Fourteen articles and hacks to make working from home easier

Fourteen articles and hacks to make working from home easier

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It has been almost a year since many of us started working from home due to the pandemic. If you have not yet adapted your workspace to meet your needs, it is probably time to get to it. Whether you are sitting in the guest bedroom, on your couch in the living room or in a walk-in closet, you may need a little extra to type it comfortably, meet online or just concentrate. Sometimes it means buying a new desk, lamp or monitor; sometimes it just means finding a household item that will make life a little easier.

We have the staff of The edge which they used to make their home situations more practical, enjoyable or simply more possible. Here are some answers we got.

Technical products

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

I basically live in my AirPods Pro during the day. They make me listen to music, Slack-pings call and take calls, all with the added benefit of a sound suppression to drown out noise from outside. Their range is also ideal for my apartment – I can be anywhere in the house without losing touch with my computer, which is really nice when I have to walk from my desk to, for example, microwave my second cookie of the afternoon . –Jay Peters

Apple AirPods Pro

Phone as webcam

Nexus 6p

It was surprisingly easy and cost effective to turn my phone into a fully functional webcam. I already put a Nexus 6P and with these steps working on most Android and iOS devices, I now have a phone-meet webcam. It has a video quality that roughly matches a standalone webcam that would probably cost $ 200 by now. What makes it even better is that my iOttie car support connects perfectly to my glass bench so I do not have to arrange the phone awkwardly to get a good angle on my face. –Cameron Faulkner

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

While working on a MacBook, this Satechi hub is a lifesaver to enable podcasting microphones and other equipment that I suddenly use alone. –Adi Robertson

Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2

I go through a lot of batteries with my flash when I take pictures at home and find that these rechargeable batteries last so much longer than regular disposable batteries. Not only do they save me going to the store and I keep more batteries at the landfills, but they end up saving me money as well. –Amelia Holowaty Krales

Panasonic AA NiMH 2.550mAh Rechargeable Batteries

Photo: CalDigit

With this Thunderbolt 3 dock I can switch my entire desktop setting (keyboard, mouse, speakers, Ethernet, monitor, external memory and microphone) from one computer to another by moving just one cable. I plug all my peripherals into the dock and then just use the one Thunderbolt cable to connect my Mac or any other Windows machine I need to test at the moment. It also has a very fast high-speed SD card slot on the front, which is ideal when I need to upload images from my camera to my computer. –Dan Seifert

CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3-dock

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Last year, I installed a Google Nest Wifi router with a mesh tip. I had a lot of networking equipment over the years, and it was immediately the best. And it was very easy to set up. –TC Sottek

Google Nest Wifi Router

Ultrawide monitor

Photo: LG

An ultrawide monitor is the best purchase I have ever made to work from home. It’s so big I have to physically lean from side to side to see everything. I can have three full size windows on at once or countless windows that overlap. (Right now I have nine different windows open and it does not feel cramped at all.) Mine is an old LG 34UM94-P that they no longer make – it looks like there is an updated version, the LG 34BL850- W However, I recommend that any monitor that is at least 34 inches in size with a resolution of 1440p or better. –Dan Seifert

LG 34BL850-W 34-inch QHD monitor

Home Office Helpers

Fully Jarvis Bamboo standing desk

Photo: Jarvis

We heard from three staff members about this desk:

The Jarvis from Fully was recommended to me by my colleague Christian Mazza, and it was by far my best work from home in years. It is quite expensive by standards for desks, but inexpensive by standards for stands.

Meeting was much less cumbersome than I thought it would be. Having the option to sit or stand when you are in your room or office all day makes a big difference. Plus it looks good and has some nice customization options for color and desktop materials. –Nick Statt

I love my Jarvis desk for the same reasons Nick does. If you’re considering one, I highly recommend spending the extra $ 20 for the long range height, which allows the desktop to be lowered for sitting and higher for standing, and the extra $ 35 for the programmable height switch, which allows you to set the preset heights you can switch back and forth by simply pressing a button.

I also jumped for the $ 29 roll so I could ride around my apartment on the desk, allowing my wife and I to use it as a mobile entertainment system. When we are done with the day, we can roll the desk to our comfortable chairs and watch or play Netflix Animal transition on the desktop monitor. –Jay Peters

I also only have the Jarvis in a larger size. It has been serving me for about four years now. It is a comfortable, stable, spacious desk with more versatility than typical desk options. –Dan Seifert

LapGear Designer Lap Desk

Photo courtesy of LapGear

I would have to work more at a desk, but I work a lot of time off a couch. It’s bad for me, but also very comfortable. Using a lap bench like this helps me to at least pretend to be a little more conscientious about my attitude; Plus, it’s handy to write on physical paper (or if my laptop gets too hot). –Chaim Gartenberg

LapGear Designer Lap Desk

Huanuo monitor mount

Photo: Huanuo

This monitor holder brings my screen to a nice height so I can not bend, and it is the highest one I have found. Other monitor arms I tried were just not long enough for me when I stood while I worked, and I am not that tall at five feet. With the mounting I can also set my monitor at the right height for movies or Animal transition if I use my desktop as a mobile entertainment center. –Jay Peters

Huanuo monitor mount

Nespresso Inissia Espresso Machine

Photo: De’Longhi

I am hopelessly addicted to ice lattes and ended up investing in this espresso machine with my stimulus check. It makes waking up in the morning a little more exciting when I don’t have to squeeze my coffee. And it comes with a milk frother! –Makena Kelly

Ello Devon glass tumbler

Photo: Ello Products

I never drink enough water. I seem to just forget and I get headaches due to dehydration, but something about this bottle helps me remember. Maybe this is the design? I love it! –Amelia Holowaty Krales

Ello Devon glass tumbler

Herman Miller Sayl Chairman

The Herman Miller Sayl is a general chairman. Vox Media’s NYC office has hundreds of them. However, I bought one without arms because it works a little better for my posture. I’m tall and it’s hard to find chairs that do not encourage me to slumber. I also like the red. –Sam Byford

Herman Miller Sayl Chairman

Notebook and pen

notebook

While all my work and most of my writing takes place on my computer, it is sometimes easier (especially for sudden calls or if I do not want to switch from a video) to simply turn to the notebook I keep next to my laptop. and write down a note or two. And I realized that using a fancy pen is not only good for my morale, but that I’m much less likely to be without ink (or with a hand cramp) if I had to write something important quickly. . I currently use a True Writer ballpoint pen from Levenger that I received as a birthday present, but any pen that makes you feel good will do. –Barbara Krasnoff

Update 4 February 2021, 14:37 ET: This article was originally published on April 28, 2020 and has been updated to include changes in pricing and conditions.

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