Work from Home Tips and Tricks
While most of us are now self-isolating, also doing what we can really do to keep our loved ones healthy and safe and lots of us are finding ourselves working from home situation.
So Let’s talk about setting up a dedicated office space just to maximize both productivity and sanity while working from the home.
So check out some tips and tricks below.
Most of us are really not lucky enough to have a dedicated office room in the home we live in.
Dedicated office space ideas
Most of us are really not lucky enough to have a dedicated office room in the home we live in.
If you do, then it is really great but for the rest of the others, creating a dedicated space with a chair, table and some type of makeshift workstation will go a long way.
Brian at Kingston has suggested grabbing a small kids' table used for puzzles, Legos, or holiday parties and repurposing it as a desk or you might section off a part of your own dining table.
Or you can place a flat surface horizontal between the 2 shelves to make a desk, provided it can handle the weight you plan to put on top of it and also has room for your legs underneath it.
You will also want to pull up a chair and preferably with a back on it. Long days on a stool will start to take a toll on your posture that is for sure.
Once you have a desk space, now it is time to look at your workstation. If you have a PC/laptop you normally use for work then you are off to a great start.
Connected Peripherals
Once you have a desk space, now it is time to look at your workstation. If you have a PC/laptop you normally use for work then you are off to a great start.
A few extra peripherals can really make that laptop experience feel more like a desktop experience for prolonged work sessions. If you have any extra or old peripherals lying around, like a keyboard or the mouse then you might make use of those.
Most of the desktops come with a standard mouse and a keyboard that can get stored in closets in favor of specialized wireless, gaming, or ergonomic options.
Once you are using a standard-sized mouse and a keyboard again instead of the trackpad and keyboard of the Laptop then you will never look at the standard Mouse and keyboard the same way again.
If you have an old, monitor or small tv laying anywhere inside your home, chances are really good you can use that to make a 2-monitor setup. Check the connectivity options, and search the online retailers or the house for adapters if need be.
2nd Monitor
If you have an old, monitor or small tv laying anywhere inside your home, chances are really good you can use that to make a 2-monitor setup. Check the connectivity options, and search the online retailers or the house for adapters if need be.
Anyone who is ever gone from 1 to 2 monitors can vouch for how wonderful this upgrade is so if you can do that at home.
You might also want to consider getting a Laptop Docking station like the Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Docking Station also Which has Dual Video HDMI and DVI/VGA outs, Gigabit Ethernet, Audio, and 6 USB ports.
So that all your peripherals are connected to the docking station and also the docking station connects to your laptop via 1 USB 3.0 cable.
This way if you need to take your laptop to another part of the house and it is much easier to disconnect and reconnect without re-setting up your workstation each time.
Next talk about video conferencing, if your job requires that.
Video Conferencing
Next talk about video conferencing, if your job requires that.
Again, if you have a laptop and you already have a built-in webcam and mic that will work for a variety of free video conferencing platforms like Skype or Zoom, or Bluejeans.
If you are working off a home desktop then you may need to invest in a cheap webcam like the C920 of Logitech, which can be a staple for years, It features a full HD resolution and it has dual microphones also.
Another thing to consider if you do a lot of video conferencing is what your background is and not just for aesthetic reasons but also because I have personally seen more than a few half-naked family members who were just getting ready for the day unaware that the cameras were broadcasting their morning routine.
If your camera does look into the sensitive areas and consider putting up a curtain, or divider, or even using a software background removal editor. Zoom offers Virtual Background solutions and Skype has a toggle to blur the background and it is better than nothing.
XSplit also offers a background software removal tool which is called VCam which can also be used with any video conferencing solution.
And as a bonus for many of these, you can also replace your background with any of the images you want.
If you have a job that discusses sensitive info that you really do not want your family, roommates or neighbors to overhear then find a headset.
Headsets
If you have a job that discusses sensitive info that you really do not want your family, roommates or neighbors to overhear then find a headset.
While a nice big one like the HyperX Cloud which will help you to keep out the noise around you and even a set of earbuds that also came with an older phone will get the job done as a bonus.
You may even have a built-in mic with better audio quality than what is onboard your laptop or the webcam.
If your work involves sensitive information and also your company has not already installed the security software on your device.
VPN
If your work involves sensitive information and also your company has not already installed the security software on your device.
Then suggesting to you that they invest in a VPN which is a virtual private network and is really highly recommended.
Working from home is not easy, but also taking some time to up your space with the right tools can make it really a lot more bearable.
Working from home is not easy, but also taking some time to up your space with the right tools can make it really a lot more bearable.
So these are some of the tips and tricks that can help you work from home.
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