Whether you’re just getting started on your home office or you’re ready to optimize the home office setup you already have, I’ve got you covered with my top three essentials below!
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When remote work became the new norm a few years ago I was vastly unprepared and scrambled to pull together the makings of a home office with what I already had – that is, if you consider a card table, a spare dining room chair, and a dysfunctional monitor an “office.”
I’ve come a long way since then and after a few variations, I’ve finally found the home office essentials necessary to create a productive work environment.
First Home Office Essential: The Desk
Perhaps the most important part of your home office! When choosing a desk, it’s important to consider the specific needs of the type of work you plan to do at your workspace, along with your work style.
Are you someone who has various physical papers, planners, or notes out on your desk throughout the day? If so, an L-shaped desk may be an ideal design in order to separate the “mess” from your regular workspace. Check out this great L-shaped option with standing functionality!
However, if most of your work is done on the computer, a traditional rectangle desk may be ideal, especially if you’re in a small space where minimizing your desk’s footprint is a concern. This was my pick, which I’ll discuss more below!
Another factor to consider is whether you want your desk to have standing functionality. Supporters of standing desks claim that standing while you work decreases stress levels and increases mood and energy throughout the day – feel free to do your own research on this!
I bought into this idea and set out to find a great standing desk when I was setting up my office. My boyfriend recommended the Fully Remi Desk. His desk has an electric height adjustment system with memory to store three different preferred height settings. He loves this desk, but I wanted to find something a little more affordable.
My Pick
I ended up going with this FlexiSpot desk from Amazon, which also has an electric height adjustment system but doesn’t have memory to store specific height settings. I’ve found that it’s simple enough to adjust the desk to my preferred height each time I want to stand and haven’t felt the need for the memory functionality of the other desk. The best part? It’s almost half the price of the brand name desk and comes in multiple color and size options!
If you’re interested in standing while you work, but don’t want to purchase a new desk, you could look into getting an adjustable riser for your existing desk!
Second Home Office Essential: The Monitors
The next most important item in your home office after your desk, in my opinion, is the monitors. Your monitor setup can really make or break your workday.
You’d be amazed by how much a good monitor setup can up your productivity. If you’re constantly flipping between multiple pages on your tiny laptop screen or endlessly scrolling to see all of the columns in the excel sheet you’re working on, keep reading.
No matter whether just one monitor would be satisfactory for the work you do or you want as many screens as possible at your workstation, I highly recommend mounting your monitor(s). Looking straight forward or slightly up at your computer screen instead of looking down reduces neck and eye strain, as well as increases productivity throughout the day. This is another topic I suggest doing your own research on if you’re interested!
That said, when choosing a monitor, be sure to look for mountable monitors in order to ensure you’re able to easily mount your monitor if you want to. Some monitors have smooth backings that are more difficult, if not impossible to mount.
Monitors range vastly in price and quality. I definitely do not claim to be a tech geek, so I’m not going to dive into all of the different options here but I’ll tell you what I went with and why.
When looking at monitors I knew I wanted to be able to mount two side by side. I also knew that I didn’t need an insanely high quality monitor for the type of work I do. Given I wanted two, I wanted each monitor to be mid sized and I was also hoping to find an affordable option.
My Pick
I ended up choosing these Sceptre 22” monitors that fit all of my criteria and I’ve been very happy with my purchase! I was easily able to connect these monitors to my laptop using HDMI cords and a dongle.
To mount these monitors with the desk I mentioned above, I chose this Dual Monitor Mount. I love this mount because it allows you to move the monitors up, down, and side to side while mounted to find your perfect view. It even allows you to rotate the monitors to the vertical position, which I love when working in word docs or pdf files!
I also have this swivel laptop stand that raises my laptop off of my desk to be in better alignment with my monitor screens. I love how it clears up space on my desk as well. This has worked well for me, but if I were to do it again I would have gone with a height adjustable option instead. I’ll note that I would definitely recommend getting a separate keyboard from your laptop if you’re planning to use a laptop mount.
Third Home Office Essential: The Chair
Last but not least in the top three home office essentials, the chair. There are so many options out there and it can be a bit daunting to pick out what is likely to be one of your most used pieces of furniture. When I picked out my chair, I spent a full hour in Office Depot sitting on every chair until I found my perfect fit. Think Goldilocks 😅.
If you don’t plan to be spending more than a few hours a day at your desk, you may prefer to opt for an aesthetic option. This chair from Cost Plus World Market would look nice in any space – though I can’t vouch for its comfort.
However, if you’re going to be tied to your office chair for the majority of the day, your back will thank you for considering the long-term comfort of the chair you choose.
My Pick
I ended up going with the Realspace Modern Comfort Keera Bonded Leather Chair. The chair has adjustable lumbar support, adjustable height, the functionality to lean back, and adjustable armrests. It’s a padded chair throughout, and I don’t have any complaints after using it for over a year.
If the bigger, padded chairs aren’t your type, my boyfriend loves his Bayside Mesh Chair from Costco!
That wraps up my top three home office essentials – but I have so much more to share! Be on the lookout for my upcoming post on my top home office accessories. Whether you’re in the market for a new mouse or keyboard or are interested in how I configure lighting for optimal productivity, I’ll cover it all there! 😊
What are your picks for the top three home office essentials? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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