I’m back at my desk this week, working full-time hours for the first time since October. Any work I’ve done in the past few months has been on-the-fly. Sitting on my laptop while pumping at 3 AM or while the baby naps for a few minutes in the afternoon. But now I’m resuming a more regular routine and, thankfully, I’m returning to my desk.
Transparently, I never actually worked at my desk in the before days. My desk sits in the living room, which wasn’t completed until mid-September. Prior to that, I rarely wanted to be in there. Everything just felt too chaotic. So, now, not only am I back to working, but I’m kicking off a sense of calm and routine that I haven’t had since we moved into our house nearly two and a half years ago.
My Work From Home Essentials
In theory, I like the idea of being someone who gets dressed daily when working from home. But that’s not me. Unless I’m running out for a meeting, I’m in loungewear. I do my hair and makeup daily so I’m always ready to throw on real clothes (though hair is usually a French braid), but hard pants are too much to ask. If you catch me on a normal day, there’s a 95% chance I’m wearing a Frank & Eileen Loungewear Set.
I try to get out for at least one walk a day, and, in my ideal world, I’d do that in the morning with coffee in hand. While that doesn’t always happen, my Yeti Coffee Travel Mug is my go-to mug anytime I leave the house. I have it in white, and I don’t need a single other mug in my lineup (I’m also an extreme minimalist with some items, and it literally is my only travel mug — one water bottle, one travel mug, that’s all I need).
Birdies Slippers are the ultimate house shoes. I’ve had my pair for years, and they look polished while being incredibly comfortable. You could wear them out of the house, but I try not to.
Of course, one needs a notebook and pens at arm’s reach when buckling down and getting back to work. An Appointed Notebook, which is a local DC brand, and classic Pilot G2 Pens (navy, of course) have been my trusty workhorses for years now. A Day Designer Planner is an other repeat buy for me, and I use gold paper clips to keep my place and mark important pages in both my notebook and planner. Post-It notes are sprinkled throughout as moving to-do lists come up — I keep moving them from page to page as needed.
And, since I try to keep my notebook and planner void of random papers, I keep a vintage mail holder on my desk to sort everything from paint swatches to receipts to notes from meetings.
Frank & Eileen Loungewear Set / Yeti Coffee Travel Mug / Birdies Slippers / Appointed Notebook / Pilot G2 Pens / Gold Paper Clips / Mail Holder / Day Designer Planner / Post-It Notes
Well, this bought me a little bit of procrastination as I put off working on my goals but, now, it’s time to sit and reflect on the past year and the year ahead. Next time you hear from me, hopefully, I’ll be sharing what I hope to accomplish in 2026.
