While I count myself amongst the first generation of remote tech workers in the mid-aughts, treadmill desk and all (ugh), I’ve largely been office-bound the last many years. As such, when my employer sent me home earlier this year, I (like many others) had some reconfiguration to do.
While my comfort and productivity are significantly improved by the following items, I still have work to do. So hit us in the comments with other successful additions to your new or revised workspace.
I actually purchased this desk pad prior to lockdown, in anticipation of more teleworking. It's lightweight, functional, attractive and reversible, with multiple colors to choose from – overall a nice surface to work on. My size+color combo was $14. https://t.co/G6cz4ejBVA pic.twitter.com/X8cnozk78u
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
I have sensitive eyes; it's not possible to purchase a monitor without trying it out in-store. So I wanted to elevate my work laptop to use with ext keyboard/mouse. This $18 laptop stand is stable, adjustable, looks clean, and accommodates thicker laptops. https://t.co/a7PgIbb1r9 pic.twitter.com/mzq0kFhXRa
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
About a week ago, I reclaimed this Anker wireless charger from my "real" office, to keep my phone juiced up and visible while working. Pairs nicely with the aforementioned USB-endowed surge protector. https://t.co/Y0S0uSWWVd pic.twitter.com/NLfr4eWpPK
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
And here's the little fan. It's fine, cools me off and provides some mild white noise while I work. Was originally purchased for my daughter's room at our prior home. https://t.co/ioHL5VkPNv pic.twitter.com/dkUyYRdl2c
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
I've vacillated on tablet/phone stands. Thought I wanted something taller, but turns out I prefer this shorter one. It has some elevation and the tilt mechanism is solid. Price seems to fluctuate, and too much for what it is, but ultimately worthwhile. https://t.co/RBNaPAbn1P pic.twitter.com/ahQOdQ7oSl
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
The best purchase to help me declutter, and thus focus, was this $16 (!) drawer. I'm not really in a furniture-buying mood and needed something to quickly organize/hide all the small things like cables, adapters, game controller, etc. https://t.co/8RLmVpNajB pic.twitter.com/CYNvd281k4
— Dave Zatz (@davezatz) June 26, 2020
For “speakerphone” conference calls, the Jabra Speak 510 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQUO5RI provides improved audio quality both ways. It connects via USB or BT to a desktop, laptop or phone, and has a built-in battery for mobile use.
I bought my wife AirPods for her birthday in January… but have since swiped them for my audio calls and neighborhood walks. Sorry, honey! Trying to avoid video calls when I can – fortunately, most of my colleagues feel similar. So I’m not too worried about the run on webcams.
Speaking of treadmill desk, I bought this treadmill laptop stand shortly after starting telework in March, and it’s worked reasonably well: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B082DR952P
I found that I don’t walk around nearly as much during working hours when working from home, and that has taken its toll on my lower back (despite going out and running daily). Just an hour or so per day on the treadmill at a slow walk while working has helped tremendously.
It’s not great ergonomically, due to the limitations of the laptop form factor – either the screen is too low or my arms are too high. But it’s good enough in small doses. I’ve thought about using the TV in front of the treadmill as a screen so I’m not looking down quite as much, but not sure if it’ll make much difference. I’d probably have to move the treadmill a foot or two closer to see small text better.
Also had to buy an anti static wrist strap and tape it to a metal part of the treadmill using aluminum foil tape, because walking on the treadmill was building up a surprising amount of static electricity and potentially zapping the laptop.