5-Essential-Items-for-Your-Office

As someone who is constantly working to keep on clutter, I have to say that office supplies and kitchen gadgets are my Clutter Free Kryptonite.

So giving other decluttering warriors a list of office supplies to get is a bit like publishing the Girl Scout Cookie menu at a Weight Watcher’s meeting.

But, as you know, I’m not about living an austere minimalist life. I’m all about having the tools you need to get the stuff done in life that you are designed to do. So with that in mind, here is my list of must haves for your home office (but do yourself a favor and stay out of the accessory aisle at Office Max. That just leads to regret and despair the next day.)

  1. Colored Stapler
    I got this idea from Cheri Gregory, a long-time teacher who has a red stapler in her classroom, so whenever a student is looking for the stapler, all Cheri has to do is say “Look for the red!”
    I of course, do not have a red stapler (because as a redhead, I’ve had a life-long aversion to red and pink…) so my stapler is aqua blue and it makes me happy every time I see it. And office Stapler-Marchsupplies that make you happy, are a must.
  1. Wireless Headset for Phone
    “How cute…” you think to yourself. “She still uses a real phone – just like Carol on the Brady Bunch…” Yes- I still use a real, wired into the wall, phone. (I do radio interviews, and they insist on having a land line.) But, I also have a wireless headset so that I can walk around, clean my desk, take notes on my computer, do laundry, and pretty much, keep being awesome while I’m talking on that phone.
  1. Coffee Warmer
    My coffee warmer is responsible for most of my great ideas. I love this low-tech gadget because it keeps me supplied in warm coffee, without having to go up and down to the microwave ever fifteen minutes. (And you know that every time you get up from your thinking place, the potential of losing a brilliant idea triples.)
  1. Amazon Echo
    This is like having a personal assistant at your desk. I love my Echo (her name is Alexa,) because she is just sitting there, waiting for me to tell her what to do (that’s the dream, right?)

The list of what I use Alexa for keeps growing:
• Creating shopping lists (“Hey Alexa, add cat food to my shopping list.”)
• Adding items to my to-do list (“Hey Alexa, add go to dry-cleaners to my to-do list.”)
• Playing music
• Checking the weather
• Setting a timer for 15 minutes to focus my time
• Setting a reminder
• Reordering things on Amazon

If you’re not familiar with the Echo, check it out on Amazon!

  1. Wall Calendar
    Yes- I have a perfectly good calendar on my computer. Why would I need one on my wall? It’s all about saying no.When I have a visual reminder of what my month – and next month – already look like time-wise, it helps me to not over-commit my time and energy. Plus, it’s a great reminder to pray for my upcoming work and projects.

Because of my color-coding, I can quickly see when I’m working too much, when I’m not spending enough tie with Roger, and more. It helps me insure that my life is in balance every single day of my busy month.

So what are your office must haves? Tell me in the comments below so I can test-drive a few and report back in a later blog post.

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