'10 Things I cannot do without in my home office'

10 Things I cannot do without in my home office

By Vicki at 07/07/2009 15:18

Or, I wouldn't WANT to go without anyway. Whether you are a person who works in a cubicle, in an office at home, or even the dining room table, there are favorite things everyone wants to have around them to make them as productive as they can be.

Here is my list of ten things that I could not imagine working without (in no particular order of importance):

1. USB Keyboard - I use a laptop for all of my working tasks, and if I had to use the little row of numbers at the top of the laptop keyboard, I would probably commit some mayhem within a single day. This is a MUST have for me.
2. Linux Operating System - Once upon a time, there was a very very irritated me working away diligently until my system (which used to be Windows) would force me to restart because my system froze constantly.

   Or...Norton AntiVirus would pop up little annoying reminders that my subscription was almost extinct, when I knew it had not been even CLOSE to a year yet. Now, that same irritated girl happily cruises along with no restarts, stupid virus threats and no more Norton subscriptions to pay for.

3. Targus 4 Port USB Hub - I don't know if it is just me, but there isn't much that is more irritating than having to unplug one USB device to plug in another. I was constantly having to unplug my keyboard to use my printer and so on. No more. Now I can have multiple gadgets all plugged in and ready to go.
4. Firefox - Gone is Internet Explorer from my system. More secure, less hassle, less worry. All I am waiting for now is the Debian file for the new Firefox upgrade to 3.5.
5. Sortkwik Fingertip Moistener - I am one of those strange people who get the heebie jeebies from touching paper with dry hands. Without this way of getting a grip on things, I would never get through those constant stacks of paper. You wouldn't think there would be stacks of paper to be dealt with for an e-commerce company, but...there it is.
6. Rolling File Cart - I am an unorganized person, there is no getting around it. I have read that a cluttered desk is a sign of a brilliant mind, but what i find in reality is that it just makes me more of a procrastinator because I can't stand looking at the mess on my desk. With my rolling hanging file caddy, I can organize things into color coded hanging folders and tuck them neatly away. I roll it under the desk when I am not using it.
7. HP Photosmart A636 Photo Printer - This sits right on my desk. I had always wanted to start doing more scrapbooking, but I found that if I had to go sorting through stacks of pictures to be inspired, THEN had to dig out all the scrapbook supplies, i.e., paper, calligraphy markers, photo edgings, construction paper and of course the embellishments, I would never get a single page done.

   Now, I keep the printer on my desk and when I download my current pictures to my computer, I immediately print and scrap a page to go with inspiring pictures. I keep a three drawer cabinet beside my desk with all sorts of scrapbook materials just awaiting my creativity for the day! Yay!

8. Digital Photo Frame with Built-In Sticky Pad Holder - You know, I thought I would get tired of looking at the same rotating display of pictures that I had on my thumb drive tucked into my photo frame, but I absolutely get a kick out of some of these pictures. Constant source of warm fuzzy feelings coupled with a handy place to store my post-it notes.
9. My Outbox - I hate in-boxes. They seem to say (all the while screaming) that there is more work, more work, more work to be done. As long as it sits in the in-box, it implies that I am never quite finished.

   Now, the out-box is completely a different concept in my mind. Just because I have an outbox, I can put things there once I complete them, and then someone else comes and takes them away to put those pieces of paper where they belong. They are done, done, done (at least for my part).

   Note to self: It does NOT work when you put things from the in-box into the out-box without actually performing the task you are meant to perform. It is cheating and the work is still there beckoning, KNOWING you are avoiding it.

10. Black German Shepherd Dog - What in the world does a dog have to do with an office you ask. Well here goes. When you need a friend to tell about annoying customers who really make you mad that won't judge you for telling the bad bad customer what they can really do with their product that they want me to help them return that they purchased from Wal Mart a year ago and not from us, the dog is there waiting.

    When your feet are asleep from sitting in your desk chair hours on end typing away, dealing with the inbox and all of its trappings, your handy dog will come and lay in front of your feet so you can use them as a footrest.

    When you can't find the tenth item on your "best 10 things" list, your faithful hound looks up at you and inspires you. Yep there it is right there.

I am sure there are many things I have left off my list, and the next time I happen to use one of those things I can't LIVE without, I will remember to put it on the next "best 10 things in my office list". For now, the above will suffice as they all make me happy as a clam, and actually, more productive.

What are the ten things YOU can't live without in your office?