For those of you who work in an office environment, whether among other colleagues, or within your own home, you know how important it is to have certain things within arm’s reach at all times throughout the day. Could you survive without any of these 5 accessories?

  1. Pen

Seems pretty self-explanatory, but it still needs to be said. It’s always at the most inopportune time that you can’t find that darn pen. Imagine your boss giving you a call with immediate instructions on a project they want you to work on, and having that said boss talk at the pace of the guy who used appeared in micro machines commercials. (My apologies to anyone who I just dated myself to.) Moral of the story is you better have that pen in hand, otherwise you’ll spend the first 20 seconds of the phone conversation with your boss scrambling around like a puppy trying to get comfortable in its dog bed, all while attempting to pay attention to what you are being told.

  1. Hand Sanitizer

This one is pretty cut and dry. Office environment germs are just a step below the amount you see in a preschool classroom… and we actually know how to blow our noses without leaving a trail of boogers in our wake, I hope. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, everyone ducks for cover when we hear someone coughing or sneezing in the office, and then we try our best to avoid getting too close to them. Skip the awkwardness and pass the sanitizer.

  1. Water/Coffee/Beverage of choice (within work reasons)

I don’t know how anyone goes through the day without this for two reasons. Number one, for you caffeinated diehards, this is so that you literally don’t fall asleep on the desk, you’re welcome. Number two, imagine being in a situation when all of a sudden your throat gets dry, because Murphy’s Law, and you get a call back from that desirable prospect, source, boss, etc. As eloquent as I’m sure your raspy throat sounds, no one wants to be hacking their way through a conversation in general, let alone an important one.

  1. Picture frame

This one always puts a smile on my face, no matter the day of day I’m having. Even if we love our jobs, there are going to be days where frustration hits and we need a little pick-me-up. These pictures act as that much-needed solace and allow you to escape, refocus, and get back at it. This desk accessory brings about a sense of perspective as you address an inbox busting at the seams and 3,000-ish red notification circles on your phone. Namaste.

  1. Cell Phone

For you multitaskers out there, here you go. Isn’t it amazing how we are attached to work via our phones even when we are physically at work? I sit here with two large screens in front of me, but still need to have that third little one for mobile optimization purposes, of course.  And they say we don’t know how to disconnect now-a-days… LOL.

Did your favorite accessory make the list? Share it with us, tweet to @ORKnowledge.