As a young professional, I spend a lot of time at my desk and in my office. Whether I’m taking client calls over the phone or working on homework for my graduate school classes, I have a list of must have office supplies to help me get work done. Add these girl boss supplies and desk accessories for the home office to your home office to help you stay organized and productive.
Not only are these stylish office supplies fun and decorative, but also functional for a working young professional. Pick out colorful and artsy office supplies to add a touch of flair to your work space with decorative desk accessories, too.
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Must Have Office Accessories
We spend a lot of time in our offices. Whether we’re doing an eight to five, twelve-hour shift, or sneaking in hours here and there. Our office space is an important factor in how we work.
For me, having a quiet place with lots of space to lay out my books and notes is important when I’m studying. But when I’m working with a team, having a cozy place to gather in my office with various places to sit works better.
However, you use your office space, here are the functional and fun office supplies to add to your workspace.
First, here are 8 must have office accessories that prioritize functionality. Think of the tasks that you do every day at your desk – writing notes, typing up status updates, working on your computer, prioritizing your tasks, etc.
The must have desk accessories for a home office are those that help you get the job done.
1 – Planners and Organizers for Work and Home
Planners for Work and Home – Keep track of dates, appointments, and better manage your home and work life to achieve better work life balance. A planner is a handy tool to manage your various commitments and help you stay organized.
- Here are my favorite planners and organizers:
2 – Versatile Clipboard
Talk about simple office supplies that are super functional—clipboards. I bought mine for a reasonable price at a supermarket a couple of years ago, and I use it for everything. Some clipboards like this one from ErinCondren also have folio systems, notepads, and pockets inside.
- I keep track of lists.
- I clip my notebook to it and take notes during meeting.
- I use it as a writing surface when I sit on the floor or on my couch.
- I use it as an extra hard surface when I’m at my desk.
- I write with it when I have to take notes on the run.
- I pin reminders to it and always keep a pen handy.
3 – Pencil Holder / Organizer
Every have a light bulb moment suddenly and need to write something down immediately? A pencil holder and organizer will allow you to keep your writing utensils organized on your desk and within reach whenever you need them.
If you don’t want to purchase this desk accessory, it’s pretty easy to create a DIY version. Use a mason jar, decorate an aluminum can, or find a small vase that can keep track of your pencils.
4 – Sticky Notes / Quick Note Pad
Depending on your organization style, having a planner or a clipboard with a notepad may be enough for you to keep track of everything. I thrive off sticky notes and what I like to call a “quick note pad.”
With these two desk accessories, I can easily write notes to myself and place them where I need to. For example, when I was working at home, I would put a sticky note on my computer as a reminder to take a break every hour, get up, and stretch.
With the quick note pad, I would review my notes from previous meeting and write down my action items and key takeaways before putting them in my planner.
Both of these desk accessories for the home office come in clutch for getting my thoughts organized and remembering things.
5 – Comfortable Desk Chair
The last thing you need from working at your desk is getting back problems or being unable to concentrate because you’re sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Having a decent work chair is essential to having a functional office space. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time sitting in it.
Here’s the Winsley Leather office chair I use in my home office.
6 – Headset for online meetings
Since it’s much more common to have online meetings now and for extended periods of time, you may want to invest in a headset. Headsets help cut down on background noise, for example, if you live in a city or work in a home office where your roommates may be around.
7 – Separate Screen & HDMI Cord
Nowadays, I usually have several windows open on my computer. Whether it’s coding for a research project or trying to take notes and refer to documents while on a video call, having another screen makes my computer work more streamlined.
The best investment in office supplies I’ve made is getting a second computer screen and an HDMI cord that allows me to extend my computer screen to another display.
8 – Earbuds or Noise Canceling Headphones
If you’re working in a busy office or perhaps with a busy street outside, noise canceling headphones are a must have office accessory. Listening to music helps me stay focused and get into the “working zone.”
Choose a pair of earbuds or headphones that are comfortable and easily connect to your devices to play music, listen to trainings, or block out the noise.
Cute Desk accessories for Home Office
For the 8 must-have office accessories I listed above, you can definitely take the liberty to express yourself and your style. There are many different colors, patterns, brands, etc. you can choose from when shopping for cute desk accessories for a home office.
I love having pretty office supplies that make me smile when I use them—even if I’m doing a task I don’t love.
Related: 5 Practical Tips for How to Create a Balanced Schedule
Decorative Office Supplies
Now that we’ve got function out of the way in our must have office accessories, we can move to the fun office supplies. Whether you’re looking for girl boss supplies that make a statement or unique desk accessories that add a special touch to your office space, here are some recommended supplies to make your office your own.
Fun Office Supplies
- Picture Frames on your desk or gallery frames on the wall. Pictures always add a personalized and cozy touch to an office space. Put pictures on your desk or the wall in your office to remind yourself of what’s important and who you’re working for.
- Wall art & décor — Along the vein of picture frames, put up abstract art or pretty paintings to add color and style to your office space. Find wall décor art with your favorite inspirational working woman quotes to motivate you when you want to give up.
- Colored Pens, Fun Stickers, & Personalized Stationary – As a writer and blogger, I love brainstorming and writing with colorful pens. I use stickers to decorate my planner and stationary to write personal thank you notes.
- Decorative computer pad for your keyboard or computer mouse – A fun way decorative office supply to add some flair to your workspace. This desk accessory is functional, too, for all your electronics.
- Phone stand – While this decorative office supply is fun, it’s also super convenient and functional. Prop your phone up during a call if you need to video chat, refer to notes, or easily change your music selection.
- Pick decorative office supplies with fun quotes and beautiful designs. Any of the must-have office supplies mentioned above can easily be made fun with a funny quote, inspiring message, or a piece of art that’s meaningful to you.
Related: Make sure you have the wardrobe to match your new office! How to Build a Professional Wardrobe in 5 Steps
Girl Boss Supplies
I love these statement pieces and fun girl boss supplies with a touch of humor to tell everyone that “the boss is in.”
- Girl Boss Name Plate for Desk or Personalized Name Plate with Designs
- Girl Boss Coffee Mug or Coaster
- Girl Boss Sticky Notes and Note Pad
- Girl Boss / Boss Lady Tumbler
Cheap Office Supplies
Sometimes when you’re starting a new job you may not have the funds to go all out and decorate your office. That’s okay! There are many DIY-options for desk accessories and cheap office supplies that still have the functionality you need.
Ideas for finding unique desk accessories & office supplies on a budget
- Go thrifting to a donation center or an estate sale – One of my colleagues purchased her desk and chair from a Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was great quality, functional, and at a great discount. You never know what unique desk accessories you might find.
- Reuse items around the house as office supplies & Do a DIY – As I mentioned earlier about pencil / pen holders, you can use a mason jar or decorate an aluminum can with paper and stickers to use. If there are other office supplies you are looking for, trying doing a Pinterest search for it to see if there’s a reasonable DIY you can do for it.
- Go to a dollar store or discount store – I’ve gotten some great, cheap office supplies from different dollar stores. For example, I got four full sheets of stickers to use in my planner for just a dollar. Now that my planner is all decorated , I’m motivated to use it more.
- Buy in the offseason – Back to school time is hard time to shop for office supplies as everyone is making a rush for desk accessories and office supplies. Buy around the less popular times so you’ll have more options and thus cheaper options.
- If you’re interested in purchasing a planner, you can usually get an academic planner at a discount during the new year since all the yearly calendar planners are coming out. Check out individual planner websites like ErinCondren and DayDesigner, to see what sales they have.
- Ask people for their unused office supplies – You can reach out to friends and family members to see if they have decorative office supplies or desk accessories to spare.
Office Supplies Organizer Ideas & Office Organization Ideas for Small Spaces
When shopping for office supplies, it’s important to consider organization. How will you store your office supplies? How can you achieve maximum function in a small space?
I’ve also included some office organization ideas for small spaces. If you’re working in a small office or your dining table doubles as a workspace (like me), then these tips will help you maximize your space.
1 – Instead of stacking to the side, stack up.
If you’re home office doesn’t allow you to add storage bins to the left and right, you can still get organized. Add shelving above your desk or on the wall behind your desk to get additional storage space.
2 – Use filing cabinets and folders to keep track of documents.
If you’re in a job that requires a lot of physical paperwork, it’s important to have spaces where you can store things. I like these stackable paper trays for filing folders. You can easily keep track of documents and refer to things later on.
3 – Give everything on your desk a designated spot.
I hate it when I can’t find something on my desk. There are so many things that I use, and when things get hectic, it’s hard to remember what’s under what. That’s why I give everything a designated spot.
My pens always go in my pencil organizer and my files always go in a certain folder. I keep my sticky notes and index cards in my first drawer, and my headphones are always stored in the first nook on my desk.
When everything has a spot, it’s more likely I’ll put things back and be able to find them later.
4 – Keep what you use most often out and pack up the rest.
Clutter makes it hard to be productive, which is why I recommend packing up the office supplies you hardly use. No use having them take up space on your desk. Use some plastic bins to organize your office supplies and store them away if you don’t use them often. This will keep your desk tidy and give you a functional space to work on.
5 – Go electronic.
While I love taking notes on paper, I quickly realized that to study effectively with my notes, I would need more workspace. If you need to stay organized in a small workspace, consider going electronic. Store your files online, take notes on a tablet, and keep track of documents with a cloud storage provider.
You can also consider using an online calendar for keeping track of dates and appointments or desktop sticky notes for reminders. Electronic tools can help you stay organized in a small home office space.
Desk Accessories for Women
With all the time we spend in our workspaces, it’s about time that we had stylish office supplies to go along with it. Unique desk accessories and decorative office supplies make a home office cozy and comfortable.
These must have office supplies also double as office supplies gift ideas. After all, we all have to work, don’t we? Gift another working woman in your life with gift boss supplies, fun office supplies, or stylish desk accessories.
Either way, I hope all these office supplies organizer ideas and desk accessories for the home office make your workspace a place you love to be in!
How do you organize your office supplies?
Leave me a comment below!
Don’t miss this! More posts about Working and the Young Professional Lifestyle:
- 2023 Best Planners for Work and Home – Get Organized and Stay Productive
- 5 Practical Tips for How to Create a Balanced Schedule
- 30 Uplifting Career Woman Quotes for Working Women
- How to Build a Professional Wardrobe in 5 Steps
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