12 tech accessories and tools I use to stay productive when working from home

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Ameriwood Home Dakota L Shaped Desk
Amazon

Because of the internet, more people than ever are getting the ability to either telecommute entirely, or work from home on a regular basis.

It's a great perk, but as someone who's taken advantage of it over the past five years, I can say from experience that learning how to stay productive outside of a traditional office can be tough. And I'm not alone in feeling that way.

There are some general tips I can offer to help: make an actual schedule or routine and stick with it, stay connected to your teammates online throughout the day, and cut down on distractions. But the biggest factor in determining my personal work-from-home success has been creating the right work environment. 

After years of trial and error (and a couple of moves), I've created a spot where I can hunker down and work comfortably for hours at a time. Space constraints will obviously limit the tools you're able to use, but I've been able to make working at home, well, actually work in a New York City studio apartment — which proves it's possible to pull off just about anywhere. 

An L-Shaped desk

Ameriwood Home Dakota L Shaped Desk
Amazon

It's possible to get work done from any desk, but starting my home office space with this relatively cheap L-shaped one is a decision that continues to pay off. I can keep my computer screen in front of me, with plenty of room to spare for other necessary gadgets and tools.

My favorite feature is the enclosed two-story bookshelf on the side, which is where I stash external hard drives and other tech that I rely on every day but don't require maintenance. It's an "out of sight, out of mind" style of decluttering that helps me focus on the work at hand.

Altra Dakota L-Shaped Desk with Bookshelf, $90.87, available at Amazon

A wireless charging pad

Anker PowerWave 7.5 Pad
Amazon

With one notable exception, I've turned to wireless tech to help me reduce my work space's cable clutter. I recently tried Anker's PowerWave wireless charging pad, and became an instant fan. It's sleek, relatively small, and charges my iPhone X quickly and consistently. 

The LED that lets you know your phone is still charging without having to wake its screen is my favorite little touch.

Anker PowerWave 7.5W Fast Wireless Charger, $45.99, available at Amazon

A multi-port hub

OWC Dock
Instagram / @owcsolutions

I work on a Mac, and for years now the most useful productivity accessory I've hooked up to it has been a Thunderbolt dock from OWC.  Its latest dock has five normal USB ports, an ethernet port, a DisplayPort, an additional Thunderbolt 3 port, a FireWire 800 port, an optical in port, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. 

The dock connects to your computer through one of its Thunderbolt 3 ports, enabling you to use accessories that are plugged into the dock. This is supremely useful if your primary computer is a current-generation MacBook Pro, which only has Thunderbolt 3 ports.

This dock will allow you to use all of your old accessories with your new computer while it's at your desk instead of replacing them. It might seem like overkill at first, but almost all of the ports on my dock are taken up on a daily basis.

OWC 13 Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock, $299, available at Amazon

Editors note: The dock above works with current generation Macs, if you have a machine released before 2016, you'll want this dock, which has similar functionality.

A comfortable, adjustable chair

 AmazonBasics High Back Executive Chair
Amazon

It might sound stupid, but the biggest quality-of-life upgrade I've made to my at-home work setup has been this AmazonBasics chair. To work best you need to feel comfortable, and I can sit in this chair, happily typing away for hours at a time without getting up. 

The seat height is adjustable, and once I found the right spot I haven't had to move it since — that's impressive for someone who's 6"2 and used to feeling a little cramped under a desk. I'm also happy that this chair sits on rolling casters so I can move around without scuffing up my floors.

AmazonBasics High-Back Executive Chair, $109.99, available at Amazon

Studio monitor headphones

Status Audio CB 1 Closed Back Studio Monitor Headphones
Amazon

Remember how I said there was one exception to my "if I can buy a wireless version of an accessory, I'll do it" mantra? This is it. Status Audio's CB-1 headphones sound so good and are so comfortable to wear that I use them constantly at my desk.

The one downside of this pair of headphones is its long cable, but that isn't really a factor when I'm sitting down in one spot. I listen to music all day, and I couldn't imagine getting through a work day at home without these headphones.

Status Audio CB-1 Closed Back Studio Monitor Headphones, $63, available at Amazon

An all-in-one printer

Canon Compact TS6020 Wireless Home Inkjet All in One Printer
Amazon

Working from home means you have to recreate some of the benefits of going to an office, like having free, unlimited access to a printer. We live in a digital world, but you'll still need to print or scan something once or twice a month.

Still, you shouldn't break the bank on a printer, which is why I'm recommending a budget-friendly option reviewed by another member of the Insider Picks team. The printer I use is ancient and hasn't been sold in years, but this one from Canon is small, multi-functional, and passed every test my teammate threw at it.

Plus, nobody wants to get up in the middle of the day to go to Kinkos just to print something out.

Canon Compact TS6020 Wireless Home Inkjet All-in-One Printer, $52.77, available at Amazon

A bluetooth mouse

Logitech M557
Logitech

One of the few gadgets I've liked enough to buy multiple times, Logitech's bluetooth mouse is a must-have for me to get my work done. What sets this mouse apart is that you can program each of its buttons to perform a custom function. 

For instance, by clicking the mouse's scroll wheel left and right while in my web browser I can go back and forward on web pages. That's a lot faster than mousing over and clicking the back arrow if I quickly realize I'm on the wrong page. It's these little time savers that end up helping me work more efficiently.

Logitech Bluetooth Mouse M557, $35.07, available at Amazon

 

A bluetooth keyboard

Anker Ultra Compact Slim Profile Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
Anker

There's nothing more to say about Anker's bluetooth keyboard other than it's reliable, lasts a long time, and doesn't take up too much space on my desk. It's also another way to cut down on cable clutter, which I appreciate.

Anker Ultra Compact Slim Profile Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard, $23.99, available at Amazon

A letter tray

DESIGNA Mesh Collection 2 Tier Desk Tray & Letter Tray
Amazon

Like the printer I mentioned earlier, this letter tray is another accessory that lets you recreate an office creature comfort at home. I deal with instruction manuals, package slips, and other documents that could easily take up half my desk space or clutter my floor. 

Instead, I stick them in a tray like this one (the top row is for things I need to deal with, the bottom row is for things I'm done with), and maintain a sense of order.

DESIGNA Mesh Collection 2-Tier Desk Tray & Letter Tray, $14.99, available at Amazon

Computer speakers

Logitech MX SOUND
Logitech

While I prefer listening to music on headphones most of the time, one of the benefits to working at home is being able to play music without them on.

To take advantage of this perk, I occasionally listen to music through computer speakers, most recently this pair from Logitech, which I'm testing for review. 

Logitech MX Sound 2.0 Multi Device Stereo Speakers, $79.99, available at Amazon

A laptop stand

Twelve South BookArc for MacBook
Amazon

A must-have for any MacBook user who has an external display, Twelve South's BookArc stand holds your laptop vertically, helping you maximize your desk space without blocking an of its ports.

Twelve South BookArc for MacBook, $49.99, available at Amazon

An external display

ASUS PB287Q
Amazon

My computer setup has changed over the past few years, but the only way I can get serious work done with a laptop is when it's hooked up to an external display. There are several good options out there, but I like ASUS' because it's big, has high resolution, and can rotate to a portrait orientation, which is ideal for writing. 

The added screen real estate really pays off, and going back to laptop display has been impossible for me. As an added bonus, this monitor has a DisplayPort and two HDMI inputs, so you can hook up game consoles and media streamers to its spare ports and use it instead of a TV.

ASUS 28" 4K Monitor, $379.74, available at Amazon

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