Three months into shelter-in-place orders in California, many big tech companies have implemented work-from-home policies through the remainder of the year. A handful have even allowed employees expense up to $1,000 for office furniture.
With the martech industry predicted to continue trending in this direction (well beyond the pandemic), now could be great time to make some upgrades to your at-home office — or create one for the first time.
I can personally attest to how much more productive my work has been since converting my basement into a home office a month ago. And though my office is far from complete, I’ve gotten some seriously great items from Amazon that have helped level up the space.
I thought it’d be helpful to share a round up of some of my favorite items with other industry pros — in case they too are struggling to create a comfortable work space.
Check them out below!
1) Standing Desk
Prior to purchasing this standing desk, I was sitting for 8+ hours a day — for the mere reason that my work requires being in front of a laptop.
The standing desk I purchased is well designed, and has helped my back and shoulder pain. If you work a desk job, it’s really a no brainer in my opinion.
Priced at $179.95, VIVO’s standing desk is a highly rated and an Amazon Choice product. Here’s the link to it if you’d like to buy!
2) LG 4K Monitor
I did a ton of research on this before buying. And from what I learned, LG is considered the gold standard for Mac laptop users (which many of us are).
I chose to spring for the 4K feature after being severely disappointed with the image quality from cheaper alternatives.
LG also offers a 5K monitor — which I was very eager to to purchase at first despite it’s hefty price tag at $1,299. However, I learned that the human eye can hardly notice the difference between 4K and 5K. Plus, you have to keep in mind that most things aren’t even available in 5K yet. As a baseline, Netflix’s standard for its original shows is 4K quality. (If it’s good enough for Netflix, it’s good enough for me).
All in all, it’s just too soon to justify 5K monitor in my opinion, unless you have an expense budget. Here’s the link to the monitor I got, $649.00 from LG’s official Amazon storefront.
3) Apple Magic Trackpad
The Apple Trackpad mouse is an item i didn’t even know I wanted until I got to test drive one from a friend a few months back.
Double the price of Apple’s normal Magic Mouse, the Magic trackpad has all of the same features you’re likely looking for in a mouse – bluetooth, wireless, and +1 month battery life – and then some some.
The Magic Trackpad also has a larger surface for gestures, can be used while charging, and is more ergonomically designed. Plus, it looks super sleek.
You can shop the Magic Trackpad for $123.99 from Apple’s official Amazon storefront, here.
4) Standing Mat
My recommendation for a standing mat is a but more situational.
For me specifically, my home office has polished cement flooring, and so a standing mat was very important to avoid foot pain/fatigue with my standing desk. If you’re working in a carpeted room, its probably not worth it.
I got the Kangaroo Original Standing Mat specifically because it’s a #1 best seller on Amazon, has great reviews, non-toxic, and thicker than most competitors. You can buy the standing mat for $35.99 here on Amazon.
5) Bluetooth Over-the-Ear Headphones
My bluetooth, noise cancelling Sony headphones have been a complete game changer in helping my tune out my surroundings and get work done. Plus, they are super comfortable to wear on work break walks.
I also considered the Bose equivalent headphones, but throughout my research process discovered that Sony had the slightest leg up on audio quality. That said, they are both incredible headphones.
If Sony/Bose headphones are out of budget for the moment, I used to use Edifier brand, over-the-ear headphones that work shockingly well for their $39.99 price point. You can check them out here.
6) Mesh Wifi
It seems like everyone I’ve talked to has had issues with their internet since shelter-in-place orders went into affect.
Mesh wifi essentially creates a giant net in the places you place your router and points, so you can have equally strong internet anywhere in your home.
There are several different brands of mesh wifi, but I ultimately went with Google Nest. Reason being, that it comes with a Google assistant to remind me what time it is, play music / turn off the lights, and set timers.
Priced at $299 for router and two points, it can cover up to 4,400 square feet. You can shop it on Amazon here.
7) Color-Changing, LED Smart Lights
Prior to switching out my office’s overhead lights with color-changing, LED smart lights, the room had the most sterile, energy sucking cool white lights.
I now can ask my Alexa to “turn my office lights on to warm white” when I walk in each morning through my Alexa, and can change the color/dim them as needed.
The one’s I got specifically were Designers Fountain 12″ Round LED Flushmounts. Even if you don’t have an Alexa, the lights come compatible with the WIZ app, so you can control lighting from your smartphone.
Priced at $87.99 each, you can shop these Designer Fountain lights here.
8) Gaoye Blue Light Blocking Glasses
You can spend a lot on blue light blocking glasses, or a little — And I’ve done both. Both routes have their pros and cons.
My first pair of blue light locking glasses were from Warby Parker for $95, and I have to say, the frames really are much higher quality than my budget-friendly Amazon frames.
However, if we’re talking strictly efficacy in blocking blue light, Amazon ones work just as well in my opinion. For example, the Gaoye brand frames that I own are good-enough quality, and the price point is much more agreeable. Mostly up to you in this area.
You can shop Gaoye’s $17.99 Blue Light Blocking Glasses here.
9) Bulletin Board
For pinning pictures of your friends, family, and work notes/ inspiration, a bulletin board is a classic office staple.
Here’s a link to the one I purchased.
10) Espresso Pods
I’ve always bought Nespresso pods for years from the Nespresso online store – at 0.70 cents per pod – and they’re great.
However, if you’re looking for a better deal on coffee that tastes just as good, I recommend Peet’s espresso pods at 0.55 cents per pod on Amazon. Take a deal where you can!
11) Funky Houseplant Pots
Add pops of color to your office with some bright pots to hold your houseplants.
Extra credit for planting spider pants — which are excellent at improving air quality.
Shop these houseplant pots at Amazon here.
12) Laptop Stand
Investing in a standard laptop stand is very helpful for ergonomic reasons — regardless of if you are at a standing/sitting desk.
Highly rated and an Amazon choice product, I went with the Soundance Laptop Stand. I’ve found it to be sturdy, lightweight, and fits most ‘normal sized’ laptops.
You can shop the Soundance Laptop stand here from Amazon.
13) Halo Light
This recommendation is specifically directed at entrepreneurs who create image/video content for their website and social platforms.
This halo light and stand from UBeesize is dimmable, has a built in holder for your iPhone, can shrink/extend from 17″ to 51″, is USB powered, and boasts a 3 year warrantee.
You can shop the UBeesize Halo Light here from Amazon.
14) Laptop Microphone
A laptop microphone isn’t necessary for everyone. However, if you are someone who does podcasts, creates audio recordings, or does a lot of zoom meetings, it’s quite helpful to get a basic microphone.
The microphone I got is from Avantree, for $59.99. It has a small stand to rest on my desk, plugs into my laptops USB, rotates 180 degrees, and has the option to mute as needed.
In an A/B test I conducted between the Avantree mic and my Macbook’s built in audio, the mic was the clear winner — due to the mic’s effectiveness at capturing directional sound.
Though my Avantree microphone is now sold out, there’s one from FIFINE has a comparable price point and ratings. Check it out here.
15) NEST Candle
Lighting a candle in a traditional office space might be taboo, but you can do whatever you like in your own space!
This Lemon & Mint NEST candle smells like summer and luxury. You can shop it here on Amazon.
Wrapping Up the Round-Up
I hope this office supplies round up has been helpful to everyone, and welcome you to share your own favorite, at-home office items in the comments.
Like this post? Check out TEKKI.digital’s favorite e-stores for purchasing wall art for your home office, next!
Disclaimer: TEKKI.digital may receive commission for promoted products in this post. However, this in no way influences the specific items chosen by the author to recommend, nor were the products sponsored.
