A guide to everything you need to work from home, according to product reviewers
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- This spring, many of us had to abruptly shift from office life to working from home, and now that we're almost six months into our new lifestyle, for many, there's no end in sight.
- If it's time for you to invest in a new home office setup so you're no longer working at your kitchen table or on your couch, we've got you covered.
- Here on the Insider Reviews team, our job is to help our readers find the best products and services out there. We've compiled a list of all our work-from-home articles so you can easily find what you're looking for.
Here at Insider Reviews, our freelancers and remote employees know the work-from-home life very well. They've established daily routines, have dedicated work setups, and are well-practiced at separating work life from home life. The rest of us, however, were less well-equipped when Business Insider — and much of the American workforce — went fully remote in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, many major companies are targeting mid-2021 return dates with some even saying employees may never have to return to an office setting if they prefer to stay remote. If you're one of the employees settling into working from home for the longterm, it's probably due time to upgrade your home office setup. Or maybe you're a long-haul freelancer who's simply in need of some new gear. Either way, we at Insider Reviews have dug in to find you the best tech, office furniture, and useful gadgets for working from home.
If you're looking for just the basics, these are the best work-from-home essentials:
- The best laptop: Dell XPS 13
- The best desk: Three Posts Lamantia Executive Desk
- The best standing desk: Fully Jarvis Electric Adjustable Height Standing Desk
- The best computer monitor: BenQ PD3200U
- The best office chair: Herman Miller Aeron
For an in-depth dive into all of our above picks as well as the rest of our work-from-home content, click on a link below to find all our articles by category:
Amazon
Staying connected to our coworkers takes a lot of tech, including laptops, cell phones, and especially a good router. Whether you need a new webcam to ensure your virtual meetings are crisp and clear or you want to invest in a new pair of headphones to drown out your spouse's phone calls, you may find yourself in need of some new gear as you improve your work from home setup.
- Tech gadgets we use to boost our productivity and comfort when we work from home
- The best laptops
- The best budget laptops
- The best computer monitors
- The best computer mice
- The best tablets
- The best iPads
- The best affordable printers
- The best smartphones
- The best cheap phones
- The best noise-canceling headphones
- The best cheap headphones
- The best wireless earbuds
- Zoom and Google Hangouts compared
- The best webcams
- How to use just about any camera as a webcam for video calls
- The best mesh Wi-Fi systems
- The best routers
Varidesk
If you didn't have a dedicated home office prior to your work-from-home shift, you may want to invest in at least a desk and a good office chair to ensure you're not working from your kitchen table every day. Plus, investing in an ergonomic setup will improve your health in the longterm.
- The best desk for your home office
- The best standing desks for your home
- The Uplift standing desk is one of the best additions I've made to my work-from-home setup
- The best standing desk mats
- The Ergodriven Topo standing desk mat isn't cheap at $99, but it really helps with sore feet and muscle fatigue
- The best office chairs
- This fully adjustable office chair relieves my back pain and supports my entire body
- I've been working at home full-time and can't imagine doing it without this desk and chair
- The best active seating for your office
- The best laptop stands
- The best desk lamps for your office
- Indispensable desk accessories we use to stay focused and comfortable at work
- The best 2020 planners
Skillshare
Successfully working from home is about more than just the daily grind. Taking some time for career development, learning new skills, and staying active during the day will all improve your productivity and mental health.
- How to work from home according to our remote editors and freelancers
- Where to take free and affordable classes online, on everything from programming to photography
- Yale's most popular class ever is available free online — and the topic is how to be happier in your daily life
- The best free virtual workouts you can do at home
- Popular health and fitness Udemy courses you can take at home, from yoga and Pilates to nutrition and mental health
- How to structure a healthy diet while you're working from home, according to nutrition experts
Justin Paget/Getty Images
Maybe you need to escape your apartment and work in a new space for a day. Maybe you have little ones at home that need to stay entertained. Maybe you just want to find the most comfortable pair of sweatpants. Here's where you'll find all the rest of our work-from-home advice.
- The best WFH — work-from-hotel — deals available right now
- What Insider employees are wearing while we're all working from home
- How I'm making the most of my Rent the Runway subscription while I work from home
- Men's sweatpants that you won't be embarrassed to wear outside of the house
- The best loungewear sets for women that look and feel nicer than your typical pair of sweats
- Educational toys and activities for elementary-age kids who are on break from school
- Free and affordable online resources to keep toddlers busy at home