We thought a list of Lorilee’s favorite home office gadgets might help out a few of you now prepping to work from home…
Setting up a home office isn’t always as easy as it sounds.
Thankfully because of my job as a graphic designer and entrepreneur, sometimes sick kiddos, and being currently in grad school at Vermont College of Fine Arts, I have perfected over the past year my “work from home” office space up in my spare bedroom. It took a while to perfect my setup. Through many hours of work, grad school writing, research, and video chats I realized I have a few staples to make a home office setup work better for me. My goal is to get the most work done in a comfortable environment.
With those thoughts in mind as we are all transitioning home for a while I thought my favorite home office gadgets might really help those of you who are new to setting up your own new work from home station. Here’s a quick list to get you started in thinking about creating a special creative space that’s just for you.
- Light weight table top standing desk »
Because a standing desk can be expensive and take time to assemble, our creative team has found this handy pop-up desk that really works great! - Power strip surge protector with LOTS of USB ports »
My desk has a phone charger, bluetooth speaker, headphones, wireless keyboard, mouse and iPad. With all those gadgets I needed way more USB ports to plug into. This power strip has me safely charged and working great without overloading any circuits! - LG Computer 4K monitor »
It’s important when doing long hours at the desk that I have more screen real estate for the many windows. This 4K display looks great and helps my tired 40-something eyes, as well as my posture, as it forces me to sit up straight in front of a display instead of hunkered over a small laptop. - USB-C hub for all the gadgets to connect »
My new laptop doesn’t seem to have any ports of any kind other than USB-C. The other hubs in the past also seemed to break easy. This one with the cord has lots of options to plugin all the old tech that I need to move any files around. - Laptop elevator stand »
If you don’t have a larger monitor this is a great way to lift up the laptop for easier viewing as well as give it some air to circulate as it’s working just as hard as you are from home. Add a keyboard and you will feel better sitting at your desk or kitchen table for a while using this. - Wall hanger for papers to keep a clean desk surface »
Desktop surface area is scarce in my home office, so I grabbed these to pin up inspirational quotes, notes, and help keep my desktop for my note book, writing, and coffee mug. 🙂 - A good mug »
Speaking of coffee! I love this mug b/c it doesn’t need a coaster, holds a lot of coffee & tea, plus it’s extra sturdy and doesn’t easily tip over. - Noise-cancelling earbuds »
I have to have my Apple AirPods Pros to work to block out the noises around me to concentrate. Noise-cancelling headphones are so great to drown out neighbors, kids, the dog, and the garbage truck outside when you really need to get work done. - Yoga at your desk »
Briana, our lead graphic designer, showed me this and I love it and do it daily! It helps to do it many times during the day when you are tired or stressed. It’s the way I decompress before I end my work day at home so I can come into the den with the kids refreshed and more relaxed. All you need is a chair! - LR Study on Spotify »
Music playlists for productivity are important. Having a lyric-free chill study playlist is important for me so I don’t get distracted singing along when I’m really trying to concentrate. Sam, our marketing manager, witnessed my sing-a -long skills all day last Friday with my 80s classic country playlist… ha! So for real focusing this one is what I listen to.
A few bonus extra tips for working from home:
- Buying an extra computer charger for your laptop to leave plugged in at your desk.
- Extra ink for your home printer and an extra ream of paper, because my kids need to print some school stuff too.
- With a rechargeable keyboard, mouse, phone, ipad, iphones, speakers and all the like, that power strip above with extra USB ports comes in super handy to keep all the work devices charged and now overload your plugs and need so many small blocks to plugin everything, so you might need a few more extra 10″ charging cords.
- If going to do video calls be sure to face a window for best lighting. Do not have the window behind you, as back lighting will make it hard to see you.
- Think about adding a plant, artwork and inspiration that will help motivate you to keep going.
- Take breaks every hour and stretch, stand up, get some water and rest your eyes.
This is all I have for now kiddos. Take care, hang in there and let me know if you have any tips to share and we’ll share more as our team at Thrive Creative Group thinks of ways we can help each other get through hard times. Go & be awesome!
-LR
Posted In: Marketing Tips