OT: Working from home - home office suggestions
With many of us increasing our time working from home, I'm sure some of you have focused on setting up a home office space. So, what is your setup like? What tips and suggestions do you have for the rest of us?
For myself, I have decided to turn our infrequently-used guest bedroom into my work space while I'm WFH. I went and bought a cheap desk, as well as a new monitor. I went with a 27" curved Samsung...which I will be returning. While it is 1080p resolution, it is not as sharp as I had hoped. Have a 27" curved Spectre arriving from Amazon this weekend. Expecting better results from that.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
If you're going 27" or higher and using it for work, you need to go at least 1440p, otherwise you're not getting much more real estate than your laptop.
I've got a sweet home office setup. 1440p 27" monitor on a swivel which also holds my laptop a couple inches over the desk. Got my DIY Peloton next to it, and my Bo bobblehead, which is all I need.
The issue is the mGoGirlfriend is also quarantined with me as well, and we both have a lot of calls, so we have to do shifts in the office, while the other one gets relegated to the couch.
Location: Small (but normal for this area) NYC apartment.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
I wanted to stick to a budget <=$200 for a monitor...I don't think any 1440p monitors would fall under that price point, no?
Curious what your DIY peloton is? Do you use peloton app or others?
March 17th, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Definitely use of the dedicated double monitor setup. You can get so much more done, especially for those transitioning from a traditional desktop setup to using a laptop. If you have the tablespace, two monitors, a dedicated keyboard/mouse and (ideally, though it may seem a spendy luxury) a docking station makes a home office much more functional in my experience.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:49 AM ^
Since the advent of USB-C, the docking station setup is so much easier for people with multiple computers.
I have a work computer and a personal, and my GF has the same, so four computers total. I have one USB-C hub that has the power adapter, display port cable, USB widescreen webcam, and wireless USB keyboard/mouse set plugged into it. Can swap out one computer for the next and be ready to go in 5 seconds.
Which hub do you have? I'm still reliant on an old KVM switch!
Check out the Kingston Nucleum (C-HUBC1-SR-EN).
It is very pricey but so worth it.
I bought one when a client gave me a Chromebook. I was searching for a hub and 90% of them out there have USB C to the laptop but not USB C to the peripherals. It does not require external power either.
The Nucleum is travel sized, has 2 USB-C outs -- one of which supports pass through charging. It has a HDMI port and ones for SD cards and older USB.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:47 AM ^
I worked remote for a couple years and I purchased an Uplift desk with dual monitor arms. I loved the ability to raise the desk to stand because sitting all day was terrible. Also, the dual monitor arms are great as you can adjust the height, angle, etc. of the monitors to help ergonomics. They're not to best looking desks and for my new office I will likely build something around it to make it look "cleaner" I wouldn't trade it for a traditional desk. My monitors are a pair of 25s (I think) and they work fine for me but a bit bigger wouldn't be terrible.
March 17th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
Noise cancelling headphones
March 17th, 2020 at 12:53 PM ^
Lol, for all the distracting noises you hear at your own house?
My noise-canceling headphones have already been a lifesaver. I have two kids at home, so they help me block out the noise and focus on my work.
You must not have children.
Distracting noise increases geometrically with number of children inside the house
You may have heard that all schools/daycare centers are closed as well.
Lol, for all the distracting noises you hear at your own house?
I wish I was at a an office... my darn wife has been non-stop pestering me and making a shit ton of noise. My office is right off of the kitchen and she's banging pots and pans like she's making noise at a sporting event. Grrr.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
A decent, but inexpensive iKea desk and an extra 20” monitor. I would give my left coronanut for a docking station and an extra monitor as well as upgraded WiFi for the house. No Netflix while I’m working!
March 17th, 2020 at 12:07 PM ^
I find that a vibrating prostate massager really makes the workday fly by.
What's your productivity like though?
But what does it do for your PSA test?
Never had one. The closest I've gotten was having my wife stick her finger up there while her NP friend was talking through the process.
Life is fucking weird sometimes man.
That started kinda sexy but finished way too clinical.
The friend offered to do it, but I said only if I could check her's too.
March 17th, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
I have been full time remote since May. In hindsight I guess it was perfect timing. Our spare bedroom became my full time office. I have 2 27" 1080P curved monitors on swivel arms with my laptop in the center. a comfy gaming chair is a must. Also don't forget a comfortable headset with a quality mic for the frequent calls and video conferences.
It helps that my company gives remote workers a $1000 office set up stipend when you first start remote work. It made the transition so much easier.
That extra $1,000 for office setup would have been nice. Luckily I was gifted a nice desk, but had to get the extra monitor on my own. While not really that expensive, I would have preferred getting 2 monitors and a docking station instead of using my laptop as one of the monitors.
When I set up to work from home a few years ago, the company gave no stipend as it was sold as an optional choice instead of coming into the office.
I have 2 24" ASUS Eye Care monitors. Highly recommend them if you have older eyes like me.
Also I highly recommend StarTech.com USB3DDOCKFT Dual Monitor KVM Docking Station. It's a KWM and docking station all in one unit (plus USB storage as a temp holding place between the two computers if you don't want to/or cannot upload to the cloud).
I have multiple laptops for work (company, client, development) and this thing is awesome when I need to switch between computers. It's pricy but worth it. Several people have seen my setup and bought one -- the startech device is that good.
How long have you had the startech dock? I checked it out, I've been looking at something like this for a while now, it would help a lot. Reviews don't look great though, so it makes me wonder.
How long have you used it? What, if any issues etc?
I've had it for almost 3 years.
Not a single problem. Yeah, I've seen the negative reviews too. I don't understand it. But everyone's mileage varies right?
I will say I'm a heavy user... almost abuse the darn thing. It keeps on going.
It's not perfect though:
1. It doesn't have a keyboard shortcut to switch computers like KVM appliances do. Instead one has to toggle a button on the side of the unit... no big deal.
1a. That toggling is not quick. It takes a second to display the new computer. Also, it sometimes but not always, acts wonky coming back from hibernate in Windows. For example, I'm working on the plane, I go into hibernate for landing and the drive home. I get home and plug the laptop in to the Startech and weird things sometimes happen. Like most things Microsoft a reboot fixes it. I do not attribute either of those things to the unit itself -- either USB or Microsoft behaviors.
2. I would not recommend using the Startech software. Just download the bare bones DisplayLink adaptor/drivers from online and install that before ever connecting any cables.
2a. Unfortunately, DisplayLink doesn't support Linux. I tried compiling my own for the past few months and gave up. DisplayLink works with no problems on Apple, ChromeOS, and Windows. I only mention that because my personal laptop is Red Hat. I end up doing a bulk of my technical work on that one because I often cannot modify client-provided laptops and my firm's laptop is so locked down it's really only good for Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
3. One quirk that I think ticks people off is while it has 2 video outs, one is for HDMI and the other is for Display Port. So you'll need an adaptor or one of each cable. Again, no big deal.
8 of my colleagues have bought one after seeing mine in action. Nobody has cussed me out yet for their purchasing decision.
I have been working from home for close to 8 years and I work in an industry where most people do. Different things work for different people.
For me, it helps to treat the day as if I'm going to an office. I eat breakfast, take a shower, and get dressed before I start working. If you can, keep your work space separate from your regular living space. It can be hard to "leave" work when you work from home, so it's good to have a physical reminder that you have "clocked out."
With that in mind, don't sequester yourself to a room every day. Working from home has its advantages and you should enjoy them. I love to grab my laptop and work from my deck when the weather is nice.
Tip of the day: Well, the laptop burnt up my LG hdmi port and now the tv just says “no signal.” Might want to stick to the old computer screen hookup.
I prefer a natural light area, so I am planting my flag in the dinning room that opens up to our outside kitchen area. take calls outside etc.
for others, glad this thing didn’t hit in the heart of winter when everyone is stuck inside and/or can’t leave due to bad road conditions.
With the virus forcing companies to allow workers to work from home for the first time and then seeing that it does not hurt production, would be interesting to see how many change their policies to allow employees to work from home on a permanent basis or at least on a rotational basis.
This. Also (stolen from Twitter), I guess we're about to see how many of those meeting could have been e-mails after all.
The key will be to see if production is actually hurt or not. I am hoping that my productivity improves, but historically, the times I have worked from home in the past (bad weather days, sick, etc), I'm not as productive as when I'm in the office.
I know I'm not alone in that. But that's also why I got intentional about creating my own workspace at home.
A pull up bar as you enter/exit your home office.
I really got used to working at home. It's something. I save 3-4 hours a day because I do not commute and wake up later. Fantastic. Also, I managed to upgrade my PC and I utilize my free time on video games. It was difficult to choose among these GPUs but I finally did choose an Nvidia card.
November 11th, 2020 at 2:02 PM ^
Hi guys! If you also started or going to start working from home, I would recommend you check out the Office Supply page on mrdepot website. This is a website I usually order cartridges for my office but now I work remotely as well and recently I have ordered a printer there. The quality is great. Free and fast shipping!