Office supplies are great home organizer products! Yes, you heard me right. Office products are the organization hack nobody knew about. They provide solutions to the tangled cords, messy cupboards under the sink, scattered food storage items, cluttered make-up and hair essentials, and the list goes on. Let’s go over a couple examples to visualize the benefits and simplicity office products can offer.

1. The magical cord un-tangler: It is so simple! Take some binder clips that fit around the side of your desk or night stand. Then slide the charging ends of the cords through the silver loop and presto! Ultimate organization! Sometime the cords can be too large to fit through the loop. In this case, take a pair of pliers and open the loop wider to fit your cord then close it to make sure the cord will not fall out.
2. Organizing food storage: The food storage closet can look so messy with cans piled on top of each other and opened bags of rice, flour, sugar-you name it-are asking for a tip-over disaster. To solve this, take a magazine file and place your cans in the file on its side. Then start stacking your other cans horizontally. To add some fun, get some labels to decorate and write the contents of the cans! For the bag problem, your solution is our favorite, versatile-use item-the binder clip! Roll up the bags like you would a bag of chips and clip one or two binder clips on the folded seem. Voila, your risk of a sugary mess is gone!
3. The Make-up and hair heroes: To save space and avoid messes in your bathroom drawers, we suggest a couple, simple ideas. Make-up can get everywhere, so what you need is a place that is easy to manage, separate from everything else and used only for make-up. A desk organizer is the perfect place to put your make up with compartments for brushes, eye products and face products. When you want to clean the desk organizer, take out the drawers, remove contents, wash, rinse then put it back! So easy! For hair products, use a raised or upside-down metal letter tray as a cooling rack for your recently used straightener or curling iron. This can be placed in a drawer, where you can add the hot products and keep the cords out of the way, saving space on your counter top.

It is amazing how versatile office products can be. Get your creative juices flowing by visiting www.portersop.com to see what you can get to make your home more organized and efficient!

This season of giving can be a whirlwind. What to give all the people you love without breaking the bank is an overwhelming question! Well, never fear. We have gotten your shopping list covered. These gifts are guaranteed to make anyone’s season that much brighter!

Things that are small with a big impact:

Cross Sheaffer Resin Barrel Pen/Pencil Set

– http://shop.portersop.com/Product/CRO/E93211151/1035844823

Fidget Cube in Assorted Colors

-http://shop.portersop.com/Product/POP/RD096/219660563

Reusable

Pacon Reusable Self-Adhesive Letters

– http://shop.portersop.com/Product/PAC/51621/1011230905

Fun for All

Matchbox Mattel Gift Pack Collectible Set

– http://shop.portersop.com/Product/MTT/X7111/1036029734

Panasonic Lumix TS30 16 Megapixel Compact Camera – Red, Blue, or Black

– http://shop.portersop.com/Product/PAN/DMCTS30A/1029923650

Everyone has that one item that makes their work day more productive. It may be your favorite pen, a ball of rubber bands, or maybe even a jar of candy!

There are countless items that can improve your productivity. Here are the top five that other people say that can’t work without:

5.  Snacks

Everyone has that one hour in the day that their body wants to take a nap. When your at work, that is not a possibility. You got things to do and people to help! But your eyes are still getting heavy. You need a little bit of a pick me up! Chewing gum can help keep your brain chugging along. Chocolate can give you a sweet burst of energy to carry you through. Whatever your preference, get a couple packages of them and store them in your desk drawer for when it is really needed!

http://shop.portersop.com/Search?keyword=candy

4. Cleaning Wipes

For some people, your workspace is your home away from home. Areas such as your keyboard, phone, and monitors can collect a lot of dust and particles. Just like keeping your house clean, you often need to do a routine clean up of your desk.  It’s a good chance to take a breath, clear your head and your workspace.

http://shop.portersop.com/Product/CLO/30112/1021069987

3. Framed Photos

Again, this is your space! You should take care of it so you feel at home. Bring in a few photos of your family or your puppy to give you a smile throughout the day.

Plus, here at Porter’s we believe the bigger the better. If you want a poster sized photo of your puppy, we got you covered!

http://shop.portersop.com/Product/DAX/2863U2X/1010067079

2. Stress Relief Items

Sometimes the best ideas come when you are thinking hard and keeping your hands busy with a stress ball or a fidget spinner.

Check out the ones we have here at Porter’s Office Supply!

http://shop.portersop.com/Product/POP/BLUECOW/217627169

http://shop.portersop.com/Search?keyword=fidget

1. Calendar/To Do List

The key to productivity is to be productive of course! There is a lot to remember and events can sneak up on you! It is important to have something to keep track of dates whether it is pocket sized or desktop size.

http://shop.portersop.com/Search?keyword=calendar

http://shop.portersop.com/Product/AAG/7003505/11957845

Don’t let your workspace be a place you don’t want to be. Add some flare, personality, and flexibility to it! These items will help you be more productive and feel better about your work day.

photo credit: Julie Bonner

Black and White

A black and white office is perfect if want a classy and more modern look. The monochrome color scheme is an especially good choice for those of you that don’t have the best eye for interior design-because if everything is black and white everything will match (every time!)

 

All White

There’s just something about an all white color scheme that makes the room feel bigger and more open. You definitely don’t want to feel claustrophobic or crowded in your own work space. If you ever do-switch to white for a brighter and cleaner feel!

Rose Gold

Lack of color isn’t for everyone. If you’re feeling too bland, try adding in a pop of rose gold! Rose gold is the color of 2017. If you feel like your cubicle is getting a little boring, a few rose gold accessories is a great way to change up your space.

Red

We all know different colors can affect our mood and the way we feel. Well, I think everyone should feel empowered at work! That’s why red-the power color-is a great option during your next office makeover.

Green

Now, I’m not talking about green walls or green notepads. I’m talking about PLANTS! Plants clean the air, reduce stress, and the space just overall fresher and brighter. If you don’t have any plants, I recommend starting off with a snake plant, a little cactus, or a succulent. They don’t need much water, don’t take up too much space and they look super good in a boring corner!


Shop our office accessories here and don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest!

A great school year starts now! Make a smooth transition with our back-to-school supplies and must haves for the classroom or the home. From teacher to student we have you covered.

DESK: This desk gives the students the ability to stand and move. Patented Swinging Pendulum Footrest Bar (fidget bar) allows students to redirect excess energy and engage in continuous motion that may help support ergonomic comfort and cardiovascular health while potentially increasing calorie burn, productivity and focus. Phenolic resin open shelf and steel book box provide easily accessible storage area for school supplies and personal items.
STOOL: Adjustable-Height Student Stool gives students the option of swinging their legs for continuous movement, which may facilitate better breathing and lumbar support with slouch-free, “open-angled” posturing.
NOTEBOOK: One-subject, college-ruled notebook features movable, pocket tabbed dividers to efficiently organize your work. Durable plastic covers and pockets reliably protect your notes from being damaged.
PENCIL: Wood-case No. 2 pencils feature a rounded, hexagonal shape for easy writing. Latex-free eraser is smudge-resistant for clean erasing.
FILLER PAPER: Standard filler paper is three-hole punched to fit any standard three-ring binder or folder. Each sheet features a red margin line and faint blue ruling.
DESK CADDY: Simple. Smart. Sturdy. This environmentally responsible, recycled plastic organizer keeps your writing tools and other essentials handy for use.
STAPLERS: Stapler offers ergonomic stand-up design that takes up less desk space than conventional desktop staplers

Every construction site or other working environment that could be dangerous or hazardous needs to be handled safety. In order to provide employees safe and healthy work environment, there are criteria that need to be met. If you have questions about how to handle certain environments at work please refer to www.whistleblowers.gov or (https://www.osha.gov/workers/index.html) Workers’ Rights on the OSHA website. You can also reach out to OSHA directly by calling 1-800-321-6742.

We have all the equipment necessary for a safe day in the work place.

–Safety Helmets– In order to prevent concussion from falling objects, hard hats are necessary to keep you safe at work. These also prevent against low hanging wires that could pass an electrical current through the body.

–Safety Masks– To prevent inhalation of toxic substances, dirt and debris, or other vapor, use a mask. There are many particles in the air that over years can build up in the lungs causing illness and disease. This is something that could really save your life! Don’t let the heat discourage you from wearing your mask!

–Safety Vests– Want to be seen? Get safety a vest! If you are working on a jobsite at night you may even consider getting reflectors on your vest to be seen by passing vehicles.

–Safety Glasses– This should be a top priority! Eyes are very sensitive, so sensitive that you can feel a 3 cm hair moving around. Safety glasses can protect your eyes from hazardous liquids and flying objects. Never forget how important your eyesight is! On a jobsite it could be gone in seconds.

–Safety Gloves– There are many different types of gloves on the market and each job requires you to research and find the gloves right for the activity. You wouldn’t see gardening gloves in an ER or latex gloves in an auto shop. Be smart and research which gloves would be right for your project.

–Ear Protection– With time human’s hearing goes bad, so why quicken that process? There are many different types of protection so choose the one that is most comfortable for you.

–Safety Signs– Always be aware of your surroundings! Have an escape plan and know what obstacles you are surrounded by daily in your working environment.

Water Pouring into Bottle ca. 2001

Summer is coming and coming fast! College students are filling the parks, families are starting to play outside, and people are starting to go on long walks with their pets. Don’t forget to hydrate as the temperature rises.

As humans, we are made up of 60-70% water. Fluid balance is important when staying outside for long periods of time. We need just the right amount of water and electrolytes, but consuming too much water can cause intoxication.

According to the CDC, water helps keep body temperature regulated, lubricates your joints, protects sensitive tissues such as your spinal cord, and gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements. We also need more liquids in warmer climates, when running a fever, or excreting more fluid than normal from our bodies (“Drinking”).

Do not be afraid that bottled water, sports drinks, or soda contain bacteria. These drinks are protected under the 1974 Drinking Water Act when the FDA became responsible for ensuring the standards of the EPA are met. Tap water and bottled water must meet certain criteria the FDA (for bottled water) and EPA (for tap water) have set. They are then sampled, analyzed, and approved (Commissioner).

Some tips to remain hydrated are:

-always keep a water bottle with you

-try to drink a glass of water with every meal

-choose foods that have a higher water volume, such as, fruits or vegetables

-when playing sports or doing activities outside make it a competition to see who can drink more water

-put lemon/lime in your water if you do not like the taste

-try to avoid soda which can cause dehydration

Works Cited:

Commissioner, Office Of the. “Consumer Updates – Bottled Water Everywhere: Keeping It Safe.” U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Office of the Commissioner, 28 June 2010. Web. 14 June 2017.

“Drinking Water.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 14 June 2017.

Power Accessibility and Workplace Safety

Whether we realize it or not, we’ve all seen buildings with poor planning when it comes to power outlets. Think of an airport, an educational facility, or even your own office. If you have devices that need to be plugged in, you are restricted to the area within a few feet of a wall outlet. People end up “camped out” on the floor by the wall (sometimes in terribly inconvenient locations) so they can plug in a laptop or phone. Have you ever walked out of a classroom and almost tumbled over someone sitting on the floor with a laptop and their legs stretched out? Then you know exactly what I’m talking about!

Or how about this scenario: your business is relocating and turning a large office into a conference room. You want power in your conference table but there are no outlets in the floor, only in the wall. The quick and easy solution would be an extension cord and a rubber cord cover to bring power from the wall to the center of the room. While this solution is indeed easy and fast, is it the safest? Exposed cords on the floor (or even ones with a rubber cover) can pose a tripping hazard to those using the space, and can also get in the way of chairs if they are being rolled throughout the room.

How can both issues be put right? By providing power access in the center of a room, not just in the walls. Steelcase has provided a solution that is not only affordable and safe, it can be used in existing buildings without the need to core drill or trench into concrete subfloors! Steelcase Thread is a power solution that integrates easily into any space by routing power through a 3/16” high track that is installed beneath the carpet. The track has ‘ramps’ on either side, providing a safe solution that does not cause a tripping hazard. With Thread, floor monuments and freestanding power hubs can be installed almost anywhere in a room, allowing users to plug in from a centrally located seating area or work table without having cords running to the wall. Conference rooms also benefit from having power directly below where the table needs to plug in – no cords laying on the floor!

No matter the setting, Thread can help you make the most of your office’s real estate. With a simple installation process, low profile, and affordable price, Thread is a solution that is changing the way people think about power distribution. Ask the Porter’s Office Products Furniture team to learn more about how Thread can be integrated into your space!

Images provided by Steelcase. Visit https://www.steelcase.com/products/computer-support/thread/ for more information.

No two people sit the same. Which means nobody should be subject to sitting in an office chair that is suited for someone else. In fact, sitting in the wrong chair can have a long-term negative effect on your body. So how can you tell if your chair offers you the proper support?

Maintaining correct posture requires that your feet be flat on the floor with your knees and hips both bent at a 90-degree angle. Your lower back should be supported by your chair and your shoulders should be relaxed. The ideal position for your keyboard is having your elbows bent to about 90-degrees and your forearms and wrists level or slightly tiled downward to avoid strain on the wrists. Additionally, your computer monitor should be at or slightly below your eye level so your neck is not straining to look up at the screen.

So, what role does your desk chair play in helping you with proper posture? Ideally, you should be able to adjust the height to allow your feet to be flat on the floor. Chairs with a seat depth adjustment give you the opportunity to move your seat pan back so the back of your knees do not rest right against the seat pan, which can cause poor circulation to the legs. An adjustable lumbar will allow you to properly support your lower back. Finally, many chairs come with a seat tilt/tension lock or adjustment, so you can change how much resistance you feel when you lean back in your chair. The best chair for you will have all the adjustments necessary to provide comfort over a long period of time through proper support of your body.

But it’s not just your chair that can help how you sit! Other items like a keyboard tray and monitor arms will help you adjust your keyboard and computer monitor to be at the correct ergonomic height to not cause strain on your shoulders and neck. Having equipment that truly supports the way you work can benefit you both physically and mentally throughout your work day. When you sit well, you can work well!

Have questions about chairs and what kind is best for you? Contact the Porter’s Furniture Team and we can help you find the perfect fit!

Our whole lives we’ve heard, “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” Use less paper, buy reusable grocery bags, and recycle plastic bottles. Those are obvious, well-known ways to help our planet, but what are other ways to keep our life-long home safe and clean, especially in the workplace?

Power Saver:

This one sounds pretty obvious. Put your computer on auto sleep mode so if you are away long enough then your computer won’t be wasting excess energy. When you go to lunch, you can put your computer to sleep, but it saves much more energy if you shut down your computer. If the purchasing department of the company allows it, get LED or compact fluorescent light bulbs. They last much longer and are well-known energy savers.

AC/Heater:

In the middle of the summer, it can be hard to turn down the AC. Having it on high is a very bad energy waster, though. It’s okay to have it on to a certain temperature, but it’s much more energy efficient to give employees small desk fans as they need them. As for the winter, you can also have some heat on so no one gets hypothermia and sues the company, but keep it a little lower and tell workers to bundle up if needed.

Carpool:

Some may think this is an awkward conversation to have with coworkers, but you’d be surprised how many people who live nearby would be willing to help save the environment (and money) by carpooling. Cars use many fuels that are harmful to the environment and even toxic to humans, animals, and plants. Decrease the amount of harm we place on our home by simply tag teaming with a few buddies.

Less Paper:

Computers may not be great energy savers themselves, but the sheer amount of paper used on a daily basis in the office is drastically worse. Many documents could be emailed and saved on a hard drive rather than printed out and stuffed in a filing cabinet. Plus, it can be a lot easier to sort and search for those documents digitally than by hand. As for to-do’s that we often put on sticky notes or paper pads, use a white board instead. Then you can simply erase it instead of throwing away many notes per day.

Spread the Word:

Many people have heard all of these suggestions, but they simply aren’t motivated to do something about it. When one person announces they are going to try and make a difference, it can spark a desire in others to do so as well. It’s a great way to find carpool buddies and an accountability partner or two. One person can make a difference in many lives, and in saving the world.