Tips for Working From Home

The global pandemic has caused a rapid shift in the way people work and earn a living. Going into a shared office quickly became a risky endeavor, and more people were asked to work from home to help lessen the adverse health impacts of the pandemic.

Video conferences quickly replaced in-person meetings, and daily commutes disappeared. While there were some obvious benefits from this new paradigm, many have been left to wonder how to create or improve their home office setups.

Tips Working from Home 2021

The Best Products to Upgrade Your Home Office

Fortunately, there are plenty of great home office ideas that only require a small purchase or some minor changes.

 

101 Tips for Working From Home

A little bit of planning your home office space can make these working in home tips easier to implement. Start with the big items you’ll need (office furniture, computer equipment, storage solutions, etc.) and add personal touches once you can answer what I need to work from home.

 

Office Furniture

Key pieces of furniture can go a long way towards creating a productive work environment at home.

 

Locking File Cabinets

Keep important documents under lock with locking file cabinets.

 

Matching Office Furniture

These coordinating pieces from Sauder feature a “Chalked Chestnut” finish and can be configured with the pieces needed in your home office.

 

Standing Desk Converters

For anyone who wants the option to adjust their home office desk setup, a stand-up desk converter allows easy adjustment from a seated desk position to a standing desk position.

 

Adjustable Standing Desks

Enjoy the flexibility of standing while working at a desk with an electric adjustable standing desk. Different colors, sizes, and styles available including an adjustable L-shaped desk!

 

Credenza

This rustic credenza adds style to any room while adding helpful storage space.

 

Decorative Filing Furniture

These smart filing solutions help organize files while providing double duty as decorative furniture. Great for small spaces!

 

Storage Carts

Keep multiple projects running with ease with smart storage solutions. Wheeled carts are available in multiple sizes in black or white.

 

Moving Work Tables

These innovative work tables can quickly swivel or roll into position to let you comfortably work from the bed or your favorite spot in the living room!

 

Wobble Stool

Adjustable wobble stool is great for standing desk users who may want to occasionally give the legs a break. Available in black, blue, and red.

 

Chair Mats

Chair mats help office chairs move around smoothly and are available in different sizes and styles.

 

Rolling Office Chairs

These executive desk chairs are made of leather and offer lumbar support and multiple ways to adjust for all-day comfort.

 

Herman Miller Aeron Chair

Treat yourself to the gold standard for comfortable, stylish, and supportive office chairs — the classic Herman Miller Aeron chair.

 

 

Computer Accessories

Add smart accessories to your computer setup to make work as efficient as possible.

 

Webcam Covers

Webcam Cover, 6 Pack Ultra Thin Camera Cover Slide Apply to Laptop, Tablet, Smartphone, Protect Your Privacy


 

Leather Desk Pad

This leather desk pad has a classic refined style and provides the ideal surface for a mouse to glide smoothly and easily.


 

Laptop Stands

Position laptops at a better viewing angle while allowing increased airflow to the internal components with a laptop stand. Add a fan for increased airflow and equipment cooling.

 

Quiet Mouse

Reduce unnecessary noise with a quiet mouse that does not produce a click sound when the mouse buttons are pushed.

 

HD Monitors

Keep important pages in front of you at all times by adding an additional HD monitor to your computer setup.

 

Monitor Stands

Upgrade your computing experience with an arm mount for your monitor(s). These allow the monitor to be easily and quickly adjusted to a comfortable height for any user.

 

Wired Keyboards

These keyboards offer a more ergonomic alternative to the built-in keys on laptops and other devices.

 

Wireless Keyboards

Keep the desk clear or cords with a wireless keyboard with programmable shortcut buttons.

 

HD Webcams

Add more versatility and options to your webcasts with an HD webcam that can move independently from your laptop.

 

Docking Stations

These docking stations make it much quicker and easier to get set back upon return to your desk.

 

 

Audio Essentials

Add upgraded audio equipment to your home office to be sure that communications are as clear as possible.

 

Shure Digital Condenser Microphone

Getting studio-quality sound at home starts with a good quality microphone.

 

Bluetooth Speakerphones

These Bluetooth speakerphone devices improve sound quality on calls so that everyone can stay on the same page.

 

Headphones

These headphones can operate untethered when charged, or operate in the wired mode when needed.

 

Noise Canceling Headphones

Often the key to a successful working home office setup is finding a space that is free from distractions. These highly-rated noise-canceling headphones help to tune out distractions and focus on the important things. Large over-ear design is a visible cue to others that you are not available for chats.

 

SONOS speakers

Enjoy music in your office and throughout your home with highly-rated, easy to install SONOS speakers.

 

 

Home Office Electronics

The right tools can make a world of difference in personal productivity. Pick up these Amazon electronics and get ready for improved performance!

 

Smart Plugs

Add smart plugs to your office to upgrade electronics to work with voice commands, Alexa, and Google Home.

 

Surge Protectors

Add outlet capacity and power surge protection for electronics with a high-quality surge protector.

 

Document and Card Shredder

Keep sensitive information out of the wrong hands with this 8-sheet paper and credit card shredder.

 

UPS Backup Power Supplies

Protect your computer equipment from surges and power outages with a top-rated Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system.

 

Wireless Copy / Scan / Printers

These all-in-one wireless printers are highly-rated and can print in color, scan, and copy documents!

 

Weather Stations

Keep up with weather conditions at home with an electronic weather station.

 

 

Home Office Organization

Learn how to organize your home office space with smart organization solutions. These organized home office ideas involve elegant solutions to help to keep important work and reference items where they are needed.

 

Cell Phone Stands

These foldable cell phone and tablet stands can position your smart devices in the perfect space for viewing, recording, and charging!

 

Matching Desk Accessories

Enjoy a cleaner, more organized look with a matching set of desk accessories.

 

Notebook Portfolios

Keep active project essentials in an organized space with a leather notebook portfolio.

 

File and Letter Organizers

Letter and file organizers are smart ways to keep a home office organized and neat.

 

Shelf Units

One of the best small home office storage ideas is to add wall-mounted shelving solutions — no floor space is required!

 

Bulletin Boards

Keep photos, receipts, tickets, to-do lists, and more right where they are needed with a bulletin board. Available in multiple styles and sizes to match any home office.

 

Calendars

Keep a visual tab on important dates with an eye-catching calendar.

 

Whiteboards

Keep tabs on current projects with these stylish whiteboards that encourage big ideas to take shape!

 

Digital Clocks

These digital clocks come in 3 different colors and display the essentials: day of the week, time, and date.

 

Flip Clocks

Keep track of the time with a retro-style, easy-to-read flip clock.

 

Label Makers

Give everything an official home with these portable P-touch label makers. Dozens of colors of refill tape are available for highly customizable labels. Models available with PC connectivity for large labeling jobs.


 

 

Upgraded Office Lighting

No matter if you are looking for traditional home office design ideas or something more contemporary, adding plenty of adjustable task lighting can help to customize brightness levels for a wide variety of tasks.

 

Dual Ring Lights

Put your best face forward on Zoom meetings with a set of dual LED ring lights that eliminate unflattering shadows. Dimmable and adjustable light modes.


 

Extra Large Himalayan Salt Lamp

Enjoy the warm glow of an extra-large Himalayan salt lamp with a dimmer switch.


 

Dimmable Desk Lamps

Add just the right amount of light with a dimmable office lamp. Includes USB charging port to conveniently charge other devices. Available in multiple colors.

 

Desk Lamps with USB Charging Ports

These desk lamps provide task lighting to the desktop along with a convenient USB charging port.


 

Light Therapy Boxes

Add therapeutic bright lighting to any space with a 10,000 lux light therapy box.

 

Corner Floor Lamp

This corner floor lamp provides a soft dimmable glow in a wide variety of soothing colors.


 

Glitter Lava Lamps

This glitter motion lamp heats up quickly providing a subtle, hypnotic display of dancing glitter.

 

 

Smart Office Supplies

The most common items needed work home are basic office supplies. Pick up these highly-rated top-quality supplies to make sure you’re ready for any office challenge that arises.

 

Smooth Flow Ink Pens

These roller ball ink pens are highly-rated for their vivid color and smooth-rolling ink!

 

Note Paper

This green-tinted notepaper makes it easy to organize notes and sketch ideas with ease!

 

Paper Clips

These office staples are both fun and serve a practical purpose when you need them.

 

Do Not Disturb Sign

This door hanger lets everyone see your current availability with a simple glance.

 

Magnifying Rulers

Be sure that you can always read the fine print with one of these magnifying rulers. Choose the lighted version for even more visibility!


 

Cord and Cable Management

Keep cable clutter at bay with these easy-to-use cable management solutions.


 

Self-Inking Custom Stamps

Choose a favorite style to instantly mark all your outgoing mail and important items with these custom-printed stamps!

 

 

Home Office Décor

Personal décor items add comfort and joy no matter what tasks are on your list. You could choose to go all out and spare no expenses with a themed office or choose to only keep select favorites when deciding how to decorate your home office on a budget.

 

Planters

This stylish set of modern planters can be customized with plants of your choice and proudly displayed on the walls.

 

Plants

Highly rated live plants from Costa Farms add radiant life to indoor spaces. Choose the best type of plant for the amount of sunlight the plant will receive.

 

Message Boards

These felt letter boards allow you to share a brief message with the world. Includes numbers, letters of the alphabet, plus other special characters and emojis. Available in multiple sizes and colors.

 

School Memorabilia

Display proud school spirit by hanging a flag pennant next to your diploma(s).

 

Decorative Shelf

This rustic shelf unit provides the perfect space to display favorite items to enhance your mood throughout the day!

 

Tissue Covers

Keep tissues in a convenient desktop location with elegant tissue box holders.

 

Abstract Art

Choose abstract art that inspires creative thinking akin to finding objects in the clouds.

 

Giclee Canvas Art

Choose high-quality giclee canvas art that complements your space while inspiring great things at work.

 

Wrapped Canvas Art

Add inspiring artwork to your office space to stay inspired and energized while you work. Available in different sizes and styles.

 

 

Working from Home Comfort

These items will add comfort to allow you to focus on work.

 

Blue Light Blocking Glasses

These blue-light blocking eyeglasses help reduce eye strain caused by too much time in front of a screen. Multiple colors are available.

 

Anti-Fatigue Mats

Suitable for standing desk configurations, these innovative anti-fatigue mats provide a comfortable alternative to sitting.

 

Foot Rest

Keep this footrest under your desk to provide proper ergonomic support so that you can focus on work.

 

Foot Massagers

Working from the comfort of home means that shoes are optional and these foot pampering treatments can be used any time they are needed.


 

Foot Warmer

This ergonomic footrest doubles as a foot warmer! Adjustable tilt with 2 heat levels.

 

Humidifiers

A small humidifier can add much-needed moisture to a small space like a desk, or a larger model can treat an entire room.


 

Aromatherapy Diffusers

This essential oil diffuser provides soothing or energizing aromatherapy with your choice of oils and the touch of a button. Essential oils sold separately.


 

Sound Machine

This sound machine provides white noise and other gentle sounds that help to reduce distractions. Over 30,000 reviews!

 

Massage Cushion

This heated massage cushion can be used on a chair or sofa and provides 6 massage modes to choose from.

 

Space Heaters

These highly-rated space heaters each have over 10,000 reviews! Keep chills away with one of these convenient space heaters.

 

HEPA Air Purifiers

These highly-rated HEPA air purifiers provide desktop filtration against allergens like pollen and pet dander.

 

Electric Fans

Add a cooling breeze to the office space with a highly-rated electric fan! Available in smaller sizes for desktops and larger sizes for cooling a room.


 

Personal Air Conditioners

These portable air conditioners help to create a cooler, more comfortable work environment. Helpful for those carving out office space in places without climate control like attics, garages, sheds, and more!


 

 

Beverage Station

Designate a space as an office beverage station to have hot coffee and tea conveniently located where they are most needed.

 

Serving Trays

Keep the essentials contained with a simple yet stylish serving tray.


 

Nespresso Coffee and Espresso Machine

Serious coffee drinkers should strongly consider upgrading their old coffee pots with a Nespresso Vertuo machine in their home office. These amazing machines make it easy to enjoy high-quality drinks without a trip to the coffee shop!

 

Nespresso Vertuo Pods

Enjoy a different coffee beverage every time with a Nespresso Vertuo variety pod pack.

 

Digital Electric Kettles

These electric kettles quickly heat water to precise digital temperature settings for the best possible cup of coffee or tea!


 

Personal Coffee Mugs

These mugs are designed to keep drinks at the ideal temperature with a variety of different technologies.


 

Electric Water Coolers

Stay hydrated at the home office with one of these smart bottom-loading water coolers that have 3 temperature settings. Current office gossip not included.


 

 

Fun Office Products

Work does not need to always be 100% serious — add a few fun elements here and there to brighten up the workspace.

 

Sticky Note Dispenser

This sticky note dispenser looks like an old-style Polaroid camera – a perfect gift for photographers!

 

Sushi Desk Accessories

Add some flavor to your desk setup with sushi-themed accessories like maki tacks and sticky note rolls.

 

Tape Dispenser

Music fans will love this tape dispenser that brings cool music vibes to the desktop.

 

Funny Stamps

Make a unique statement on documents with these quirky self-inking rubber stamps.

 

Racing Themed Mouse and Mousepad

Racing fans will enjoy these fun desk accessories featuring a car-shaped mouse (available in different colors) and a mousepad that provides a “track”.

 

Feather Pens

Enjoy a little more flair with each signature when using these stylish feather-shaped pens.

 

Note Pads

These bright note pads add a fun energy to ordinary notes and to-do lists.

 

USB Fans with LED Display

Add a gentle breeze and an eye-catching message with a LED display fan that is powered by USB.

 

Buddha Board

Start or end your day with the transformative practice of creating a temporary image that gradually fades away.

 

Brain Teasers

Enjoy a quick break during the workday with these attractive puzzles that look great on a desk!


 

 

Office Pets

Be sure to keep your “personal assistants” happy with these fun ideas for office pets when creating home office workspace!

 

Aquariums

Bring some life into your office space with a small or tabletop aquarium. Note that fish (or other animals) are not included with the purchase of a tank.

 

Office Cat Beds

Cat owners know that it’s often easier to distract or bribe your cat(s) with a toy than it is to convince them they shouldn’t be walking all over your work.

 

Office Dog Sofas

Invite man’s best friend into the boardroom with their very own dog sofa. Employee morale is already looking up!


 

 

Back to Business Travel

Prep yourself for life back on-site or at the office with these great travel products for work.

 

Cable Lock

Use these simple but sturdy cable locks to add security to laptops, monitors, safes, and more.

 

Travel Tote

This portable tote bag makes it easy to carry all the essentials between the home office and working on-site.

 

Lap Desk

Work comfortably anywhere with this adjustable lap desk.

 

***

What do you think are the best work home items? What working with home tips and ideas would you add? What is the most important step when planning how to organize home office files?

Tips Working from Home 2021

The Best Products to Upgrade Your Home Office

Please pin, share, save, and comment!

49 Responses

  1. Stephen says:

    Wow, I truly enjoyed your article on 101 home office supplies.

    As I commented earlier, I used to work for Herman Miller as an installation tech and advisor. It was a lot of fun then and even fun now walking down memory lane.

    the flow was amazing and the photos crisp.

    Your layout is impressive. Great idea having your social media links at the top (I might steal your idea).

    I found no issues or misspelled words.

    overall a magnificent job!

    Thank you for allowing me to offer feedback.  I hope it helps.

    I wish you great success on your journey!

    Thank you, 

    Stephen 

  2. Stephen says:

    Hello,
    First off, I love the giant selection of unbelievably useful home office furniture and supplies.
    Smart move placing the coffee pot selection after the “get comfortable ” section.
    Oh, if I had foot warmers I would never get anything done!
    As it turns out, I am one of those unfortunates who became an at home worker.
    The ideas and many choices that you offer make it easy to envision a fully functioning yet comfortable work place.
    Personally, an inviting workspace is where I want to spend my “office” hours.
    Really funny story… I worked for 4 years installing Herman Miller office furniture. From panels and desk tops to free standing file cabinets and credenzas.
    I was even certified in there building systems.
    I liked the collapsible desks that you offer as well as the tip stool.
    All in all I really enjoyed touring your site!
    Thank you for reading my comments and I am looking forward to visiting again!

    Thank you,
    Stephen

    • Alyce says:

      Hi Stephen, Thanks for sharing! Herman Miller makes beautiful designs and I highly recommend the Aeron chairs to everyone! That must have been a great job!

  3. Les says:

    Hi Alyce

    I think that the reality that working from home is here to stay is slowly sinking in with most folks. Even post  pandemic, I think that most companies would adopt some sort of working-from-home hybrid model. Therefor we need a dedicated space in our homes that operates as a fully functional office . You have made some great suggestions here to fully furnish a home office. I like that you have thought about not only the obvious, like office desks and furniture,but even things like abstract art and foot rests.

    Great recommendations.

    • Alyce says:

      Thanks Les, I’ve been working from home for some time now and I’ve definitely noticed that the right tools and work-from-home setup will make a world of difference in productivity! 

  4. Nance says:

    Great ideas to organize your home office especially when space is limited . I particularly like the standing desk options and fatigue mats ( for standing desk option) I literally have 15metres sqaured to create my own home office and it needs to include a desk, printer,storage space and good lighting as some of my work involves giving classes .With the growing popularity of podcasts we also need good audio materials so the inclusion of shure digital microphone and also noise cancelling headphones is en pointe as well.  We need our working space to be compact and clutter free yet 100% efficient . 

    • Alyce says:

      Hi Nance, It is certainly helpful to find smart work solutions and absolutely essential when you have to do so in a small space. 

  5. SY says:

    I started working from home last March of 2020.  I like working from home since I don’t get late 🙂 but my main struggle is the background noise every time we have a meeting. I would really agree on this list especially the Noise Canceling Headphones. I ordered a black shark Noise Canceling headset

    • Alyce says:

      Hi SY, It’s definitely helpful to be able to tune out the audio distractions when you need to focus on a task. The noise-cancelling headphones are a great home office product.

  6. great work do have a glance here too

  7. Feochadan says:

    I love how you made a comprehensive list of what you may need for your home office.  Frankly, with the lockdowns and social distancing that we are going through now, many are having to scramble to set up a home office environment.  I, too, have been using a laptop on my lap to do my work.  You have shown that we can do MUCH better than that and it will improve our productivity, as well.

    • Alyce says:

      Working from your couch is fine for a day or two, but a more long-term solution can benefit from a few key upgrades. Good luck with the setup!

  8. Rose says:

    Wow! You definitely collected all those stuffs for a one stop collection of office tools to be completed. It will save time for the one setting up. He doesn’t have to hop from site to another, just to complete his set up. 

    A lot of people have really shifted from office work to home based work and you have really done an effort to complete these tips for a home based office.

    • Alyce says:

      At this point, a lot of us may have made the shift from temporarily working from home to a more permanent work-from-home situation. It will definitely pay off over the years to have high-quality tools to help perform your best!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *