Everyday Items I Use to Keep My Work Space Comfy & Ready for Work

7 Minute Read

Hey hey hey there readers of mine! I’m so glad you’re back! Today I wanted to drop a short post about some of the items I use on the regular, that help keep me and my business in motion. Being in motion keeps you in motion you know! So let’s hop to it! Happy Easter by the way!

Below you’ll find a list (and yes it is quite short, shorter than I’d thought it would be actually!) Shorter though, because since embracing the chance to clear my space, declutter my home and have the time to do more work on myself and my business, “things” per se, aren’t as important. This is something I recommend you keep in mind when deciding what is best to add into your work space. Like my Gram used to say, “A cluttered home is a cluttered mind!”

Be mindful about the things you choose to add into your space, and make sure they give purpose to you or your business.

Aromatherapy Salt Lamp

Now, on my desk is where we’ll start, well, because that’s of course where we are now! I’ve mentioned this salt lamp before in a previous post, but I’m going to mention it once again, and first, because it really does make my day.

Just look how peaceful it instantly makes everything. Even if I’m going to only be sitting at my desk for a short period of time for shipping or something, I turn it on.

This one is by far my most favorite that I’ve owned, because it also has an aromatherapy feature! I don’t always have this running, but I like to make sure I fill and turn it on if I’ll be around it for awhile. I also love the soft glow, as this is a lighter color than the other salt lamps I own.

It looks beautiful in the morning, and provides enough light to not have to turn the overhead lights on. This is perfect for when I need to do desk work when my husband leaves for the day around 6am, and it’s still dark outside. (I think it’s pretty obvious that early morning is by far my favorite time of day).

Related: Why I Start My Day Working From Home at 3:45am

Different Sized Mason Jars for Easy, Simple & Beautiful Storage

I have 3 on my desk currently. Recently, I was browsing fun desk items on Amazon, and almost purchased a cool light with a pen holder attached. Then I stopped, and reminded myself that this silly impulse purchase would only make my space more cluttered, and I’d probably be bored of it after a while anyways. I’ve used clear mason jars around my house for a multitude of things for years now, and have never grown to not liking them. So, I chose to use a few different sized ones for my desk as well!

One I have filled with pens, pencils, and markers. This is great, easy access for when I need to jot down notes, or write on packages, etc. I have a second smaller one for extra hair ties, bobby pins, and it also holds extra paper clips and binder clips. I use all of these on a regular basis, but I only keep a few out handy, as opposed to the drawers full that I use to keep. Space wasters!

The third and probably least important is for my dogs treats! Yes I know, you’re probably thinking, but Shelby, how does this tie into your business? Well, let me tell you. My dogs…they’re adorable, wonderful, and my best fur-ends. However, they can also be loud, rambunctious, and crazy at times. ESPECIALLY when the mailman comes to pick up my packages.

So, I’ve solved this craziness problem, by keeping these bite sized treats in arms reach. This allows me to stop them in their tracks and wind them down, especially when I’m trying to focus on writing or keeping up with my tax charts. It’s been a very clever addition the the other jars, and has given me more peace of mind. Which is rather important when you’re trying to build your business!

Related: Useful Tools, Tips & Tricks: Keeping Your Accounts in Order

A Small but Mighty Scale and Printers

I’m gonna go ahead and lump these items all into one since they’re pretty similar. I have a small scale, that I weigh my packages on. It is just a simple, affordable one off Amazon, but it gets the job done. However, as of late, it’s been a little glitchy I must say, so I’ll be researching new ones soon and let you know what I come up with! This one’s lasted almost two years though I believe, so I really do feel that I’ve got my money’s worth out of it.

As for the printers, I have two. I have a larger one, that serves as a regular inkjet printer. I did some digging before I purchased it, and weighed my options between an inkjet, and a laser. The laser claims to save money on buying ink cartridges, but I went with the inkjet in the long run, because I really liked HP’s option of having an ink subscription fulfillment through them.

*Check out the one I love to use here.

I actually forgot about this at first, and when I began to run out of ink, ordered some more. The next day believe it or not, I’d gotten their refill cartridges, because it tracks how many pages you’re printing, and knew that I was just about out! So cool! I like this one not only for its neat ink features, but also because it can be used with several different sorts of paper, and is also a scanner, fax machine, and copier. Winning!

The second printer I keep nearby, is a Rollo thermal printer. I used to be a Dymo user, but then switched to Rollo when the Dymo gave out on me! It worked for around a year, but started having issues with paper, getting jammed and printing more labels than necessary. It was at that time that I went in search of a new, better thermal printer, and finally decided on trying out the Rollo. This was one of the best decisions, and (knock on wood!) it hasn’t given trouble one time.

Related: Why I Made the Switch to a Rollo Thermal Printer Versus the Dymo 4XL

Notebooks…5 To Be Exact!

Yes, I have 5 notebooks. Right on my desk here. Clutter, you ask? Nope. They are just cheapies from Wal-Mart, but with different colored fronts. (Sometimes I splurge on the cute notebooks with inspirational front sayings, but not for these guys.) I use (most of them) every single day, sometimes twice a day. I get different colors, because I use one for shipping label costs, one for plain old regular notes, one for website notes, one for blog post ideas, and one for reselling notes.

This helps to keep my space more organized and divided, so that I don’t have to flip through a million random pages to remember what note I wrote down about which subject. I used just one at first, and found myself wasting valuable moments trying to find that one page. Now, I can easily remember where it is and find it when necessary.

This is kind of a notebook I suppose, but not really. I also have a fold open binder, that I keep business notes, charts of all kinds, and miscellaneous stuff in. I keep this beside my desk, so that I can easily reference it if I ever should need to.

It’s not used too often, but often enough that it needs to stay close and easy to grab. Before I bought this, I considered repurposing this old wooden 3 tier shelf thing that I had. After I gave it some thought though, I decided that it was just too big and bulky for my new comfy and clean looking work space. I decided on the fold open binder, because it’s cute, inexpensive, easy to store, and doesn’t take up nearly as much space.

Bonus Item!

I’ve mentioned before how I have like a hundred flexible measuring tapes all over the place, mainly for measuring clothes and such. But, I like to keep a mini pull out one on my desktop, as I use this for every single shipping label! I’m currently sending between 12-16 packages per day, so it definitely gets its use! Find one you really like, to be there when you need it, all cute and convenient!

Summary

So, there you have it. My short and sweet list of items pertaining to my business, that I like to keep on or close near my work space. They may seem simple to you, but each item has had specific thought and/or research put into it, before adding it to my space. I like that today, as opposed to the 2+ years ago when I was starting out, I am much more organized and mindful about what I’m placing where.

I really try to focus on time management, and make the most of my time by making things easier when I can. This in turn, makes me more comfortable in my work setting, because I have everything I (actually) need within an arms reach away. I have useful items, but also relaxing items, that make me happy to be around and put me in a good mood.

This minimalist outlook to have with my work space, has also made it much easier to keep clean and organized. Which makes it overall, the best place to put my thinking cap on and get to work! I hope this has inspired you in some way to declutter your work space as well, and be more mindful in the future of what you actually need to improve your business or make your life easier. Thanks for reading and hey, Happy Monday!

Thank You!

A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.

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Happy selling friends!

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