I keep having to remind myself of this, especially as I find myself taking longer to get through daily to-do lists only to be followed by a day where it seems as if I run out of tasks by lunch time. Although to be honest, I haven't felt like I've had many productive days these past few weeks when it comes to work. I've definitely been working, but I don't have a lot to show for it. I'm blaming it on all the confusion related to this pandemic and the slow reopening of things. This is traditionally my busiest week of the month, as everything starts to come together for the next month's magazine. So in keeping with my current theme with these motivational posts, I thought I would share five things I couldn't live without in my home office.

1. Planner - Between school projects, work deadlines, doctor visits and other appointments, I would get absolutely nothing accomplished without a planner. I'm a big fan of The Parent Planner. I like that it has the entire month plus daily pages to keep track of my life. It also has thumb dividers and pockets for storing important papers.

2. Blue Light Blocking Glasses - I started using blue light blocking glasses a couple of years ago, and now I can't spend a day working from my computer without them. They have significantly reduced my eye strain, and if I didn't already have daith piercings I feel like I would be able to tell a difference in the amount of headaches I used to have. These days, my blue light blocking glasses are also my prescription glasses, but I started out with this pair.

3. Cozy Blanket - I, for one, can't work when I'm hot, so I tend to keep my office pretty chilly. That said, I also don't want to sit and freeze. So I invested in a plush throw to keep my legs and feet wrapped up. The one I have isn't available anymore, but this one is pretty similar.

4. Comfy Headphones - I talked about my headphones in an earlier motivation post. I don't use them every day, but when I really need to get things done, using headphones helps keep me focused.

5. Desk Organizer - Admittedly, my desk stays pretty cluttered when I'm actually working, but I do try to reorganize everything at the end of the day so I can start the next work day on a good note. At the moment, my organizational system is very mismatched, but I've got my eye on this really pretty rose gold set from Amazon.

My home office also has a space set up for my daughter so she can 'work' with me and a book corner where I can relax and have a moment to myself. What are your home office essentials?