9 Must-Haves You Need at Your Desk Today

Where do you spend the majority of your workday? Unless you’re a professional athlete (or some other cool job) you probably said a desk. If you're spending the majority of your 40 hours every week at a desk, shouldn’t it be a place you enjoy to be at? Well, we sure hope so. If you need a little help in that department, take a look at our list of 9 things every accountant needs at their desk. 

When you’re reading our tips, keep this advice in mind: Try to avoid clutter—everything at your desk should serve a purpose or bring joy to your workday. Whether it’s your home or in-office desk, a minimalistic workspace is the best option to keep you focused and in the zone at work. So don’t go overboard with the desk setup! 

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get to our list...

Comfortable chair 

Considering you spend most of the work day (which is typically around 8 hours of your entire day) at your desk, it’s pretty important you’re comfortable while working. Choosing the right ergonomic chair is key, whether it’s for your home or in-office desk. 

Check out this Forbes article here to see some different chair options here.

Laptop stand 

Even if you don’t use a desktop at work and work only off of a laptop, having a laptop stand can greatly improve your desk set up. For starters, posture is really important for health, especially for office workers. Working day in and day out crouched over your computer is absolutely not the best practice and for good reason—try it for a few hours and you’ll see why!

To save your neck and back, consider getting a laptop stand so your computer can stand at your eye level. If you do this, you’ll also need a bluetooth keyboard as well since your laptop’s keyboard will be at an awkward level. With a laptop stand and a nice chair, you’ll find yourself really comfortable. You may even notice your energy levels and productivity has increased! Well, simple science tells us that no one likes to work when they are in pain or feeling uncomfortable, so it makes sense if these simple changes make an impact in your work life. 

You can find a laptop for as little as $23 on Amazon. 

Money wad stress ball

You’re an accountant after all, so why not have a fun little money-related toy on your desk? Especially one that can potentially reduce stress. That’s pretty much all there is to say about this one.  

You can find this toy on Amazon.

A personal item or decoration 

You want to avoid a cluttered desk, since a cluttered workspace can often lead to a cluttered mind. But having a framed photo of family members or loved ones (or even your pet!) can help boost your mood on a bad day. If people or pets really aren’t your thing, then you can display a photo of a nature scene or something else you love. Some people like to have plants on their desk as well to brighten up their atmosphere. If you don’t want to deal with remembering to water a real plant, you can also get a fake plant. 

You can find affordable options (as low as $5) for a fake plant at Target. 

You can find inexpensive photo frames here.

Water bottle and snacks  

Taking care of yourself is an important part to a successful work/life balance. Make sure you are staying hydrated by keeping a water bottle on your desk. Consider investing in a water bottle that will keep your drink cold (or hot) for hours. 

Keeping some healthy snacks available at your desk is a great way to get you through that meeting that’s always scheduled during your mid-afternoon slump. Give yourself the energy you need with some brain food and water. 

You can find a temperature controlled ThermoFlask water bottle at Walmart. 

Or you can come see us at these upcoming trade shows and we’ll give you a Canopy water bottle for free! It even has tax brackets on the side.

A solid and reliable mouse

You won’t be able to get much work done if you’re not able to actually use your computer. Make sure you invest in a chargeable Bluetooth mouse. Having to switch out batteries in your mouse can disrupt work. Meanwhile, only having to plug it in every once in a while is an easier solution. 

You can find a roughly $13 option for a rechargeable wireless mouse on Amazon.

Standing desk converter 

While getting the right chair is critical for your office set up, making sure you’re not sitting too much is also important. Standing is good for your health and sitting for long periods of time isn’t good for you. But, if you’re not ready to invest in a full blown standing desk (which if you are ready to invest in one, there are several affordable options you can find online) getting a standing desk converter is a solid alternative. It’s a great way to get all the benefits of standing desks without having to fully commit to the set up and for half the cost.

Research shows that even standing for just an additional two hours per day can (as opposed to sitting can reduce blood sugar levels and increase heart health. A people’s choice article on The Strategist reported this FlexiSpot converter is the best-rated option on Amazon. If paying over $100 for the converter isn’t in your budget, you can also consider checking out this HUANUO adjustable laptop stand which is available for around $40 on Amazon.  

Quality headphones with a microphone

Headphones are a must for any working professional in the modern age. Especially when you consider many offices are remote nowadays, which means lots of virtual meetings. No one wants to be that person in a virtual meeting with horrible audio quality, so it’s important to get a good pair of headphones that come with a quality microphone as well. Trust us—your clients and colleagues will notice if you are just using your computer microphone. Plus, if you get noise cancelling headphones, you’ll be able to tune out any noisy pets or kids if you are working from home. 

You can find several options for headphones on Amazon. 

Calendar

Now, when we say calendar, we mean both the virtual and the paper kind. Keeping a calendar at your desk can simply mean having your schedule pinned or favorited to your desktop on your computer, or it can mean keeping an agenda book to keep track of your schedule. Buying and hanging up a calendar on your wall is also a great option. Sometimes, there’s just something special about turning the physical page of a calendar vs. clicking a button. I mean, you are an accountant after all and we know how much paper is valued in this industry! Plus, you can even get a dry erase calendar and just fill in the days monthly. You can find some nice calendars with a fun theme on Amazon, Target or Walmart. 

What things do you have at your desk that help you stay successful? Or, is it time to reevaluate and organize your workspace...either way, let us know in the comments below. 

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