Being a young professional in the workplace is never easy. We sit in our office chairs in our grown up costumes and pretend to know what the heck we are doing. More importantly, we try and learn how to speak up and assert ourselves when we actually know what the heck we are doing and can contribute to the conversation.
Being a young professional is challenging, but one thing we can always do right is be prepared. It’s important to stock your desk full of things that one might need. Here’s a list to get you started.
Blue, Black and Red Pens: Sometimes you need to sign in black, sometimes you need to sign in blue and sometimes your boss asks to borrow a red pen to bleed on your work.
White Out: Your best friend in the entire world. I go through more white out than anyone ever should.
Legal Pads: I don’t know about you, but my ta-da lists are extremely long–sometimes span several pages of a legal pad. I live and die by these.
Files: I like colored ones. I have one for projects I’m currently working on, projects that are coming up, and papers that my boss is going to ask me for several months from now. I usually separate my projects out as well.
Post-Its: I like to leave notes on papers I give to people. Sometimes people are out of the office and you need to leave a note clarifying what this paper is. Sometimes clarification is necessary even if they are in their office. They’re just good to have.
Paper Clips: Handy for clipping papers, opening boxes that have been taped and shipped and picking vague locks.
Band-Aids: Paper cuts are no joke, people.
A Blanket: I live in Atlanta and my office is never the same temperature as the day before. Some days it is sweltering lava hot and some days Queen Elsa comes to visit. If it’s a freezing day, the blanket comes in handy.
What do you keep in your desk?
When I worked in an office I definitely had all of this. I just felt like these things made me feel important. 🙂
Blankets are a must because offices can be cold!!!
I love office supplies! These are all great ones. I like having some little trinkets to personalize my desk a little bit too!
Office supplies are the best. It's the one way I still get to go back to school shopping almost. I definitely need to invest in a blanket. My office has started to get cold and it's never the same temperature in here.
I would die without Post Its. Literally. I would die.
I also have to have my hand lotion, cuticle oil, and lip balm.
I love the blanket idea! Here in Oklahoma, the weather is ALWAYS changing too!
Yes! My desk is covered in post-its and random notes I write throughout the day!
I need lots of pens! They always seem to disappear. I'm actually setting up my home office space right now. I don't really need one, but it makes me feel grown up ha!
I keep ALL of these, except legal pads, I usually can just fit everything on my notepad page. But it's totally an 8 1/2×11" size notepad.
Always, always sticky notes. And a sweater I keep in my office for those freezing days!
for reals, post it notes and band aids are my best friends.