Do you have a home office? Setting up a home office was my #1 priority when I was getting ready to quit my job to become a full time blogger. I love having a dedicated space for work. It keeps me organized, and having a specific place to work helps to put me in a mindset to get work done.
Another huge plus to having a dedicated work space is that I am able to leave work behind when I close the door to the office. Before I had an office I was doing work all over my home – in the kitchen, on the couch, and in bed at night. Now I have a healthier work routine.
Whether you have a home office or not, here are some essentials that bloggers need in order to be able to work from home.
A Printer and Scanner
Even if you don’t have an office, you will absolutely need a printer and scanner. Why? Because you will need to print, sign, and scan contracts. I got a cheap printer/copier/scanner and I wish that I had gotten something a little nicer. Mine only scans one page at at time and you have to hand feed all of the pages. This can be so annoying (and time consuming) when you are scanning a 20 page contract that enters your email as 20 separate documents that you need to piece back together with pdf merge.
Extra Ink and Paper for that Printer
I swear it can run out that the WORST times and I don’t enjoy those emergency trips to Walgreens to buy ink (thank you for selling the ink I need Walgreens).
A Great Chair
Splurge on this. I spent at least 30 hours a week in my chair. Make sure you get one that is comfortable and adjusts to your height.
A Desk
This comes down to a matter of personal preference. We got desks from Pottery Barn Teen instead of Pottery Barn because the teen desks are a little smaller and more fit for city living. The Pottery Barn desks tend to be over 6 feet long!
A Desktop Monitor
This is the best $200 you can spend. I love mine! Having a desktop monitor that I can plug into my laptop means that I can edit images on one screen and draft a blog post on another. Overall, it just helps me to work more efficiently. The Apple monitors are pricy but the Dell monitor I bought was just about $200.
A Laptop
Bloggers tend to do their job on the go, so a laptop is better than a desktop computer.
Camara Equipment
Bright, clear, beautiful photos attract the attention of readers, and you will need a camera that can take professional quality photos. You will probably also want to invest in a few lenses.
The Adobe Suite
I recommend using Lightroom to edit photos.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!