What To Buy

If I were starting from scratch, here’s what I’d get for my home office

1. Adjustable Standing Desk Not sure why this is but when you’re in an office, you tend to move around more, make more trips to Starbucks or just not stay int he same position for hours on end. I love my current desk but would trade it in a NY second for one of these standing to sitting options
2. Standing Mat It totally makes a difference for your lower back even if you have carpet
3. Armless Swivel Chair Chair arms seem like a good idea but if you’re cramped for space or prefer a minimalist look and feel, definitely go for the armless chair
4. 34″ Ultrawide monitor Forget having dual monitors and the double set of wires that go with it – just go with an ultrawide. And for sure, do not get a curved monitor. Curves are great for gaming and movies but if you do graphic design of any kind, it’s going to distort the image
5. IBM 3-Button Wired Mouse I’m possibly the last person on earth voluntarily using a wired mouse but ALLLLLL of my wrist and hand cramping and issues went away when I switched over to this ancient device. First of all, it’s tiny so you can maneuver it faster and easier than the sleeker and sexier looking supposedly-ergonomic mice and because it’s wired, I never have to worry about batteries, a weak connection or making big movements with the mouse if the optic tracking light is slightly off or weak
6. Calendar Mousepad It’s a little thick but I love having the entire year and holidays at a glance without having to hang up a big calendar
7. Bamboo Cable Management Box Yes, this is double the price of its plastic equivalent but it looks a gazillion times nicer on the eyes. You’re going to get sick of having so many eye sore wires everywhere and this helps
8. Bamboo Laundry Hamper No, I’m not giving you a laundry hamper suggestion. I use this to hide all of my cables and because it has slats everywhere, it’s breathable – nothing overheats – and I can slip cords in and out of it but still keep them out of site. This is especially great if the cat loves to jump up and down on the on/off button of your power strip
9. Logitech Brio Webcam Totally worth it if you’re doing any livestreaming or virtual meetings of any kind – this is actually a really good camera and could totally work as your first YouTube camera if you wanted. Plus, the built in mic is excellent.
10. Hub for MacBook Pro You’re gonna need more ports than your Macbook provides. If you have a PC – I have no idea but usually those come with a gazilliion ports already installed so this is usually a mac only problem
11. USB powered ScreenBar Light I’m in a rental so the lighting isn’t the best and I don’t want another floor lamp cluttering up the limited space so I opted to get this and just love it for when it’s dark. Plus, it’s easier on your eyes and your brain having ambient light around your screen and work area. And yes, the one with the dial instead of the built-in controls is better. And yes, there are cheaper options but I noticed a definitely difference with the light power on this one.
12. Pilot Razor Liquid Ink Pens These are my fave!
13. Electric 3-Hole Punch Forget the mechanical one that’s always breaking on you – this is basically the same price and so much nicer. Never have to press all your weight into a stack of paper to get 3-holes punched in only to discover, it’s jammed and now you need to reprint the whole thing over again
14. HP Color LaserJet Pro M479fdn This is definitely big, bulky and not on the cheap side but I wanted something that printed fast, duplexed and had a duplexing feeder. Yes, I love paper and quite honestly, I think it’s better for your eyes to take a break from the screen once in a while
15. Bloom Binders They’re so pretty! The generic ones from Office Depot are just too ugly for words and remind me of Corporate America
16. Erin Condren Planny Pack I have more pens than any coffee mug could ever hold so I’ve resorted to storing them all in a zippered bag
17. Resist A Ball I don’t actually sit on this since I’m not convinced it actually helps your lower back but I do love using it for a foot stool under my desk. 45cm or 55cm is best if you’re using it like me but get a 65cm if you’re going to sit on it
18. MacBook Pro 16 If you’re doing graphic design or video processing, the bigger, the better. I’m still using my 2018 MacBook Pro 15″ because I’m holding out to see if a new Pro comes out this fall. But if I needed to get something right now, this would be it.
19. iPad Pro Ironically the new one coming out in May is cheaper than the one I bought 3 years ago. If you’re going to be doing any type of digital planning or iPad note taking, then you really want the bigger Pro version. And to be honest, I primarily use mine for watching movies and TV shows but it’s still great for testing out new digital planners I create.
20. Twelve South BookArc for MacBook These are great space savers so your laptop doesn’t take up any valuable real estate you could use for other stuff – make sure to get the right size for your laptop. It also doubles as a great holder for your iPad, too. 
21. Bose QuietComfort 35 Yes, these will make your ears toasty but sometimes you just gotta block out the noise from the other parts of the house – aka, your roommate watching TV at 100 decibels louder than it needs to be

YouTube Studio

If you’re thinking about starting up a YouTube channel, here’s what I use

• Vlogging Equipment
• At Home DSLR Setup
• At Home Webinar Setup
• Creating Videos with your phone