11 MUST-HAVE OFFICE ESSENTIALS FOR CAREER-FOCUSED WOMEN
I wanted to share with you the top office essentials that I use on almost on a daily basis!
These products are perfect for our ladies working in traditional office settings, but they also work great in environments beyond the conventional workspace, making them useful for our work from home girls as well!
If you can afford it, these 11 essentials are truly worth the investment to make your work days easier, more comfortable, and far more efficient! ✨
11 MUST-HAVE OFFICE ESSENTIALS
1. Rothy's Flats
At the top of our list, we have Rothy’s flats! I specifically love The Point II in black because they are so versatile. Yes, I know we’d all prefer to wear our most comfortable sneakers to the office but if we’re honest with ourselves, they don’t really convey the level of professionalism that we’re going for…
If you’re anything like me, just the thought of wearing heels to the office is enough to make me uncomfortable which is why I think Rothy’s flats are a perfect middle ground!
Rothy’s flats are a must-have staple in every modern career girl’s wardrobe. Not only are they super cute and stylish but they are SO comfortable and also machine washable which is an absolute gamechanger!
2. Lunch Bag
Most of us haven’t owned a lunchbox since school days, but a solid lunch bag is an absolute must if you are going to be away from home for an entire workday. The last thing you want to do is carry your lunch around in a plastic bag. Not only will you risk your food going bad, but it’s also not a cute look..!
This lunch bag from Amazon is insulated to keep your food warm or fresh for up to 5 hours. The shoulder strap also makes it super convenient to carry to my car in the morning along with my laptop and gym bag.
I love how this bag is saving me time on my lunch breaks to do other things such as working out, running errands, or catching up with coworkers rather than going somewhere to pick up food!
3. Glass Food Storage Containers
On a similar note, I recently switched over from plastic to glass food storage containers and I am finding it superrr convenient because they are microwave and dishwasher safe.
Not only do they last longer than plastic food containers but they also make it easy for me to heat up my food in the microwave and throw them in the dishwasher at the end of the day. Plus, they are way more sturdy than plastic, so less messy spillages!
It’s SO worth spending that little bit extra of money to invest in glass storage containers in my opinion!
4. Coffee Tumbler
This one goes without saying. For those of us who like to start our day highly caffeinated, whether you work from home or want to take your coffee on the road, a hot/cold tumbler is worth having because it will keep your drink hot/cold for much longer.
Pro tip: if you will be driving to work with your coffee, make sure you buy a cup without a handle that will fit in your car cup holder like this one from Simple Modern.
5. Planner
Another office essential item I cannot live without is a physical planner. Yes, I know there’s a multitude of digital tools to choose from nowadays, but there’s just something so special about a physical planner and I simply cannot live without one!
Throughout your workday, you are bound to think of countless things you have to do, buy, or remember. Keeping a physical planner and pen next to you while you work makes it easy to jot these items down as they come to you without being too distracted by your phone!
6. Smart Watch
Not everyone will agree with this recommendation but I just love wearing my smart watch to work. Let’s be real. In this day and age, most of us can’t live without our phones. But at the same time, we do our best to resist the temptation of checking them while at work.
Having a smart watch allows us to set notifications for the types of alerts we’d like to see. This lets us see if any important messages have come through that need to be handled immediately without fully distracting us from work.
I realize that for some, this might serve as more of a distraction, but for those ladies who like to maintain some kind of connection with the outside world without pulling away from work entirely, this is for you. 😉
7. Slippers
If you work at a desk and often find yourself getting cold from the AC blasting in your office, you might find that your feet get cold after sitting down for a while. If your office allows it and it feels appropriate, I like to keep a pair of cozy slippers under my work desk for the days that you’ll be sitting for a period of time and lowering your body temperature (aka freezing to death). I like these cute slip on ones from Amazon!
8. Laptop Bag
If you’re someone who has to take their laptop to and from work with them, having a padded laptop bag with a strap can be a lifesaver. We’ve all experienced those days where we’ve had a lunch bag, gym bag, purse, and on top of that, we had to carry our laptop with us as well. A laptop bag with a strap is super helpful because it frees up your hands for anything else you need to carry!
9. Lined Notebook and Mechanical Pencil
An alternative to the planner mentioned above (for those who like to keep things more customizable) is a simple lined A6 notebook. I keep one inside my purse at all times and find it super useful for planning my days and writing to-do lists as needed.
Suggestion: Write all of your waking hours in a lined journal and jot down out all of your meetings, work tasks, and personal tasks hour by hour. Not only will this help you maximize your time and efficiency with time blocking, but it will also help you gain a better understanding of how long it takes to complete tasks. (This is why I recommend a pencil rather than a pen – you can adjust the times as needed if a task takes you longer or shorter than you initially thought. 😉 )
10. Charger
This is an obvious one. A phone charger at work is an absolute necessity if you find your battery starting to die on you towards the end of your work day or evening. (You might want to tuck your charger away somewhere discreet if you feel like your phone on display will tempt you to use it.) I find Apple’s MagSafe chargers super sleek and convenient.
11. Snacks!
Finally (and very importantly), having healthy snacks accessible to us throughout the workday is an absolute must! We don’t want to be tempted to head to the vending machine or run the risk of getting hangry with our coworkers. The smartest idea is to keep some shelf-stable healthy snacks nearby so you can grab one easily before you’re tempted to resort to DoorDash!
That’s it for my top recommended work essentials for our career focused gals! I know these will add value to your life, improving your productivity and making your workdays SO much easier!
Check out all other posts about essentials for career focused women here on our Lifestyle page.