Varying statistics indicate that around 80% of Americans work some type of desk job. That's a lot of desks!
With so much time during the week being spent at your desk, it's important that it's locked and loaded with all the essentials you'll need to be a productive worker.
In Work It Daily's opinion, these are the five most essential items to have at your desk (for the sake of saving space, we're going to assume that a computer is included with your desk).
5. Pens And Paper
Every desk should have a few pens on top of the desk, a backup stash of pens in a drawer and a third stash of pens hidden deep within the desk.
Sound like overkill?
Just wait until you find yourself in a situation where you need a pen and one can't be found.
Offices go through pens like crazy and they are the easiest items to lose.
A co-worker could've grabbed a pen from your desk and forgot to return it, you could've lent one out and lost track of it or someone could have just flat out stolen one from you.
Pens are like socks, there are countless amounts of ways to loose them. It's better to just have extra,
Paper is also a given. What's the point of having a pen if you have nothing to write on?
We recommend sticky notes. They're convenient and don't take up a lot of space, but any paper will do.
4. Headphones
These aren't for listening to music (although if your office allows that sort of thing, go for it).
Many desk jobs are interactive and require the use of video for both everyday and training purposes.
It would be awfully distracting if video was going on multiple computers throughout the office at once, so headphones are essential for keeping office noise in check and showing consideration to other co-workers.
Headphones can also come in handy for tuning out office distractions. If things get too noisy in the office, but on the headphones and mute out some of the noise.
3. Phone Charger
Offices have differing policies about phones but in most cases employees are allowed to at least have their phones on them in case of an emergency.
While it's always wise to show up to work with a fully charged (and silent) cellphone, sometimes life happens and we find our batteries running low.
In these cases, having a phone charger at work comes in handy.
If you happen to use your cellphone a lot for work, a dead phone does you no good.
Make sure the charger you have at work is for work only. Transporting one phone charger back in forth from home to work always has a way of backfiring. At some point, you're going to leave it behind at one place, while you're at the other.
It's better to just buy the extra charger and leave it at one location.
2. Personal Touches
An eight-hour shift is a long time to be at a desk. You might as well make it as comfortable as possible.
Adding a few photos of family and friends is always a good way to liven up a blank desk. Some people also enjoy posting motivation quotes around their desks to keep themselves focused throughout the day.
Other common personal effects for desks include lamps, awards or certificates, calendars and stress balls.
It's important not to overdo decorating your desk. The workplace is a professional setting and you'll want to comply with office policies about personal effects at desks.
However, all it takes is just a few personal touches to dress up the desk area and make it a bearable place to work for eight hours.
1. Food
We're not saying that your desk needs to be some elaborate food pantry or that you have to have your meals at your desk at all times.
However, it's not a bad idea to have a couple snack options on hand at your desk that can provide a needed nutritional boost in a pinch.
Hunger is a funny thing, especially at work. You may have eaten a solid breakfast or lunch, but at any time it can strike and when you get a food craving at work, it makes it difficult to think of anything else.
Now, we're not here to tell you what you should eat; that's your choice. But some popular snack foods that don't take up much space at the desk include nuts, granola, dried fruit, and small packets of cereal.
Remember to be considerate of the rest of the office and make sure that all food is kept in its proper packaging or secured in a container. Any food that is left out unprotected can potentially attract bugs or rodents.
What did we miss?
This was only a Top 5 list but when it comes to desk supplies the list could've gone on for a very long time.
In this changing work world, office supply needs have evolved. Just in the last decade, the standing desk has become a fairly regular office fixture.
What are your work essentials? Take our poll and tell us on social media!
Having these items at you desk may seem like small details, but being comfortable at the workplace is first an important step on the road to career happiness.
It's all about preparation.
Want to get your resume reviewed by our team of trained coaches? Join us inside Work It Daily today.
