is it essential to illuminate a work area, but it’s also useful in decorating a space & adding some style! I’m loving this lamp- the Modern Style Satin Nickel Iron Desk Lamp with Iron Shade, which I got from Parrot Uncle. This lamp is so practical- I love how each of the lamp’s hinges allow it to bend so you can easily get light right where you want it! Plus, it’s just a really attractive lamp! I’ve written about Parrot Uncle recently here in this post, where I talked about the importance of proper lighting.
In case you missed the last post about them, Parrot Uncle is an online retailer of fabulous lighting options: everything from ceiling fans to lamps to outdoor lighting. They offer such a wide variety of stylish lighting fixtures and I’m absolutely loving my new desk lamp. Just as with my first lamp, the shipping on this one was super quick and my lamp arrived well-protected & in perfect condition. You can order lights via the website. I’ve had so much fun browsing all of the different lighting options they offer. Here are some of my favorite ones:
Globe Shaped Chandeliers are so trendy these days, and Parrot Uncle has a fabulous selection! Check these gorgeous options out!
Or what about these Wooden Island Lights? Pretty spectacular, if you ask me. These would make any kitchen island look so much more glamorous.
Parrot Uncle even sells Lighting Accessories, from light bulbs to car lights. Oh, and their SALE section has some amazing deals- and you know I love a great deal! So if you’re looking for some new lights for your home, be sure to check them out! They have a huge selection of gorgeous lighting options for every style at reasonable prices!
So, this concludes my list of Home Office Essentials. Whether you’re designing your office from scratch or simply sprucing up any already-existing space, I hope these tips help you get your office in order!
Now, tell me… What is the most important item in your home office?!
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I actually need new lighting. I hate to turn on the main room light every time. I like a more focused light like the one you have.
A focused light is essential for a desk! Definitely check out Parrot Uncle for your lighting needs… so many options there!
Those lights are awesome. I have a globe shaped light above my dining room table and I love it. My husband has a home office, but I always say I need wide open spaces and I have an office in the corner of the great room. It’s not perfect, but it’s fine for now. And pretty folders are a must. 🙂
I love globe shaped lights!! I hear you on the open spaces! Maybe that’s why I like working in other rooms sometimes. My office is a respectable size but it’s certainly not huge or open!
I have a nice home office, but it totally needs to be cleaned and decluttered. I really need to reorganize some things.
Yes decluttering is a constant chore in my home office!
I would love to have a office space all to myself! For now I have to make due with a desk in the living room. It’s not ideal, but at least I can work while keeping an eye on the kids and dinner. Your desk looks great – so clean and spacious!
Yes I often find myself choosing to work in the dining room to keep an eye on the kids too!
Organization! My desk would be a mess if I didn’t have a place for everything 🙂
Organization is essential!!
I need to look into new lighting. Your tips are so spot on! I am going to use the transparent organization caddie too
Proper lighting will definitely make working more comfortable. And those clear organizers are great!
This is really handy as I’m trying to set up my home office. My little space is dark and dreary and the light I bought for my desk blinds me. I need to find a new lamp.
A great lamp is so important.
This is a great list. And ergonomic chair is definitely a must, and the added touch of additional lighting is great.
Yes all of these items are definitely must-haves for me!
A comfy chair is a must have! I bought a new desk, but unfortunately- my chair doesn’t work with it! So now it’s back to the chair shopping!
Those are really nice choices. I wish I had a dedicated office to blog in, instead I use my lap on the couch.
You can often find me on the couch with my laptop too! 🙂
We have an office too but still find myself elsewhere doing my computer work lol. I do want to check out these lighting options though.
That ergonomic chair is so important. Up until I started sewing and typing all the time I really didn’t see the importance but now I do!
Cool desk lamp, looks like you could use that for a variety of things! Nothing like a good home office set up to ease your workload 🙂
Folders save my rear end more times than not. I lose organization if I don’t use them.
These are great tips for a home office essentials. I so love that lamp light and the nickle makes it look gorgeous. The desk in my office area of my home is the most important to me. I have a place for everything on it.
A comfy chair is totally essential for me too, and the 3-in-one is vital. I don’t know what I’d do with that in my office!
I redid our living room into my home office and am so happy I did. There are 3 big windows in there, so plenty of light. Also I use LED bulbs in my lamps and love the bright white light it puts out. Great post with your tips, very helpful.
Brooke
Great post…that lamp is not only a really unique find but it definitely is an essential part to a home office…
I’m still working on my work space! So this will come in handy! I feel like You can never have enough stuff in your office! lol