Making your own office supplies list is pretty easy. But most people who set out to make office supplies lists fail due to their inability to think clearly about what they need and overcomplicate this simple task.

They list the wrong items or try to do too much at once, either ignoring the most important components like binding equipment or overvaluing the less important ones. The result is that they neglect important improvements to their office space or purchase supplies that aren’t really adding any value to their business and end up spending their money.

This article states out the step by step process you can take to make your own office supply list without overcomplicating the process.

1. Divide your office space into various categories like the conference room, reception area, kitchen area, resting area, etc. Then walk around each part and make notes on what that particular area needs or wants.This makes it much easier than trying to think of all that your office needs at once.

If you have a small office with less space then you should categorize some corners too as it makes it easier for your employees to work in a more organized manner(you should do it even if the only employee you have in your office is you).

2. Calculate how many items you will need for each employee and also calculate and categorize items that you will need often and items that you won’t need often. You can use a spreadsheet for this. This will help you declutter your mind and will prevent you from buying unnecessary things.

3. Now, divide all those categories you’ve created into appropriate groups like printer supplies, paper shredder, desktop items, cleaning items, and miscellaneous.

4. Now, for each group of supplies research properly on how you can buy the items cheaply and affordably by looking at websites online or calling dealers locally. This will help you calculate the overall spending.

5. You should also research how easily a certain item will be available to you. For example, some items can take up to a week to be delivered as compared to other items like pencils, envelopes, files, folders that you can buy locally.

6. You can then place the order or purchase your supplies from this list. If you’re still unsure whether the supply list you’ve made is inadequate and not perfect( as some people tend to be perfectionists) then you can experiment for a few months with the checklist and change it according to your requirements. You should also make sure to update your checklist every 3 to 6 months to avoid chaos for your company or office.

Next, let’s see some basic supplies that every office should have:

1. Clean drinking water and surroundings.

2. Paper shredder. This is the most necessary one unless you want piles of paper flowing around your office.

3. Computers, laptops, scanners, and all the other related technology items that your office needs.

4. Basic furniture like desks, chairs(preferably rolling chairs as they are more comfortable), meeting tables, kitchen cabinets, etc.

5. Appropriate storage space like shelves and dividing drawers for files.

6. Cleaning supplies like toilet paper, hand soaps, trash can, recycling bins, etc.

7. Kitchen supplies like microwave, coffee maker, snacks, etc.

8. Safety equipment (top priority) like fire extinguishers, first aid kits, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors.

9. Lastly, you cannot miss general supplies like pens, pencils, paper, planners, calendars, binder clips, printer inks, etc.

Take away

Making and acting on an office supply list doesn't have to be such a confusing and daunting task. Just tackle one thing at a time and make sure you remember that you’ll make some mistakes making these lists but you can always improvise it as you go on with your work.