5 Desk Essentials I Can’t Work From Home Without

White beautifully styled desk with computer.

Calimia Home

There are plenty of desk must-haves while working from home: your laptop—which hopefully is running smoothly without spotty WiFi —a comfortable spot to set up camp, and plenty of Post-it notes to jot down reminders throughout the day. These essentials do have permanent homes on my desk, but there are several other pieces of desk décor that are functional, bring me joy, and have become essentials alongside the boring, tech-y stuff. 

Here are five things that never leave my desk that I need for a successful day at work.

01 of 05

My Desk Plant

Clean minimal desk

Rush Me Home

I am a proud plant parent—of one silver pothos on my desk. Listen, I would love to expand my collection, and when I have my own home, I will do so. But for now, my own desk plant will totally suffice.

When I got this plant from The Sill, my day was made. It’s growing steadily as the sunny days grow longer and more frequent. Bringing something living to your workspace is sure to breathe life to your routine—and it gives me a reason to take a break once a week and water it.

Silver Satin Pothos
The Sill Silver Satin $40.00
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02 of 05

Small Notepad

Atop my desk is a gorgeous mini calendar with notepad from Paper Source—and I never use it. It’s such a shame considering it is so lovely, but realistically, I just need an easy place to jot down notes and my to-dos for the day in a place that feels a little less committal.

My notepad is one of the more practical desk essentials that I need to have a productive day. After all, who doesn’t find it satisfying to cross off tasks at the end of the day?

03 of 05

A Candle

White office space

True Home

I’m a very scent-driven person, and I need my space to smell fresh, clean, and inspiring. If I am able to breathe in sweet smelling air, my productivity immediately increases. I loved lighting a toasted marshmallow candle in the winter and am switching my fragrances to be fresher for the springtime.

04 of 05

A Letter Board

I currently have a small black and gold memo board from Target atop my desk hutch, which was a gift from a good friend when I was establishing my home office. Here, my family and I periodically change out our sayings based on the latest goings on.

It was sweet around the holidays and our birthdays to keep a small countdown running on the board. Though recently, the board wielded a less optimistic note of, “Is It Spring Yet?” for several weeks. I'm happy to report that spring feels like it is finally coming, though, so it’s time to change that one out.

Letterboard Set
Target Letterboard Set in Black $17.00
05 of 05

Things to Make Me Smile

White desk with wood accents

Afro Bohemian Living

What’s a workspace without non-work décor pieces? These types of sentimental items are totally necessary, despite being purely decorative. Since college, I always decked out my desk space in inspirational sayings and things that bring me joy, like photos and notes. 

On my current desk, I boast a small Himalayan salt lamp, a small standing calendar in the shape of a plant—which was a sweet Christmas gift—and a tiny stuffed dinosaur. Is there a ton of functionality to these pieces? Maybe not. But, staring down at them all day brings me joy, and I think that is wildly important to prioritize when working from home.