Working from home has its perks—you can go directly from your bed to the computer, and as long as you put on the right top, no one has to know you’re still in pajama bottoms during zoom meetings and video calls!
But what you gain in flexibility from remote work you may eventually lose in peace of mind.
At work, you’d never use the dining table as your desk or leave your breakfast dishes on your desk all day, much less your coffee-stained sticky notes, your hair towel, and the dregs of yesterday’s green juice. When your coworkers aren’t looking, it’s amazing how easy it is to let your deskspace go.
We’ve all been there—searching under every stray dish and piece of paper for our cell phones, not to mention the meeting notes we absolutely need.
But there’s a better way.
Are you ready to get organized—and stay organized—so that your home office setup is actually conducive to working from home? Below are the 11 work from home must haves that will help you work from home without the clutter.
#1 Laptop Sleeve
Where are you keeping your laptop these days? If you’re anything like us, you sometimes have to search in several places before you finally find it. On the sofa? Under it? On the floor? Under your pillow? Each day is its own unique game of hide-and-seek for one of your most essential work from home essentials.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with designing your own perpetual cat-and-mouse game, there are downsides to leaving your laptop exposed to the elements. We’re talking anything from spilled glasses of water to clumsy pets and household residents alike.
That’s why you need the BÈIS laptop case to protect your valuable hardware. To keep you organized and safe, it features:
- Two pen slips
- Ample padding
- An organizational pocket for extra accessories, such as blue light blocking glasses
This sleeve is so chic you’ll be happy to take it on your occasional visits to the neighborhood coffee shop, too!
#2 Laptop Stand
The best work from home setup is one that’s comfortable.
If you only have a laptop, you may already be feeling some negative physical effects of hunching over your computer for hours on end—after all, laptops aren’t exactly ergonomic. But with a little WFH rearranging, you can create a comfy setup that promotes productivity throughout the day.
When you’re sitting at your desk, the ideal setup is:
- Screen directly in front of your line of vision (not above or below)
- Keyboard perpendicular to your torso
- Shoulders and upper arms relaxed at your sides (not rounding forward)
- Arms bent at the elbow and fingertips level with keyboard
If your laptop is in a good typing position, the screen is probably too low and can result in eye strain.
We recommend this minimalist laptop stand, available at Best Buy. It provides an added boost without raising the keyboard up too high. We also suggest looking into getting a standing desk at home if sitting all day isn’t your cup of tea.
#3 An Ergonomic Chair
The reality is that sofas, accent chairs, and other cute living room and kitchen furniture are not meant for all-day use. If you plan on sitting at your desk for eight hours a day, you need an ergonomic desk chair that supports your lower back and hips so that you feel comfortable all day long—and when you finally get up to move! You can even pair your ergonomic chair with an ergonomic keyboard and ergonomic mouse.
Your work space and your office furniture don’t have to be ugly. Try an upscale leather office chair that won’t detract from your home’s ambiance.
#4 File Organizer
Let’s face it: unless you’re a WFH Mary Poppins, there’s only so much you can put inside your desk drawers. And you don’t want to go shuffling through a stack of papers every time you need a really essential document.
The solution? A desktop file organizer from Russel and Hazel. This minimalist organizer features:
- 7 dividers
- Clear acrylic plastic so you can easily view your documents
- Sleek, polished edges so it’s safe to browse through in frantic moments
If a rainbow color scheme is part of your cute home office vision, you could place a different colored folder in each slot.
#5 Work Tote or Messenger Bag
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you’re never on the go.
At BÈIS, we know how difficult it is to find a do-it-all black messenger bag that’s safe enough for your laptop, professional enough for work, and fashionable enough to take to dinner afterwards. That’s why we’ve designed two versatile work totes for taking your WFH setup on the road.
Depending on whether you’re a minimalist or maximalist, try out:
- The Mini Work Tote – With two external pockets, a removable pouch, a padded laptop sleeve, and a removable strap, this bag helps you up your organizational game. It’s big enough to stock with everything you need for a day of remote working, but small enough to look good sitting next to you on a barstool if you’re going out after work.
- The Messenger – If all you need is your laptop, your wallet, a cell phone, and some hand sanitizer, this minimalist bag is for you. With a neoprene laptop pocket and individual compartments for pens and other work day essentials, you’ll never be caught rifling through your bag for your cell phone. The strap is adjustable for cross-body or shoulder use.
With these cute, functional bags, you’ll know exactly which pocket to check for your car keys the next time you’re on the way out the door!
#6 Wireless Charger
Does your dedicated workspace look like a plate of digital spaghetti?
If you find yourself drowning in cables and always on the search for a spare USB port, say goodbye to (some of your) cords with a wireless charging port.
That’s one less tangle on your desktop. As a bonus, you can stop worrying that your phone’s at 1% every time you need to take a work call.
#7 Vertical Baskets
If you don’t have a dedicated office space—or even if you do!—you may be running out of storage solutions to store all your home office essentials. But you may be reluctant to put an ugly filing cabinet in your lovely home!
There's an easy fix. Make use of vertical space and install a wall organizer directly on the wall behind your external monitor or next to your dedicated workspace.
We love these wire baskets from Anthropologie, which are modern office storage with a lightweight look but are sturdy enough to store your extra folders, files, notebooks, and more. Bonus? You can tuck a small succulent or two in the baskets for a fresh splash of green!
#8 Clipboard
Clipboards might seem a little old-fashioned. But there are good reasons to add a clipboard to your collection of work from home accessories:
- Stop searching for a flat surface to bear down on when you’re taking calls in your backyard or from your sofa
- Clip important documents at the end of your workday so that they’re handy in the morning
- Look super professional in your WFH setup selfies
We love this stylish clipboard from Target.
#9 Pen Cup
How can you have so many writing utensils, yet never find one when you need one?
It happens to the best of us—our functional pens and pencils collect at the back of our desk drawers along with empty mechanical pencil hulls, dried up pens, and an inexplicable number of sharpies.
That’s why pen and pencil cups are one of the most underrated home office essentials.
For best results, try the following:
- Go through your drawer and test each pencil and pen. Toss the ones that don’t work, once and for all!
- Place your favorite pens and pencils in a stylish ceramic pen-holder from Pantone
- Use rubber bands to tie together markers, highlighters, and other writing utensils that you only use occasionally. Organize these in your drawers.
#10 Desk Organizing Trays
What to do once you’ve tied those markers together?
Don’t just toss them back into the drawer, where they’ll be destined for eventual disorganized doom. Instead, start to organize the interior of your desk. (If your desk doesn’t have drawers, all the more reason to purchase a desk organizer to store your office supplies!)
Rather than placing objects in or on your desk willy-nilly, we recommend the clear acrylic trays by Isaac Jacobs. Buy them in a few different sizes to turn your drawer’s large interior into separate compartments.
With silver handles, these home office accessories look great, wherever you put them. The clear plastic is an extra motivation to keep the objects inside organized!
#11 Noise Canceling Headphones
Once you’ve organized your designated workspace, it’s much easier to block out the mental chatter that can distract you from your task load and lead you to spend more time at your desk than is necessary (or desirable). Especially, if you are working from home with kids or roommates, you know how distracting the constant background noise can be.
Now you need a way to block out the literal noise, whether it’s your cat’s mewing, your kids attending Zoom school, or your roommate singing in the shower—just some of the reasons why noise canceling headphones are on our list of home office necessities to get you in the ultimate wfh mode.
Bose’s well-regarded noise canceling headphones are now available in custom colors. Get a pair that’s comfy and cool enough to actually leave the house in.
Take Your Work Setup On the Go With BÈIS
When you’re working from home, a trip out-of-office feels like double the effort. You’re used to having all your creature comforts (and comforting creatures) around you while you get the job done.
How can you pack all the items you need without blowing past carry-on restrictions?
At BÈIS, our goal is to help men and women get on the go with less hassle. Our luggage and travel accessories are high fashion and highly utilitarian. Find the perfect bag to go with your work wardrobe with all the compartments you need to stash the essentials. That way, you’ll feel entirely at home, no matter where you’re setting up shop for the workday.