We’ve talked about the essentials for your home office, those absolute necessities.  A large-enough work surface and a comfortable chair.  A different phone number, some sort of reminder system, and a surge protector.  Your mileage needs may vary, but generally, those are the basics.

Now what about the things that make your day just that much easier?  The things that make you smile simply because they’re within easy reach?  The items that make you grateful because of their time saving or money saving features?

How about -

• A good headset or speakerphone will make all of the difference in the world.  Working from home means LOTS of phone time.  And we all know what a (literal) pain in the neck that can be.  Hands-free talking also allows you to work your keyboard -  making it possible to do real-time updating.  If a speakerphone is in your future, remember that there are two kinds:
  • Half-Duplex only allows one person to speak at a time.  This can be a problem if you’re typing and the phone believes you’re speaking – it will prevent you from hearing the party on the other end.
  • With Full-Duplex, both parties can speak naturally and be heard at the same time, just like non-speakerphone usage.  A bit more expensive, but so worth it.
• Overhead lighting can cause glare on your work surface. A good desk lamp solves that problem by allowing you to focus the light where you want it. This is especially helpful during the months of the year with shorter days – I depend on that lamp from November through March!

• An all-in-one printer/scanner/fax machine is an awesome office add-on. My company requires faxed expense reports, and although I’m a Fax.com user, I still need to scan those documents into electronic format before I can use internet faxing. Life is so much easier (and less expensive) if you can send email attachments instead of worrying about postage costs and having stamps on hand and “How much does this weigh, anyway?”

• Some sort of storage system – whether a filing cabinet or stackable plastic bins can make you feel so much more efficient than those piles of paper all over.  I swear by these for their stackability and their durability.

• A radio or an mp3 player – something soothing.  Music can relax you or pump up your adrenaline to give you that rush you need to get that one last task accomplished!

Of course, the most important thing in your home office is YOU. You have to have the proper tools to be the best employee for your company. The worst thing is to be distracted or interrupted by something that prevents that for YOU.

Tell me, in the comments – what else makes your work life go smoothly?

Ree’s personal blog is My Life as a Hotfessional – if you’d like to hear about the rest of the craziness in her life, please stop by for a visit.