For the foreseeable future, those of us who have the luxury of working from home are probably going to be doing so. That means less time commuting, but likely way more distractions. To give yourself the best chance of being productive, you need to create an organized home workstation. Wondering what you might need? From laptop stands to docking stations, cord management solutions to wireless keyboards, we’ve rounded up the essential gear that will help keep you going.
Additional contribution from Will Price.
A Nice, Big Monitor
A second screen's worth of real-estate without all the extra cables. Dell's Ultrawide monitor is a godsend if your desk (and budget) can accommodate it.
A Desk Pad
Protect your desk and feel like a high-powered diplomat all in one go. Dacasso's desk pad is not the cheapest, but it is one of the best.
A Wireless Mouse
Its electromagnetic scroll wheel will make spreadsheet mining a breeze. And its ergonomic design can help save your wrist.
A Keyboard That's Nice to Type On
If you're going to be typing all day, it better feel damn nice. A Realforce keyboard is an investment, but it lets you skip right to the endgame of the luxury keyboard hobby.
An Ergonomic Laptop Stand
Having your screen at proper viewing height will save you a ton of pain, literally.
A Laptop Docking Station
This is one of the best and most reasonable priced Thunderbolt 3 docking stations. It can power up to two 4K monitors, or one 5K monitor, while simultaneously charging your laptop
A VPN
Not everyone’s work involves state secrets, but confidential information like employee agreements, credit card accounts and money transfers are commonplace. VPNs protect the data entering and leaving your computer from criminal access (or corporate data flubs), and NordVPN, with 900 servers in almost 200 countries, is about as secure as they come.
ANC Headphones
Not only are Bose’s newest flagships probably the best noise-canceling you can buy, but they are by far-and-away the best headphones for taking calls. Bose engineered the heck out of them so that the call clarity is as good for you (the person wearing the headphones) as the person on the other end of the line.
A Standing Desk
This has been regarding as one of the best standing desks for years. It’s well designed, highly adjustable and highly customizable. And you can lower it so that it’s the same height as any other sitting desk, too.
Portable Power
This portable power bank has a huge 19,000mAh capacity. It also has a USB-C PD input and output, meaning that it’s powerful enough to charge any new USB-C laptop, such as a MacBook Pro, and it also able to quickly charge after it’s depleted.
A Charging Station
Wireless charging is the future — and it’s here right now. This wireless charging pad is unique because it can simultaneously charge all three of your Apple devices: iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
A Headphone Stand
A headphone stand just declutters your headphones from your workspace. That might seem like a little thing, but it can actually help improve organization and increase productivity.
Cord Management
In any longterm “work from home” office, cable management is key. You don’t want to constantly be reaching under your desk looking for a charging cable. That’s where this Cable Zipper comes in. (The Container Store has a variety of other cable management solutions as well.)
