If you are like me and have the privilege (it’s a privilege since some people have to work in person) to work from home more than ever before because of the illness, chances are that you may not have figured out our ideal work set up. I have been there! For so long I hated my set up and this made working from hard so much harder.
But once I decided to invest in a few key items, this drastically improved my workflow. Here are a few work from home items I would recommend. Though the title says ‘need’, you technically need none of those. My mentality is that work is already hard enough. I might as well as invest in high quality items so that the technology or actual work flow easy peasy.
My laptop was not ready for the transition to work from home. I was suddenly using it for hours of the day and began to hear the vents working constantly. Laptop stands are so helpful because it helps air circulate in your laptop. Using a stand alongside some other items I recommend below, also makes me feel more like I am working on a desktop, something I genuinely miss the feel of.
To be honest, the mouse and mousepad work are really only necessity if you do not have the best trackpad on your laptop or if you are using a laptop stand. Normally I would just scroll on my Macbook and this would suffice. But with the use of a mouse, it is. bit easier to navigate pages and this honestly isn’t a huge cost.
3. Bluetooth Keyboard
I first bought my keyboard because I was connecting my Macbook to a screen and needed a keyboard that wasn’t my laptop itself. Now, this keyboard is perfect to use with my laptop stand and helps make it feel like I’m writing on a desktop.
Does anyone ‘need’ to spend $14 on what is essentially a power strip? Hell no. Am I glad I did? Yes! What I love about this power strip is you can press a button to quickly turn it on and off. It also has space to plug usb cords directly in.
When I first started working from home, I realized how slow my internet was. It’s one thing to watch the occasional episode of tv and another to be in live Zoom classes all day. When I first sent a text to my roommate asking to upgrade the internet, I somewhat scoffed at the idea of getting an Ethernet cable.
At first I bought one that was a bit too short (and later ordered this one that is 100ft) but even though the length was less than optimal, I was blown away with the change in connectivity. Friends, don’t jump to paying a couple of months extra month, paying $20 upfront for an extra long cord will help you in a pinch and you won’t have to constantly pay a reoccurring cost. This is what I’d like to call a smart purchase, since long term it saves you some coin.
I hope this helps!
FTC: Not sponsored. Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning I earn a small percentage of sales made via those links, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra!