5 things you need to have in your home office
This is not my home office.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re in your home office. A couple of months ago, you may never have thought that there was much of a chance that you’d be a teleworker. But alas, here we are. For those of us who work from home often or all the time, there hasn’t been much of an adjustment period. But if you’re not used to it, you may still be getting used to your new setup. Hopefully, you will be moving back to your office sooner rather than later, but either way, I’m sure you want to have the best setup possible if you ever have (or get) to work from home again. To perfect your new home office digs, here are five things you should get for your home…
External monitors: Laptops are great. They’re mobile and you don’t have to sit at your desk all day like you do with a desktop computer. But most laptop screens aren’t very large, and it can be annoying when you’re trying to multitask. Having external monitors that you can utilize from your laptop is a great help in getting stuff done. While it’s nice to be able to move and get comfortable when you’re focused on one task, having a multi-screen setup will be your best friend when you’re super busy.
A great desk: There are probably a lot of people who have been working from either their kitchen or dining room table for the last 6-8 weeks. The truth is, we’ve all sat at our table and worked. But whether it’s having to clean up food from breakfast or the traffic that passes by you all day, it’s definitely not ideal. If you don’t have a desk somewhere in your house, now is great time to get one. I have two simple and clean desks in my home office and they make it easy to get into work mode.
A comfortable chair: If you’re one of those kitchen table folks that I just mentioned, whether or not you’re ok with working at your table, I guarantee you don’t love sitting in a wooden chair for long periods of time. Even the best padded dining room chair is only comfortable for about the length of time you’d take to eat a meal. Think about the last time you had company over and ate at your dining room table. After about 45 minutes, you’ve had just about enough. Get a nice office chair to go along with your desk and make sure it has lumbar support.
Lamps: Personally, I don’t trust anyone who prefers overhead lighting. I am 100% a lamps guy. My whole house is full of random lamps of different sizes and shades. My recommendation would be to find a place to work that has great natural lighting and then add in a lamp or two that will give off a good amount of light for those periods when you’re working late or it’s overcast outside.
A wifi extender: I made a good decision when my internet was first installed at my house. I knew I wanted the router in my office. However, when I’m at the other end of the house, I don’t get as great of a connection. I solved this problem by getting a wifi extender. Now I get a signal all the way to the mailbox! There are lots of options out there, but I’m super happy with the one I bought if you want to take my word for it.
