Work From Home Tech, 2021
When I wrote this article at the beginning of what has become a year long public health crisis, I didn’t quite grasp the depth of where COVID would take us, and how much the world would change because of it. There is no going back to the pre-COVID days, not really, and one of the biggest places we’ll be seeing that is the shift to working from anywhere. The title reads “from home”, but really, the flexibility to work from anywhere is the direction we’re headed in. With light at the end of this very long tunnel, let’s revisit some permanent (and portable) fixtures to your work from home/anywhere setup. And hopefully you have a work stipend you can use on some of this stuff, although I stand by the recommendations even out of pocket. We’ll cover computers & laptops in a future post.
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Other Accessories (plants, lights, power outlets, battery banks, etc)
Monitors
OK so some of this will be rehashed from the last article but you really need to get a monitor, even if this lies more on the less portable side of things on this list. Laptops offer great portability and enough horsepower under the hood to get the vast majority of work tasks done, but when you’re heads down and deep into some work, you can’t beat having that bigger display. You still don’t have to break the bank, particularly if you aren’t worried about any additional media consumption or gaming on it, so something like this 21” Acer FHD is modern looking enough and clocks in at just under $100.
If you’re exploring parts to build into a gaming rig or you care a little bit more about refresh rate and increased resolution, the next step up from a very basic display could be this 1440p 27” Acer with 144hz refresh for that buttery smooth motion. Most machines should still be able to support that resolution and refresh rate and the increased resolution should maintain text clarity even at 27”.
If you’re really trying to go all out, 4k, HDR, and have the machine to power it, or do work that requires more visual fidelity like graphic design or video editing, this 32” LG hits the marks while staying under $500, a steal for 4k HDR10 with a 95% color gamut.
Monitor Arms
A monitor arm is the next step to getting a monitor, and some tweaks may be needed depending on your desk. However, this is a piece that I actually didn’t even have in my own office for years until this past summer, and now I cannot imagine ever going back to not using one. There’s a ton of flexibility for your setup, with single, dual, triple and more, but you’ll have to keep an eye on the weight rating and the level of maneuverability you want. A straight forward, single monitor arm like this one is actually what I use for my work/studio desk, but if you have the space for it and want an uber flexible arm, this spring loaded Ergotron gives you a full swivel range for maximum angles.
Standing Desks
I know what you’re thinking “standing desks are expensive and actually studies show that standing in one spot isn’t all that much better than sitting”. Don’t quote me on that last one, YOU’RE saying that, not me. Besides, I think the whole point is not staying still in a single position for long periods of time, AND there are cheaper alternatives to getting a whole new desk. I haven’t made the move yet, but I want to, and considering I’ve invested a decent amount into my home tech, I probably want to invest in a desk with a motor that can hold up to years of use. Besides, you don’t have to go hardcore, $1500 herman miller desk, the one I’ve been eyeing for a while is this $650 dual motor Vari desk. When it comes to actual work things, the one thing I miss most about going into an office is the old standing desk I used to work from. It’s just a nice way to break up the day and stretch, so one with multiple memory settings is what I’d look for. Otherwise a cheap alternative is a standing desk converter that sits on top of your current desk, I use the VIVO monitor arm and am happy with it’s durability so far, so here’s one of their options for around $120.
Headphones
This is one of the trickier ones, and maybe I should have called this section Audio instead. I say that because in the context of work from home, it’s not JUST about good sound quality for your music, you also have to consider call and microphone quality. Yes, you can just use a pair of standard wired headphones with mic, but that’s not pleasant to listen through, and spoiler, it’s not pleasant to hear you from the other end either. That said, they still sound better than the standard AirPods so, grain of salt.
Wireless earbuds are increasingly popular choices and some of them have decent mics, but usually they’re so small there has to be other spacial audio technology at play to make it sound decent, ie: AirPods Pro. I personally use the Jabra Elite 85ts, but you can also go with an over ear headphone, or even lean in to having a dedicated headset with a boom mic (many gaming headsets can serve this purpose). For example, Spencer has been using these PlayStation HyperX Cloud for our podcast and they’ve been getting the job done, although there is a decent amount of post processing done on that recorded audio. However, in the off chance you are interested in a more robust audio setup to give you flexibility to stream or podcast yourself on top of using it for work, here is my setup:
Headphones - Audio Technica m50x (still my favorite headphones, for the record)
DAC - Focusrite Solo
Mic - Audio Technica AT2020 w/ arm
Ergonomics & Peripherals
Realistically all the sections up to this point could definitely warrant their own deep dives and dedicated content, but I wanted this to be a quick one stop page for you. Still, these are smaller pieces that have more influence on your actual physical well being, things to help fight off carpal tunnel, promote better posture, and just provide comfort in general. Well, realistically it’s more about your posture than a specific mouse or keyboard, but they can help. So of course, I have to include the MX Master mouse. It’s the standard gadget head mouse of choice, but for good reason. An ergonomic design that doesn’t get in the way. When it comes to keyboards, they can get pretty expensive quick and it comes down to preference or if it’s something you even care about, but for typing, I like mechanical keyboards with Cherry MX Brown keys or equivalent (they provide tactile feedback without the loud click, unless you like that click). The Keychron K2 is what I use. An ergonomic alternative I keep around is this logitech one.
As for other ergonomics, a simple foam wrist wrest is more than enough. If you do end up going with a standing desk of some form, an anti-fatigue floor mat will be clutch.
Other Accessories
Not everything on this list is totally portable, but the pieces are there, particularly with peripherals, you can toss your mouse, MAYBE your keyboard (if it’s compact), your headphones, and maybe a couple of things I’ll list here into a bag on the go as things start opening back up this spring. Speaking of bags, I’m not a huge fan of overly “tech” backpack because being a city dweller, I have to keep an eye out for thieves, but I used a Cocoon backpack for a long time, I’m a big fan. Now I just carry around a simple Herschel or a small sling bag if I’m not bringing my laptop with me, but wanted to put that out there.
Get a lamp, add a plant to your desk, maybe a figurine or one of those digital photo frames, think about how you customize your desk at the office, and bring that energy into your own home. Maybe you’re already doing that, but you aren’t looking at your own background all the time, so while it’s fun to put up a conversation starter for your video calls, make sure you don’t forget about the space you’re actively working on. If you went with that monitor arm, you’ll have the room for it. A small notebook and pen always goes a long way and has uses beyond work, so that’s helpful to carry around as well (without getting too deep in the everyday carry scene). Also these desk outlets with usb have been clutch for me so I also recommend that.
Ultimately you want to do things that make your space feel professional, but also you, so have fun with it! Who knows, maybe you find some inspiration to invest more in yourself and that hobby of yours with a dedicated space to work on it.
