By now most companies have decided to return to the office in some capacity, while others have decided they don’t need an office. Others are leaving it up to their employees to decide what they want to do. If you have that choice and want to stay working from home for the long run, we have some tips and suggestions for you.
The first place to start is with your desk. Do you want a sitting desk, a full standing desk, or a standing desk converter that simply moves the monitor, mouse, and keyboard? CNN and The New York Times both have articles with reviews on standing desks and converters: https://cnn.it/3y1ML69; https://nyti.ms/3sokDZn. The size desk you pick will depend on what you’re working on from home (more on that later), so make sure you have enough space for your full setup.
After deciding on your desk, you’ll want to decide on your computer setup. What you get for a computer really depends on how you work. A laptop is great if you need to get up and go often, but if you’re not going to be bringing a laptop with you to appointments or meetings your best bet is still a desktop. If you choose a laptop, you’ll also want to look at docking stations. A docking station will let you connect monitors and accessories like a mouse and keyboard to your laptop with only one wire, which makes it easy to take the laptop on the go without having to unplug everything.
Now it’s time to think about monitors. The good news is you can use one or more monitors with either a laptop or a desktop. Decide what size monitor makes sense for the way you work and the space you’ll have. You can always run to Staples or Best Buy to get an idea of what size will work best for you. You’ll also need to make sure that the video connections on your desktop, laptop, or docking station match what the monitor has available; if they don’t there are converters available. Something else to think about with monitors is how they’ll fit on your desk. If you get a full standing desk or a regular sitting desk you can get monitor arms that will allow you to have the monitors off the desk surface, giving you more room and usually allowing flexibility in the placement of the monitors themselves.
Lastly, you’ll want to think about accessories that you might need, like mouse and keyboard, USB hubs, web cams, power ports, speakers, etc. If you’re getting a desktop, you should have enough USB ports for your accessories but if you’ve chosen a laptop, you’ll need to make sure you have enough (either on the laptop, using a hub, or on a docking station). Laptops have built-in web cams, but they may not be convenient for actual use on a desk; it’s best to get a separate web cam if you plan on doing any video meetings or recording. For a mouse and keyboard, you may want to get a wireless set to give you freedom of movement and eliminate some of the wires.
Happy shopping!
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