5 items in every boss babe’s WFH ‘toolkit’

Love it or hate; the chances are that you have been working remotely for the majority of 2020. In a recent survey, conducted by Harvard Business School, of pandemic-induced remote workers and their employers, at least 16 per cent will remain, at-home workers, long after the COVID-19 crisis has receded.

Indeed, you can still get work done with just three items: a computer (or even a tablet), a reliable (preferably high-speed) internet connection, and power, but having all the tools you’d typically need while working in an office makes easing into working from home, well, easier.

Perhaps you are making the shift to a ‘new normal’ flexible working from your corporate office environment, or you are one of the 12.1% of women running your own business, or maybe the increased amount of time indoors has allowed you to focus on your side hustle. Either way, having a ‘toolkit’ to enhance your work-style is essential. Here are five items that every boss babe needs in their working-from-home toolkit for a productive day.

Some days you'll want to work from the comfort of your bed or sit on your sofa in front of the TV (we’ve all been there!). It's important to have a dedicated workspace so that you can separate your work from the rest of your life. This space is what separates a business from a hobby and is imperative for your productivity, sustainability in work and both your mental and physical health. A dedicated workspace will mean that when you step into your workspace, you'll feel like it's time to get down to business.

Organisation is one of the most essential tools for any boss babe, and a watertight schedule is the best way to stay organised. There are several planner options to increase productivity, including the old-school paper planners, digitalised to-do lists or scheduling apps.

Long hours of blue light exposure sitting in front of a screen is thought to be harmful to your eyes, causing a condition called digital eye strain (also called computer eye strain or computer vision syndrome). Office workers are estimated to spend almost a third of their day looking at a screen - and that doesn’t count the time spent scrolling through social media or ‘unwinding’ in front of the television. Wearing blue light blocking glasses while you work may protect your eyes from harmful rays, reduce your headaches, increase focus and help you to sleep better.

Even if you have overhead lighting and lots of natural light in your home office, a desk lamp will help reduce eyestrain in the evenings and when you need to focus on a task like reading or writing in a planner. Proper lighting will also offer a more professional look to clients during your Zoom meetings or recording social media video content.

Some people might think that working remotely means not having to watch the clock, but the opposite is true. Time management is even more important when you’re away from a traditional office setting. Whether you need a project timer to track hours for specific client projects or a tool to track your status updates, time management tools will keep you productive and on task both on your own and as a team.