6 Home Office Favorites as a Business Owner
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Are you a business owner who works from home? As someone who's been working from home every day since early 2020, I know it can be a challenge to build a productive environment to get work done in your house.
I used to struggle a lot with work life balance, especially when I lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Through trial and error and lots of iteration, I compiled a list of my top home office favorites as a business owner. These items keep me feeling productive, happy, and active throughout my work days.
What is an ideal home office setup?
Not everyone works from their dream home office. As stated before, I worked from the kitchen table in my one-bedroom apartment for a long time before we moved to our home. Sometimes, you simply have to work with whatever you have, but small changes to your environment and setup can make a huge difference.
The ideal home office setup is whatever works best for YOU. You don't need all the fancy, flashy items you see on TikTok shop. In fact, I'd argue that less is more because you're more likely to actually use the items you have.
I added these home office favorites to my collection over the course of years. Identify what your space or routine is missing the most, and start there. Your home office setup should bring you joy, peace, creativity, and help you focus on your work.
Home Office Favorites for Business Owners
Here are some home office favorites for business owners that I love and use every single week, if not daily. I cannot recommend these enough if you work from home! If you'd like to see how I incorporate some of these items into my daily routine, read this blog post.
1. Walking Pad
Yes, I was influenced to buy a walking pad. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how often I'd actually use a walking pad—but I knew I needed more activity in my day-to-day. Prior to owning a walking pad, I worked out in the mornings and then sat on my butt for the remainder of the day. I'm talking virtually no steps throughout my workday.
Now, I aim to walk for at least an hour each day, typically up to ~3 miles. I love walking in the morning after breakfast while I do my deep work for the day.
Here's a link to the GOYOUTH walking pad I chose. I did LOTS of research, since this was a big purchase. I love this walking pad because it's not super loud (I don't usually walk on calls but have been told it can't be heard on the other end of Zoom), and it's very light. It has wheels on one side, so I either store it propped up against my wall or underneath my futon.
You may be concerned about how difficult it is to work and walk at the same time. For me personally, I love writing the most while walking. I feel vey creative when I walk, and it helps me focus on my words. You get used to walking and typing pretty quickly, but I recommend starting on a slow speed until you get the hang of the coordination.
2. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
These Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones were one of my first home office purchases, and I love them. While my office is typically quiet, listening to instrumental music with these headphones on really helps me focus.
I also love wearing them on planes and in noisy coffee shops, so they get a lot of use even outside of the home.
3. Ring Light
If you're a content creator or someone who creates content for your own business, a ring light is a must. My lighting in my home office is pretty horrible, and this NEEWER ring light makes such a difference.
You can easily adjust the brightness using a dial—and trust me, it gets pretty bright. I also love this ring light because it has a built-in tripod, perfect for filming content on your phone.
4. Standing Desk
My FLEXISPOT standing desk was purchased (thanks to my college friends off my wedding registry) before I got my walking pad. I realized I sat on my butt, likely with horrible posture, WAY too much throughout my day, and it wasn't good for me.
I started standing every few hours or so, and I really liked how it made me feel more alert and awake. If you aren't sure whether or not you'd use a walking pad, a standing desk is a good starting point. I love this one because it was pretty easy to assemble, and it has settings so you can automatically set it to your desired height.
5. Custom Planner
As a stationary and notebook junkie, I LOVE planners. I've tried quite a few over the years, but my absolute favorite thus far is my customized planner from Plum Paper.
There are a few things I need from a planner. I need a place to put my weekly projects, life to-dos, and my miscellaneous daily to-dos (like reminding myself to post content or email someone). I also like having a spot for my meetings for the day and top three to-dos each day, as those are what I always prioritize. But, I never found a planner that had all of this.
Plum Paper allows you to customize EVERYTHING—including your desired layout, sections, colors, cover art, and even gives you the chance to add custom dates to your monthly spreads like birthdays and anniversaries.
My planner is always sitting on my desk (or traveling with me), and it keeps me on task in my business and personal life.
6. Candles
Just for fun, I had to include candles on this list! I love lighting a candle at my desk, specifically in the afternoons when the slump is hitting. I put on some comfy clothes, queue up relaxing music, and knock out my remaining tasks for the day.
My all-time favorite candles are from LiveYoung Candle Co., located in Frederick, Maryland. They're a mother-daughter duo and their hand-poured candles are organic, soy, and smell phenomenal. Click here to shop your favorites and place your order!
I hope this list of my home office favorites inspired you, and maybe you found something that you'd like to try. Remember it doesn't have to be fancy in order to be effective. I rarely add new items to my office, but when I do, I choose something intentional that will improve my work and life quality.
