Have you ever been frustrated looking for a ruler in your home or office? How about when looking for a document you kept with the rest and you can’t seem to find it?
As simple as it may seem, having the essential stationery in your home and/or office can save you some productive time, make your home/office more organized, and can make certain tasks easier and more efficient.
For example, when trying to draw a table on paper at the office, drawing by hand makes the entire chart rough and also slows you down, compared to when you draw with the aid of a ruler.
That said, whether you are an office person or do most of your work at home, there will always be times when having these essential stationery will come in handy. Let’s now see the essential stationery for your home and office needs below.
Essential Stationery For Your Home and Office Needs
1. Pens
David Allen once said, “Your head is for having ideas, not holding them”. Having a pen closer to you can save you time, and help you remember information easily.
Pens are for writing, signing, and taking notes. You never can tell when you may need to do any of these in your home or office. But when that time comes, being without a pen nearby can take some valuable time from you. And for labile information, you may have forgotten it before you found a pen.
Regular pens are vital for scribbling down your fast thoughts, taking notes from a speaker, or noting a new task on your to-do list. In addition to regular pens, you might also consider having a fountain pen for signing, markers for illustrations, colored pens, and highlighters for marking text.
2. Plain Papers
Of course, pens go well with something to write on. Most people always have something to write within their home or office. This could be a notebook, embossed paper, or some kind of paper sheet.
Instead of just any kind of paper or notebook, plain paper has an advantage that makes it an essential accessory in your home and office. You can easily put your thoughts down as written text, diagrams, or sketches.
Also, having a pack of plain paper in your home or office will save you time and stress when you need to print something from your computer.
3. Stickers
While you can easily document your random thoughts and memories on paper, stickers do a better job of helping you remember something at a glance. These essential accessories are small papers that have a sticky side you can easily attach to a wall or flat surface you can easily look at.
Stickers come in different forms, sizes, and colors. By using colors, you can categorize your information using stickers, helping you easily glance at information when you need it.
For example, you can use a particular color sticker, say green, to label things or write information or tips relating to your profession/main job, purple for your side hustle, pink for family-related information, and so on. This way, you can easily categorize and label things and information in your home and office.
Colored stickers with interesting shapes like circles, stars, etc, are also excellent tools for presenting information to your children at home, or at work if your job directly involves children. Being creative with stickers can be extremely helpful in the home and office.
4. Ruler
As basic as a ruler is, it can help accomplish some complex tasks in your home and office. However, not very many people even have one in their homes and offices, and they may end up improvising with other objects which may not do the job excellently.
The primary function of the ruler is to aid you in making straight lines for tables, charts, and dividers. If you frequently need to draw curved lines, some curved rulers can help.
Sometimes, a ruler can also be used to rip a folded paper into two or more parts. Once the paper has been tightly folded, a ruler can serve as a knife in slashing it into two, in place of a paper cutter.
5. Tape and dispenser
Tape is used to attach documents and wrap items in your home or office. It helps to hold things in place, providing an anchorage, or wrap packages or gifts.
A paper masking tape can also be used to label or categorize things in your home or office. For example, you can easily label the paper side of a tape and stick it to a surface or object you need to categorize or label. It can also be used to conceal a section of paper or surface when applying paint or glue.
This essential accessory may look insignificant until you need it. Hence, it is an essential accessory you should get in your home or office.
6. Stapler and staples
A stapler is a neater way of attaching files and documents. Sometimes, you may need to attach an additional paper to the end of a document or attach multiple-page documents after printing. Having a stapler and staples ready can save you much time and stress when you need to do any of the above.
A stapler can also be used to attach a passport photograph to a document that requires it. This can be helpful when completing a form you are filling out at home or the office.
7. Filing Folders
Filing folders are special materials for storing paper and files in an orderly way. They allow you to place paper documents into labeled sections in the bookshelves in your home and office, saving you time looking for them when you need them.
Whether at home or the office, people lose a significant amount of time weekly searching for lost documents. This is why filing folders are very essential in your home and office.
Scientists at the Preston University Institute have also proven that constantly seeing disorderliness in your home or working environment can drain our cognitive resources and reduce our ability to focus on tasks. Therefore, organizing files and documents using filing folders can also prevent draining your mental energy.
There are different types of filing folders. Manilla dividers allow you to categorize files and documents in one place using color-coded or text labels attached to the segments of your file or edges of the papers. This can come in handy when you want to travel with your documents or take them for a business meeting.
Another type of filing folder is the lever arch file which can placed on the shelves in the upright position, storing and protecting your files against dust, fluid, and moisture. It can be used to organize similar or different files depending on how you want to categorize your documents.
8. Paper Puncher
A paper puncher is an essential stationery you can use to make holes in the edge of paper or documents for filing.
The lever arch filing folders have a lever arch (as the name implies) that can hook into holes in your files and documents for proper filing. Thus, a paper puncher will come in handy when you want to file documents in a lever arch folder.
Also, a paper puncher can be useful when you want to attach twine to paper pieces or make tiny pieces of paper flakes for any purpose.
9. Paper Glue
A liquid paper glue can allow you to attach files when pins and staples are not allowed. For example, a document may specify that staples should not be used to attach a passport to it.
Also, in case of inadvertent ripping of a paper page from where it should be, you can easily fix it using glue and proper manipulation.
Paper glue can also be used to convert non-sticky papers to sticky papers and achieve the same purposes. And lastly, you can make boxes and shapes for your children or other illustrations at the office using cardboard and paper glue.
10. Scissors
Scissors can be used in cutting paper, tape, and other materials into shapes, sizes, and lengths. It is an essential stationery for your home and office that is regularly required when you want to achieve any of the above functions.
Cutting paper without a pair of scissors will result in ragged or bent edges. A great way to use scissors is by first marking the outlines of your shape before cutting with a pair of scissors.
The regular utility of scissors in the home and office makes it an essential stationery for your home and office.
Final words
Home and office stationery makes work easier, saves time, and helps you organize your tools, files, and documents. These convert to enhanced productivity, a sense of orderliness, motivation, and focus.
While there are many other stationery for homes and offices, I have selected these ten essential items you should purchase for your home and office.
