If you’re reading this, chances are you’re among the 70% of workers in the US who utilize a remote day a week. Trust us when we say this, maybe only 20% are doing it as well as they could be!
As more and more of the workforce enter the remote work lifestyle, this presents an opportunity to be your own awesome office manager. Get this — in the past decade, remote work saw an increase of 91%, according to studies by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics.
It’s one thing to work remotely. It’s another to thrive remotely. Let’s all lean into the remote life and set up our home office environment for success. Check out these must-have home office items you need that you’re sure to love.
Wireless Earbuds
Let’s say you have a busy apartment, neighborhood or coffee shop and you gotta drown out the noise. Getting strong signal-carrying wireless earbuds to create the seamless work experience you need. Unwanted noise is a constant barrier to productivity. Some allow you to filter outside sound with your preferred music or ambiance.
Imagine riding a productivity wave with your favorite tunes, and you get an incoming call. No sweat, you’re already set. Taking hands-free calls will be such a luxury it will be hard to imagine what life was like before.
If you’re not in the Apple clan, check out these awesome hi-tech earbuds. Each offers active ambient noise-canceling sound and voice commands.
Smart Speaker/Virtual Assistant
Maybe you’re more the type who wants to set the ambiance with some mood music or news. It’s worth considering getting a Smart Speaker with a virtual assistant. Scheduling meetings, setting reminders and alarms, asking quick questions and making phone calls make these a no brainer. Plus, they’ve got plenty of bass.
Nest Thermostat
How can you get any work done if you aren’t comfortable? The amazing Nest Thermostat learns the temperature you like and builds a schedule around yours. Google claims it can save 10% to 12% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills by year-end.
It connects with your smartphone as well, using your location to prepare your home environment and giving you remote control. Simply put, it’s the smartest thermostat out there.
Smart Plugs
Having a smart plug system in your home can take your home office to the future. Gone are the days of clap on lights. Now you can get your lights and appliances, heaters, and dehumidifiers on set schedules and easy on-off access through your smartphone.
Add in an app that tracks your energy usage, and you can keep track of what’s costing you the most in your energy bill and manage it accordingly.
Yonomi Smart Device Manager
Ok so you’ve got all your smart home devices set up and you are living the future our parents’ generation dreamed about as kids. One minor issue in your space-age home: managing all of your smart devices individually. Enter Yonomi. This savvy app is platform agnostic and allows you to set up “routines” where you can pre-program all your smart devices. For example, need a post-lunch power hour? Set up a routine where you adjust your lighting, the color of your lights, put on your favorite playlist at volume 8 and set your ideal temperature on your smart thermostat.
Smart Timekeeper
The Timeular ZEI Tracker is a physical die device that sits on your desk, eliminating the need for filling out a timesheet manually. It’s as cool as it sounds.
Each side can be used as you deem it: meetings, writing, coding, administrative work, strategy, etc. Whenever you flip tasks, just flip the die to the right side and the app begins tracking it. It also stops after five hours if you forget about it!
Ergonomic Furniture
Let’s get real, an office isn’t an office without a desk and a chair. Why not give yourself the kind of good stuff that corporate job would rather skimp out on? Check out the lovely ergonomic Celle Chair. Its unique, patented Cellular Suspension system sets it apart. An array of tiny cells and connecting loops adapt to the contours of your back, giving you that lush lean-back-and-think experience.
UPLIFT Standing Desk
Are you more of a standing desk person or a sitting desk person? With UPLIFT, you get both and can customize it to your exact needs. Highly reviewed for its look and functionality, the UPLIFT V2 Standing Desk comes fully customizable to your specifications from the desk wood down to the grommets.
Wireless Scanner
Depending on the scope of your work, this could be a lifesaver. If you’re constantly dealing with documents, notes, storyboards or physical deliverables, Doxie makes it all easy without the hassle of wires and instant cloud uploading. So if you’re on the go or meeting with a client, you can scan anywhere and go paperless.
Cord Organizer
Well, we might have virtual assistants figured out, we surely don’t have the whole wire thing figured out. Rat’s Nest might ring a bell for some of us. Luckily, there’s a chic fix on the market with the BlueLounge CableBin. Stow away your powerstrips, router and more with a sleek and savvy case designed to make it look like you’ve got your stuff together.
What are some of your favorite home office products? We wanna know!