30 Sep Updating Your Home Office

Can the Tech to Make Your WFH Space the Best EVER

It’s official. Remote work is here to stay. And virtual learning doesn’t appear to be far behind. Now that remote work has become part of our new normal, it’s time to outfit your home office space to be the home-work nest of your dreams (if you haven’t already.) This year the internet was flooded with “Back to School” tech, even we did our own list outlining how to best equip students for an unpredictable school year. But what about the workforce? 

In March, when employees were sent home to work remotely the situation seemed temporary. Two weeks, they said. It’ll be fine, they said. Now, six months later and working from home looks like a trend that’s sticking around, at least partially. So it’s time to throw out your cardboard box desk (we’re looking at you, Cat) and outfit your home office space to become the productive yet comfortable haven it should be. 

Upping Your Zoom Game- Webcam, ring light, microphones

Love them or hate them, video conferences are part of our lives now. Could they be emails? Maybe. But rather than focusing on the negatives, why not *focus* on yourself with a high-quality webcam and ring light? Improving the quality of your video conference setup can help you better connect to your coworkers and help your meetings flow smoothly. If you can’t spring for a webcam or ring light, small things can help improve your Zoom game. Setting up next to a window with soft natural light or styling your background can do wonders. Or, if you want to take your setup even further, adding a microphone will make sure your ideas are heard loud and clear. 

Keeping Connected- Router and Modem

With all the video conferencing (and your newfound ability to stream your favorite show while you work,) your internet connection needs to be stable and working to its fullest potential. Make sure your internet is living its best life with updated hardware- a new router and modem. Shoddy internet connections at home may have been acceptable in the past, but in order to stay productive, you have to stay connected. Not interested in buying new hardware for work? Updating your current modem and router’s firmware, changing the location of your hardware for a better connection or adjusting the antennas to make it easier for your devices to connect are some of the ways you can upgrade your current setup. If you wanna go big (because you can’t go home, you’re already there) adding a mesh kit expands your internet connection to cover every nook and cranny of your home. 

Combating Carpal Tunnel- Keyboard and Mouse

If we’re being completely honest, this should already be on every office worker’s must-have list. Reports are plentiful about how sitting and typing away all day can affect your health. One way to combat the effects a desk job has on your wrists would be to quit and become a personal trainer or adventure guide! Or you can invest in a keyboard and mouse that reduces strain on your upper body. Ergonomic keyboards have evolved to include features that can lessen pressure on your wrists and better relax your shoulders and arms. The same is true for mice, too. New designs in vertical mice promise to relieve tension by allowing your arm to rest in a more natural, comfortable position. If you don’t think a split keyboard or sideways mouse is for you, performing simple wrist and arm stretches can be just as effective. 

Saving Your Work- Storage and Backup

Do you have a child (or fur baby)  prone to knocking over cups of liquid onto your workspace? Then you need backup. Even if your workspace doesn’t have accident prone visitors, backing up your work and personal files is still a good idea. Regardless of where you work, you can’t escape the threat of data loss. Especially working from a personal network. External harddrives are great for instant storage and quick transfers, but unfortunately can fall victim to the same physical damage your machine can. To best safeguard your work, cloud backup can safely and securely store your files from any type of loss. Cold storage cloud backup, a less expensive option, requires a few more hours of restore time, but can be acquired for as little as $30 for lifetime protection; or, you could beef up your security with a two-pronged approach, cloud backup along with a harddrive. 

Sharing Your Space- Headphones 

If you’re sharing your living space, you may not be the only one working from home; and with multiple people signing into video conferences, headphones become a must. Investing in a pair that’s comfortable and has a built-in microphone can help you through a day full of back-to-back meetings. Whether you’re looking for wireless, bone conduction, traditional wired, or one-wire, multiple styles at various price points make headphones one of the easier items on this list to shop.  

Reactions to working from home have been mixed, but silver lining— we can freely customize our spaces, from the tech we use to the temperature of the thermostat. Almost all of the items on this list are equally as useful when you return to the office, or can be easily taken with you if you have a hybrid workflow in which you work from both office and home (okay, so maybe you won’t be hauling your router and modem around…) This year has proven that we all must be flexible, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up comfort and productivity. 

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