Whether you’re working remotely full-time or Zoom-ing into the office a few days a week, working from home is more popular and feasible than ever. However, getting into work mode in the same space where you sleep and chill can be tough, which is why a dedicated home office is essential for remote work. A big part of a home office setup involves finding the right ergonomic accessories that will help improve your productivity and keep you in the zone to get stuff done.
In this article, we’ll give a run-down of the best work from home accessories, from the must-haves to the nice-to-haves.
WHY YOU NEED A HOME OFFICE
One of the hardest adjustments for many people to make when working remotely is getting into "work mode" at home. The routine of commuting into an office is both a physical and mental transition from a place where you relax to a place where you work. When you’re working from home, of course, those places are one and the same, and being productive from the couch, bed, or dinner table is harder than it sounds.
The solution to this dilemma is to recreate the feeling of transitioning from home to work within your living space. That’s where a home office comes in: whether you have an entire room or just a desk in the corner, a home office physically separates your living and working environments, which prevents at-home distractions like snacking in the kitchen or watching TV in the living room. Plus, home offices let you keep your work in one dedicated place rather than scattered all over the house, which in turn preserves the rest of your home as a place where you can relax after work.
ESSENTIAL HOME OFFICE TOOLS
No matter how your office space is arranged, the key must-haves for any setup are:
- An easy-to-use microphone and webcam for the many video calls and virtual meetings you’ll be doing.
- Comfortable headphones with high-quality audio for virtual meetings, hands-free calls or listening to music while working.
- An ergonomic keyboard and mouse to prevent sore hands at the end of a busy day.
With those in mind, here are some of the best home office necessities to get your workspace up and running.
Yeti is the number one USB mic on the market today thanks to its great sound and easy-to-use controls. While computer mics have low sound quality and headphone mics can be unreliable and noisy, Yeti packs Blue’s legendary broadcast sound and built-in gain and volume controls into a camera-ready mic that’s compatible with Zoom, Slack and any other app with audio support. Just plug Yeti in, select it as your audio input source, and you’re off to the races.
Having great audio is one thing, but high-def visuals are an equally important ingredient in a masterful home office setup. You could use your computer camera, but that could leave you looking blurry, washed out or pixelated during your meetings––or your monitor might not have any built-in camera in the first place. Thankfully, Logitech’s StreamCam is easy to set up and offers HD video quality, auto framing and intelligent light exposure, so that you’ll look clear and professional in any setting.
You might be tempted to use the free headphones you got on the plane during your last vacation, but a well-fitting, high-quality set of headphones or earbuds can improve your work routine by tuning out distractions and helping you focus. Conventional earbuds often have bad sound quality and can fall out of your ears. Over-ear headphones offer better sound but can leave your ears sore and sweaty after a long workday. Meanwhile, UE FITS are custom-made earbuds designed to perfectly fit your ears’ unique shapes, giving you high-quality audio and all-day comfort.
Keyboards and mice are a very common cause of workplace discomfort and even injury, from sore hands to carpal tunnel. A laptop keyboard may seem fine at first, but its flat design and awkwardly placed trackpad keep your hands in potentially straining positions. That’s where ergonomic office design comes in to save the day, and the K860 keyboard and MX Vertical mouse are all about ergonomics, specially designed for maximum comfort and efficiency. The K860 features a curved design for a more relaxed and natural typing posture and a wrist rest for maximum comfort, while the MX Vertical places your hand in a “handshake” position to reduce wrist strain and a high-precision sensor for four times less muscle movement.
HELPFUL ADD-ON ITEMS
While the essentials make a huge difference to your home office on their own, there are also some helpful add-ons that can further improve your space, and maximize your productivity and organizational skills. These next items aren’t crucial for a home office, but including them in your setup will make your workspace even more equipped for work.
Yeti is already a compact mic, but if you prefer to keep your desk space clear, the Blue Compass boom arm and Radius III shockmount are great editions. Compass is a flexible but sturdy boom arm that keeps your mic hovering above you, strategically placed to the side, or whatever position you prefer. Meanwhile, Radius III, is a studio-grade shock mount that prevents your mic from picking up unwanted noise or vibrations for clean, clear sound. Whether you’re taking a video meeting or working on your true-crime podcast side project, these Yeti add-ons will make you sound more professional than ever.
If you want a break from using headphones, then external speakers are a fitting upgrade for your workspace. Most built-in computer or laptop speakers get the job done, but have an audibly limited frequency range and get distorted at higher volumes––not ideal if you want to jam while you work. Logitech’s Z200 speakers offer pristine stereo sound with adjustable bass controls in a compact design that doesn’t take up much desk space. Plus, the speakers come with headphone and aux inputs for a wide array of audio options to best suit your routine.
Once you try multiple displays, you’ll wonder how you ever worked with just one screen. Having the extra digital real estate helps with staying organized and feeling less overwhelmed by constantly sorting through windows and tabs stacked on one another, and using a tablet brings in touch controls for tools like Photoshop. For iPad users, the Logitech Base doubles as a charger and display device so you can use your tablet as an additional screen. Plus, the Base supports Apple’s Sidecar feature, which turns your iPad into an intuitive extension of your Mac screen.
Even the most organized and clean home offices have a potential weakness that threatens their cleanliness: the many, many chargers you need for your phone, earbuds, smartwatch and other tech. Thankfully, the Logitech Powered Three-in-One Dock ditches the cables for one sleekly designed charging doc that keeps your electronics in one place. Compatible with Apple and Android products, the dock props your phone and watch for easy access while at your desk and keeps your tech fully charged throughout the day and ready to go when you need to run to a lunch meeting.
Give your home office a game-changing makeover with these handy and helpful accessories today. For more info and tips about working from home and maximizing your working space, check out our blog.
July 12, 2022
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