Home Office Essentials

Introduction

Working at home you can spend a lot of time in the same space. To stop you counting the ceiling panels, it’s important to make your space yours, personalize it and bring it to life with some much needed essentials.

Besides the obvious laptop/desk; here are my top 10 picks for your home office essentials list in order of importance!

Ergonomic Chair 

This one, I can’t understate the importance of. Especially if you’re over 30 like me! You’ll be spending a lot of time sat in this bad boy so it’s important to get one that’s comfortable and suits your needs.

I used to have a bucket chair, and I’ll tell you for free, my back was in bits after a few months of use.

Buy an ergonomic chair and your back will thank you later. I’d recommend one with neck support too. My current chair is great for back support and comes with adjustable height, neck rest and arm rests.

Laptop Stand

Doubling down on the old man with a bad back vibe; we have the laptop stand, sitting per exhibit A below, might be ok for a few weeks, but let me tell you, I’m still paying for years sat at a desk like this.

I purchased a couple of cheap laptop stands that were no good. Getting one that was sturdy and adjustable was a game changer. I’m currently rocking the BoYata laptop stand; it’s  great piece of kit.

High Speed Internet

If you already work from home, you probably know if your internet’s up to the task of catering to your working needs. But if you’re new to remote working, or struggling with your current provider, you might want to check out my post on How To Optimize Internet Speed Working From Home.

Prevent yourself from freezing on Zoom or screaming at your computer when it takes an eternity to do anything more than typing an email, by making sure your internet’s as speedy as possible. 

Headphones 

Noisy neighbours, builders, deliveries, pets, family, I’ve experienced them all at some stage distracting me from the day to day. 

I find a good pair of headphones not only come in handy for drowning out noise, but receiving good audio in meetings. If you’re in them all day, or a lot of the time, comfort can really come into play here. I’d recommend the pair below to tick all the boxes.

Coffee Warmer

Ok, maybe we’re veering a bit away from ‘essential’ now. Non hot drink lovers you may skip this one! I love my morning coffee. I’m pretty sure it’s the first thing I think about most mornings. 

I fire up the Nespresso machine, grab my favourite mug, fill her up and head to my desk. 

Instead of sitting down with a big sigh thinking, here we go, 8 full on hours of grafting, I sit, I take a breath and I say….. Bloody thing’s gone cold already!

I got this as a stocking filler from my girlfriend last year, and I absolutely love it.

External Keyboard And Mouse

If you’ve opted for a laptop stand, unless you’re Stretch Armtong, you’ll probably also want to invest in a wireless mouse and keyboard.

A wireless keyboard is especially beneficial if you do a lot of typing and like to move position/to a different space as it gives you that freedom. Being too sedentary is one of the downsides of wfh, so it’s a nice opportunity to move about a bit and change up scenery.

I’ve gone through a few keyboard and mouse combos in the past 5 years and finally settled with the 2 below, which I’m happy with and would definitely repurchase.

Desk Lamp

When you’re working late or you want a change in mood, an office lamp can be of great use in changing up the look and feel of your workspace. Having one with a flexible arm helps direct the light where you prefer, down to a notepad for writing, towards your face for meetings etc.

I don’t know why, but I feel like my desk would look incomplete without a lamp. There’s probably an element of aesthetics at play when it comes to the look of your lamp and the lighting it provides. 

There’s a million options out there so it’s not too hard to pick one that suits you for either need. 

Indoor Plant

Ahh the office plant, some people have 5 of them, some only one, and some used to have one but forgot to water it. I do have one, and I have lost one to neglect, (RIP). 

As well as the pleasant look they can bring to an otherwise nature free setting, indoor plants can purify the air around you, making your working environment a healthier place to be.

I find mine creates a nice look and feel, but also it actually reminds me to get up and get outside for fresh air now and again, which is always a timely reminder.

Monitor 

I’m a tab enthusiast. I think I once had so many tabs open on Chrome that I couldn’t even click on them. This says a lot about my generally poor desktop admin. In my work, I run a fair few programs too, so having an extra screen does wonders for productivity and work management.

Depending on your line of work, If you’re a writer, for example, you might not need an extra monitor to push additional programs too. Most lines of work though, it does come in handy. They also act as a good way to install some much needed movement in your upper body, sorry, I’m talking about back pain again. The below comes recommended.

Notepad

What better place to finish than the bastion of any work desk for centuries. Again, this might depend on your style and preferences, you could just use notes on your computer. I do have a notepad and I also use ‘Notes’ on my laptop.

The reason for my notepad usage is importance. My digital notes tend to become a bit of a nonsensical brain dump because I put so much on there. If it’s going in the notepad, though, you better believe it’s important! This differentiation helps me keep tabs on the nice to haves and the must do’s so that I don’t let any important tasks slip through the net.

I also find that writing my daily to do list down on paper and crossing it off is quite cathartic for some reason.

Home Office Essentials Conclusion

No matter what home office essentials you opt for, tech, accessories, vegetation to adorn your workspace, make sure you stamp your unique identity on it. It’s the little things that get us through the day to day; anything that makes life a little bit easier or puts a wry smile on your face will go a long way to enhancing your wfh experience.