All of us have been forced to stay indoors because of the current pandemic, which made us realize the importance of having a proper home office setup. And that’s not all. Several companies have been considering making the work-from-home solution permanent.
A laptop or desktop is an absolute necessity whether you brought it from work or it is your device; always make sure the device is a handy one. While choosing a laptop for work, look for these features:
- Light and thin design ensuring easy portability
- Long battery life and fast-charging technology
- Powerful processor for those busiest days
- High bandwidth memory with fast boot-up
- BIOS protection and recovery
- Environmental friendly
- Hardware warranty with good web support
A good workstation needs a great desk, preferably one that can be easily converted into a standing desk. This will make sure you are not sitting throughout the day. To increase your productivity and also to keep some health conditions and diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, back pain at bay, get a height-adjustable desk and maintain the sit-stand schedule.
When looking for that perfect desk, look for the following features:
- A spacious work station that has ample space even for your coffee mug, documents, and books
- A sturdy structure that is waterproof and easy to clean
- Easy and smooth height adjustment
- Quick and easy to set up with a removable keyboard tray
- Offers comfortable sitting and standing positions
If your home has become your primary workplace, then a comfortable chair is a must. Invest in a chair that is designed to keep in mind long term desk use and that it looks nice. When you have a perfect ergonomic chair, you will not have to deal with back pain.
Consider the below-mentioned features when investing in a chair:
- Sleek high-end design with an excellent build quality
- Premium adjustable design that looks stylish and magnificent
- Mesh backrest that is breathable
- Tilt mechanism that can go all the way to 150 degrees
- Hassle-free and quick installation
- Flexible armrests and 360-degree swiveling casters
- Certification and reliable quality
Look for the following features while selecting the right keyboard and mouse:
- Slim design with tilt angle for easy typing
- Skin-friendly and sweat resistant wireless mouse
- Noise reduced keys, and silent click of the mouse allows you to work peacefully
- Wireless plug and play with fast operation
- Compatible wireless mouse and keyboard combo
- Can be used as a gaming mouse also
Working from home with the same scenery every day might end up being boring; hence a change of scenery is necessary. A laptop stand will help adding stability no matter the surface. When you have a laptop stand with the following features, you will enjoy your working hours.
- Simple, elegant, and stylish design
- A cooling function that prevents your device from heating up
- Foldable design that can easily elevate your notebook or laptop
- Heavy-duty and durable with high-quality material
- Stable and compatible with all laptops
You need to plugin not only your laptop but also several other items like a mouse, keyboard and charging cable, and even an SD card reader. This is why adapters are important to home office that will make things simpler for you.
- An extra-long extension cord that gives the flexibility to reach places
- Surge protection that will protect your mobiles and laptops
- 45-degree right-angled plug that can fit in any tight place
- Double-break safety switch that will protect both your home and devices
- A USB power strip that will turn your regular wall into multiple AC outlets
A bad internet connection can actually affect your productivity and frustrate you. Having a wireless router that provides effective coverage and great speed is extremely important. These unprecedented times makes it more vital to own a long-range Wi-Fi router. Look for the following features when buying a router for your home:
- Ultimate speed and reliability
- Maximum efficiency and performance when operating multiple devices
- Strong signal strength and coverage
- Parental control ensuring your kid’s safety
- Easy managing and setting up
A good printer can be very helpful in printing out important work documents. No matter what you would want to print, having the right home printer will give you the desired results. When investing in a label printer with wireless networking, look for the following features:
- Built-in wireless connectivity that offers easy and quick connectivity
- Prints two colors over the label
- Cost-effective and ultra-fast
- Compatible with your mobile and laptop
A good pair of noise-canceling headphones is necessary to focus on your work and tune out the world. Make sure to go for one with great audio quality and solid battery life. Consider the below-mentioned features when looking for noise-canceling headphones:
- Battery life of up to 80 hours
- Foldable ear-cups
- A flat y-type cable that doesn’t tangle easily
- Can easily reduce ambient noises up to 95%
- Multi-function laser printer
- Scan speed of at least 22PPM
- Direct print from your mobile devices
- Easy, quick wireless installation
- Good paper input capacity of at least 150 pages
In case your work involves video calling often, then the webcam of your laptop isn’t going to be enough. A dedicated webcam has to be in your home office essentials list.
The following features need to be considered when getting a webcam:
- Light correction with autofocus webcam
- HD camera that has privacy cover slide
- Amazing picture quality with full HD 1080p
- Professional webcam designed for streaming
- User-friendly design with easy fitting
Speakers allow you to blast your favorite tunes while working hard. It is especially one of the most essential items for a home office if you live alone.
The below-mentioned features will help you choose the perfect speakers for your home office:
- Superior sound quality, be it low or high
- Well designed to match your home décor
- Wood enclosures that will minimize acoustic resonance
- Up to 8 hours of playtime
- Enhanced bass
- Usually, your microphone in your headphones or laptop is good enough for those long video chats. But to be on the safer side and for better sound quality, a microphone has to be in your home office essentials.
To make a sound investment when buying a microphone, consider the following features:
- Easy to connect with your laptop or computer
- Strong bass response
- Portable and stable design
- Professional quality sound chips
Task lighting will help you decide how much light you need and in which direction. If your workstation isn’t lit properly, it might lead to headaches and eye strain. To avoid such problems, get a premium quality task lighting set now. Look for the following features to light up your home workspace:
- Is gentle on your eyes and provides flicker-free lighting
- Modern design that will compliment your home decor
- Convenient and easy USB charging
- Adjustable and multi-functional
- Memory function & touch control
File cabinets are an essential item for a home office that will make sure your workspace isn’t a mess, and you are on top of things. Consider these features to choose that perfect file cabinet and save your valuable time:
- Accommodates your hanging files easily
- Lightweight with easy-roll casters
- Drawer extension with smooth suspension
- Sturdy, durable, and stylish
- Perfect even for limited space
There are sensitive documents that need to be disposed of properly, and simply throwing them away isn’t a safe option and might prove to be dangerous in the future. To find that perfect paper shredder to destroy all your vital documents beyond repair, consider the following features:
- Cross-cut shredder instead of a strip-cut shredder
- User friendly with easy start and stop
- Thermal protection to prevent overheating
- LED status indicators
Another work from home essential is the seat cushion that will make your regular chair much more comfortable and supportive. The cushion will make sitting those 8 long hours perfectly pleasant.
Consider the following features while investing in a gel cushion:
- Superior quality memory foam with a premium quality liquid gel layer
- Easy cleaning
- Easy to handle and carry with non-slip bottom
- Good quality and breathable fabric cover
Dangling your feet for hours can lead to increased strain and stress on your ligaments and muscles. Unnecessary pressure also might lead to back pain. This is why you need a footrest at home while working. When looking for footrests to save your day, consider the following features:
- Helps improve blood circulation and posture
- Massages your feet while resting
- Manually adjustable height
- Preferred angle adjustment
- Ready to use
It is essential to have tea and coffee makers at home to not only help you throughout the long day but also to wake you up in the morning. It will be a waste of time to go out and get yourself one every single time; hence look for the below-mentioned features when investing in a good tea and coffee maker:
- Dishwasher safe for an easy cleanup
- Easy to start and stop
- Compact space-saving design
- Coffee remains warm even after brewing
- Water window for easy view
No one likes a lukewarm liquid over hot brewing coffee. This is why a coffee mug warmer is an essential item for the home office. The coffee mug warmer will help you get that kick you are looking for and easily solve your problem. When buying a coffee mug warmer for that delicious sip of coffee, look for these features:
- Multiple temperature settings with temperature display
- Auto shut off
- High-quality material that is waterproof, shockproof, and fireproof
- Fast heating and fast cooling
- Easy to clean
Final Tips
Working from home might seem like a difficult task, especially in the beginning, but with time, you will start enjoying it and feel as productive as you felt in your office environment. Just make sure you have clear boundaries about your working schedule and make it a point to get dressed for work every single day as you used to when heading to your workplace.