I’m sure we’ve all seen that viral clip of a company that ragged about the joys of the Work from Home Setup. While we agree that being able to earn in the comfort of your bedroom or sala has big-time perks, there are still ways to upgrade your work from home setup to increase your productivity with the help of a few gadgets, tech accessories, and apps.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
This is number one on our list. Yes, regular headphones are cheaper and can also get the job done; drowning out potential distractions from other people at home who are also working or neighbors may come at the cost of hearing loss if you choose just to max out the volume.
A good pair of headphones and earbuds with ANC doesn’t have to cost a lot these days but investing in a good pair can also make the difference in its longevity. Xiaomi’s Redmi Buds 5 Pro is ANC-capable and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, has excellent audio quality, and quite long battery life!
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If buying actual ANC cans is too pricey, you can opt to buy actual earplugs. These are usually very cheap, and do a great job of blocking out the noise (works wonders on your partner’s snoring too!). These Loop Earplugs are just Php 1K but are very effective at blocking out noise.
A Second Screen
Yes. It’s not just for that sweet gamer flex. A second monitor can help boost your productivity by cutting down on having to Alt+Tab to different programs or jumping from tab to tab to reference other material when working on tasks that require a bit more attention to detail.
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A second screen can also mean a tablet or a phone but, we feel that an actual monitor provides the best sightlines so that your posture doesn’t suffer either.
@unbox_ph For under 5K pesos, okay na okay tong Goojdoq Portable Monitor! #unboxph #goojodoq #tech #techtok ? Cherry On Top – BINI
There’s plenty of options in the market today that cost less than 5K – Goojoodoq makes an inexpensive one that won’t break the bank. If you’re feeling spendy, ASUS offers their excellent ZenScreen portable monitor that’s color-accurate and is used by photographers and videographers.
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A Laptop Stand
Another option if you don’t have the budget for a second monitor yet is to get a laptop stand. They’re relatively inexpensive with some even costing less than Php 100; though we can’t vouch for their durability.
A laptop stand raises the screen of your laptop closer to eye level so you don’t have to sacrifice posture and lessen the “gadget neck”.
A Good Coffee Maker
For those of you who think “Coffee is Life”, we couldn’t agree with you more.
Investing in a good coffee machine doesn’t just provide you with that caffeine hit that we all need sometimes but makes more sense than having your next fix delivered via your preferred delivery app.
We’ve all heard financial advisors say that one way you can save is to just have coffee at home and that can be true since having coffee outside can also entail other costs such as parking or impulse buying a pair of sneakers you see when window shopping.
It can cost a lot of money initially — especially if you’re a bit of a coffee snob — but making your coffee at home can be more cost-efficient and maybe even a little therapeutic too.
Be Coffee Co offers a great selection of affordable coffee machines that are easy to operate and produce kick-ass coffee that wakes you up in the morning without breaking the bank. Their Rookie Starter Kit is priced at just Php 3K and contains everything you need to start brewing your own go juice in the morning.
Productivity Apps to Help You Keep Track
Juggling multiple tasks can be daunting and, if you’re an elder millennial — like me, you can start forgetting things. The old-school way would be to write things down and that does still work but some apps can help you keep track and even calendar things for you to give you a little notification when deadlines are looming.
The team and I use Trello to keep track of deadlines and assign tasks. Not sponsored by the way.
It’s been a godsend for all of us so we can see if the next article or video is due, it can help us identify roadblocks that prevent tasks from getting finished, and see if we’ve been operating like a well-oiled machine.
There are other apps like Notion, of course, and you can even make use of Google Calendar if need be but using apps to help you remember what to do for the day and see how much bandwidth (I know this is a “cringe” term for some of you) you still have can help you manage and make more time for the things that matter in your life outside of your career.
What are the gadgets, apps, and accessories you guys use that help you with your Work from Home setup? We’re curious to know so feel free to share them in the comments.
