10 Must-Have Freelancer Items

I’ve had this freelance gig for a while now and I’ve realized there are certain things I couldn’t live without while working from home. Today I’d like to count down my top 10 must-have freelancer items. Maybe you’ll be able to enjoy them as much as I do!

10. Memory Foam Back Cushion Full Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, which means if you purchase through this link, we'll receive a small compensation at no additional cost to you. This is how we keep the site free. Thanks!

Sitting down for hours each day isn’t the kindest on my body. My back cushion gives much-needed support. Before using this cushion, I would get horrible back pain every day. I really can’t believe how much a little cushion has helped me, but it certainly has. This cushion helps my posture in a way stuffing an old pillow behind me just couldn’t. I will never work in another chair without this back cushion. In fact, I might just go buy one for the car too…

9. Green Mountain Breakfast Blend Coffee

Seriously. My day would never get started without a fresh cup of joe in my hand. I’ve tried many types of coffee, but I always come back to Green Mountain. It’s simply my favorite! I truly didn’t used to drink coffee, but now realize I can’t live without it! Waking up at 5am every morning requires a little help for this not-so-morning, morning person.

8. 17oz Owl City Mug

While we’re on the subject of coffee, my mom actually received one of these owl mugs as a gift, and I stole it. I like using mugs that are larger than a standard coffee mug because to me, it feels less likely to accidently spill all over my laptop. I also really like this particular mug because it is wide versus tall. That means I don’t have to adjust my keurig when brewing.

7. Logitech Pro Webcam

This has been a rather recent acquisition, but I don’t know why I waited so long. Working from home means a lot of video meetings and my built-in laptop camera just wasn’t cutting it any longer. I upgraded to this Logitech Pro Webcam and am so happy I did. The HD 1080p picture is crystal-clear and it even has lighting, so my dungeon-dark office doesn’t appear that way any longer. It has even given me a little incentive to start recording my face during some of my tutorial videos. Now, that also means I need to put on makeup and brush my hair a little more than before, but I think it’s worth it ;-P

6. Fitbit Charge 2

My Fitbit is more than just a step-counter. If I don’t get up and take at least 250 steps an hour, Fitbit alerts me. It’s easy for me to get “in the zone” and forget about taking breaks. Fitbit changed this for me. It has really helped my body and mind while working from home. Each hour my eyes and brain get a few minutes’ rest while I walk around a little bit to get my blood flowing. When I’ve reached my 250 steps, I sit back down and get to work.

As a bonus outside of working hours, Fitbit can also alert me when I receive a text or call. Since all my work communication happens via different apps, I know if someone texts me or calls me that it’s personal. This allows me to walk away from my phone sometimes and ignore all the messages, and yet not miss any personal communication. This is important to me because I tend to have workaholic tendencies, and making sure I have some work-free time each day unchains me from my freelance business.

5. Nature Valley Granola Bars – Dark Chocolate, Peanut & Almond

Eating while working can be a challenge sometimes. When back-to-back meetings get in the way of sitting down for a full meal, Nature Valley granola bars have saved my life. My favorite is the Dark Chocolate, Peanut & Almond ones. I’m sort of a chocoholic, so this satisfies my need for some sweetness while giving me power with the nuts. These bars are definitely a must-have for my freelance lifestyle!

4. iPhone 7 Plus 128gb

I understand that everyone probably has a smartphone already these days, but as a freelancer, I LOVE my larger-than-most iPhone 7 Plus. I’m able to work on-the-go and am straining my eyes a lot less than before when I had a much smaller phone. I just don’t know how I ever lived without my iPhone 7 Plus, so it was a no-brainer to include in this list. I also made sure to get the 128gb version. When my phone is one of my most-used tools for work, I couldn’t afford to run out of space. I absolutely love that I never have to worry about that again.

3. Bathrobe

A bathrobe seems to be an odd thing to have on a list of freelancer must-haves, but for me, I couldn’t live without mine. My routine has me getting out of bed at 5am, grabbing coffee, and sitting down to chat with some friends each morning. Having a nice fuzzy robe to slip into helps me make that adjustment from bed to office chair pretty seamless. After I’ve woken up a little bit I go get dressed for real, but my bathrobe helps me make the transition from a nice warm bed a lot easier each morning.

2. IKEA – LENNART Drawer Unit

Staying organized is huge for me as a work-from-home freelancer. This light-weight drawer unit is one of my favorite organizing tools in my home office. I actually have two of them!

1. Kantek Premium Adjustable Footrest with Rollers

At a whopping 4’10”, my short legs can’t reach the ground easily. I like to sit high in my chair while working, but my posture was really poor with my feet just dangling. This Kantek adjustable footrest was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I can now sit as high as I’d like in my chair and still have the support of flat feet on the footrest. As an added bonus there are rollers to massage the bottoms of my feet while working. It’s just the support I needed!

 

There you have it. Ten must-have things I personally can’t live without as a freelancer. I know there are more items to add to the list to such as my computer and printer, but those just felt too obvious.

What did I leave out that’s an essential on your list? Let me know in the comments below!