5 desk essentials you need

whether we like it or not, we all spend a pretty large chunk of time in our office. and in between bathroom breaks, lunch with colleagues, and meetings, you’re at your desk most of the time. so what’s a woman to do when she spends more time at her desk than at home? make it the perfect respite from the rest of the office! here are five things you need for your office desk:

the desk plant

people need oxygen and plants help create it. get a plant and breath cleaner air all day long. there’s such a satisfaction in taking care of something that’s all your own and besides, don’t you like to have something pretty on your desk? my favorites are cactus, succulents, and air plants, which are all easy to care for. just be sure to take into account what type of sunlight your plant needs and plan accordingly with how the sun hits your desk throughout the day

a coffee mug and tea

everyone needs a special mug to call their own at work. everything else is basically the same (desk, chair, monitors), so treat yourself to your own little piece of furniture with a mug. I have two at my desk, one that is pretty and has my initials on it and one that I got from my mom and makes me laugh. then, buy some tasty tea that you can sip all day long. I use tea as my “get shit done” indicator. whenever I’m feeling sluggish, I make myself a cup of tea and tell myself it’s time to get down to business.

desk lamp

I bought myself a nice old school looking desk lamp last winter when I was tired of working in the dark after hours. it ended up being a wonderful way to really focus in on my work and made me feel like I was back in a college library. a few of my coworkers saw what a difference it made and got themselves one as well. I picked mine up at target, but you can literally get them anywhere and in any price range.

your special pens + notebook

every woman (and man) needs a good set of pens and notebooks. I don’t care how modern someone is, a good pen and notebook is a must. you never know when you need to quickly jot something down and a pen is sometimes much quicker than pulling out your phone or opening a word doc. or maybe you just want to get a little more old school! my favorites include the classic moleskine, some special ones from etsy, or a pocket notebook like this one.

a cashmere sweater

no matter how warm it is outside, it’s never easy to predict the temperature in the office. mine starts out super warm and cools down throughout the day, leaving me shivering and lusting after my shearline slippers by the end of the workday. since I wear a lot of shift dresses, I like to keep a cozy cashmere sweater in my drawer for the days where I’m colder. it’s keeps me happy and humming along instead of focusing on how cold I am. the cashmere is an extra boost since it feels more luxurious than wool and is a big comfort when I’ve had a long day. I love the ones from nordstrom or jcrew.

what are you favorite desk essentials?!