Since most of us will remain in a work-from-home (WFH) environment for some time yet, we should make the most of it and surround ourselves with tools to make us more productive and less frustrated. Here are some suggestions to make your experience better:
We’ll assume that you’re already set with a reasonably ergonomic desk and a chair that’s up to the task. If not, put those things first on your list. And if you’re concerned about being too sedentary, give some thought to a stand-up desk topper. Styles and prices vary, but generally this is a fairly inexpensive item that will keep you from slumping in your chair all day.
If you’re good to go with your furniture but still not as comfortable as you’d like to be, you may find the fix in any number of low-cost items from an ergonomic keyboard and/or mouse to a gel wrist pad that offers support through those long days of typing.
Still working solely on your laptop screen? You’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll see when you extend your desktop with a second (or third) monitor. No need to get fancy with 4k or a curved display (unless your work demands it) … you can get a new 27” monitor for $200 or less.
If you really want to upgrade, consider a wide (21:9 ratio) monitor. In most cases you’ll spend more here, but you’ll enjoy an amazing amount of screen real estate.
With our professional lives revolving around Zoom meetings, you might consider presenting a better face to the world with an external webcam. Predictably, these are in short supply right now, but if you can find one in stock you’ll spend anywhere from $50 to $200 for a brand name. In almost all cases an external cam will be far superior to the one built into your laptop: higher resolution, higher-quality optics and better audio. And the form factor gives you more options: if you often present to a group on Zoom, these can be mounted on a tripod, allowing you to stand and move around.
Put your Amazon Echo or other smart device to work for you, also. Besides the background music, have Alexa set alarms to remind you to get up and move around.
And how’s that home-schooling going? We thought so. Consider noise-cancelling headphones as the final piece of your WFH solution.
Questions about IT solutions for working from home? Contact Hill Tech Solutions.