[News] 26 Things People Who Work From Home Have Called ‘Must-Haves’

It features a 75Hz refresh rate with 1080p resolution, making it suitable for casual gaming too. It has two HDMI ports — be sure to pick up a USB-C hub if you’re planning to connect a MacBook (I’ve used this one for years and like it).

Promising review: “Just set this monitor up, and so far it’s earned all five stars! It was easy to assemble, it’s compatible with my MacBook Pro (with a USB-C adapter), and the picture is great! I just wanted another monitor for when I work from home, so having something available that was affordable like this was perfect for what I needed.” — Allison H.

This is perfect if you like to take your work to the local coffee shop on nice days.

The Lepow Z1-Gamut is a 15.6-inch IPS monitor with a mini HDMI port, a USB-C port, dual speakers, and a higher color gamut (basically, more vivid visuals). At 1080p and 60Hz, it’s not a bad option for casual gaming in your off hours either (many reviewers are using it with their Nintendo Switch). It’s also available in 14-inch model.

Promising review: “I purchased this portable monitor to help with working at home since I’m unable to take home one of my work monitor. I’m beyond happy with the quality of the monitor. Truly the quality between my laptop and the portable monitor is beyond similar. It’s def a must buy for anyone working from home. I’m also excited to use this product when we are allowed to travel again. I will be able work with two monitors at any hotel or airport.” — Monique

This stand fits any laptop from 10 to 15.6 inches and can be disassembled into three parts for easy transportation. It’s available in 10 colors.

Promising review: “This product came very quick, was easy to assemble, and it’s very sturdy. I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to purchase a laptop stand as I’ve been working from home since October. It makes a big difference in my comfort sitting at my desk for eight hours. I have two screens, so I needed my laptop to be elevated so I don’t slump over. Hands down, an absolute must for the home office.” — Amazon customer

It’s available in eight color combinations and three sizes.

Promising review: “Must-have for teleworkers! This mat is the perfect size and protects my chalk-painted desk. It eliminates the need for an additional mouse pad due to the smooth surface.I love that it is reversible with a shimmery aqua color on one side and a soft silvery color on the other. The stitching around the edges appears strong and even. I’m very happy with this purchase for my current teleworking!” — Elizabeth S. James

Promising review: “Working from home like a lot of people I eat at my desk. Crumbs were getting everywhere. Plus my cat loved to lay on my keyboard if I was using my laptop. [This gel] does such a great job of getting fur and crumbs up. I used a little bit at first because some of the reviews were saying it was sticking. But I didn’t have that problem at all. It only now it’s sticking to my keyboard and hands more. But that makes sense it’s just a glob if junk. So much better than an air can. A must-have for all office desks.” — Ashley

Promising review: “Work from home must-have. I work from home so I have a lot of items plugged in to the two nearest outlets. This six-outlet with the two USB ports and night light is awesome! Should’ve bought another for the other wall!” — Megan H.

Promising review: “Work-from-home must-have! Wanted to move my WFH setup to another room without running an Ethernet cable across the entire house…this worked perfectly! Set up in less than 10 minutes and no issues with speed or connectivity.” — Brigit Edwards

They’re available in 13 color combos.

Promising review: “I have been needing some blue light-blocking glasses due to the increase in the amount of time I am spending online when working at home. I love the style of these two frames: They are trendy, lightweight, and comfortable. I have gotten a few compliments on them when on Zoom meetings! A must-buy. I definitely have noticed less eye strain for sure!” — carabetha

It comes in two pieces — one you can prop in front of your keyboard, and the other in front of your mouse. It’s available in 13 colors.

Promising review: “Must-have for working from home. Before covid, I had a similar set at my desk. After over one and a half years of working from home, I started to get wrist pain on the tops of my wrists and realized it was because I wasn’t using a similar support. These have already helped alleviate some of the discomfort and will hopefully eliminate it entirely over time. Highly recommend if you’re also working from home!” —Tammylynn130

I’ve been using this particular footrest for well over a year now, and I can say I didn’t realize how uncomfortable I was while sitting until I had this. I’m 5′ 3″ and use the full height of this footrest to ensure my feet are completely supported, but you can remove the bottom part to adjust the height if needed. The velvety cover also comes off and can be tossed in the washing machine for easy cleaning.

Promising review: “Excellent product, really improves my home office setup. Great footrest, stays put and is very comfortable without being squishy like a pillow, which would just be annoying. Material is durable and does not absorb odors (NYC air is often stinky). Most important, it doesn’t make my feet hot, even in the summer. Awesome product, a must-have especially when the coronavirus has made it necessary for many folks to work from home.” — SophiaD

You can also use this as a regular speaker for music and podcasts and the like, and hook it up using an AUX cord or an included dongle. Conveniently, it also has a button to mute and unmute yourself, so if you’re using different video platforms (or your kid is online learning) it’s easy to just mute yourself manually if you can’t find the button right away on the screen.

It’s available in three colors.

Promising reviews: “A must-have for remote work. My remote working experience just got 1,000 times better. This little speaker was just what I needed to reduce background noise and make meetings more effective.” — Cheryl

This holder has grippy pads on the bottom so it doesn’t slide around or scratch your desk! It’s available in 8 colors.

Promising reviews: “A WFH must-have. This phone stand is wonderful to have on my desk while working from home. It would make a great stocking stuffer, too!” — Audrey McDonald

It’s available in two styles and 10 colors and patterns.

Promising review: “My new work-from-home must-have. I am a big fan of handwriting notes. I have tried a few digital note taking solutions with the Apple Pencil, but it never felt 100%. This notebook bridges that gap. This notebook has been perfect to keep aside my keyboard to jot notes, to-dos, and reminders that I can then easily import to apps to track if I haven’t completed them by the end of the day. If you are a note-taker, I highly recommend you pick one up. I am already eyeing up the planner version.” — Jonathan B. Fischer

Promising review: “This product is a must-have for anyone who works from home and needs to switch up from being at the desk and sit on the couch. Ergonomically perfect, stable, and makes working on a laptop of iPad significantly easier.” — Michael DeLuca

This can be used as a standing desk or as a table while working from bed. It offers plenty of space for a large laptop, a notebook, an iPad and phone (thanks to the tray at the top), along with small items like pens and glasses thanks to the side drawer. It can be set to five different heights and four different angles, so you can really customize it to your comfort. It’s available in four colors.

Promising review: “I hate how much I love this. I didn’t own a desk and now work primarily from home so this desk has become a must-have. It is very sturdy and I feel like I’m swimming in space underneath it. The top has some kind of pseudo leather and is anti-slip so I don’t loose everything and it has cool inserts that help things from falling if I set it at an angle. Puts the fun in Functional.” — TweedleDumsTwin

Tip: Reviewers suggest turning the heat down from high to medium once your drink gets down to about the halfway point so it stays a comfortable temperature. It’s available in eight styles.

Promising reviews: “This is a work from home must-have!!!! Drink stays hot until the very last drop. Highly recommend.” — Gigi

You can either use this with your phone mounted just under the light for FaceTime, or if you’re calling or filming from a laptop, you can set up the tripod or the light on your desk behind the screen. Boom: fancy lighting.

Promising review: “All around great item and great price! Provides great, easily adjustable light at three different color temps. Must-have for the working from home professional or DIY vlogger.” — iluvstuff

Reviewers say it’s sturdy, assembles in minutes, and has worked wonders for both their back pain and productivity. It’s available in four sizes and in three colors.

Promising reviews: “Working from home, having a standing desk is critical. I can work more easily without always sitting. I can hug family as they leave for the day without losing work and just turning around. I can keep my cat off my keyboard during meetings. If I am starting to drift off or lose concentration, I can stand and stretch. It forces me to organize my desk (moving it up and then down, I have to keep it clean and clear). It has been pretty wonderful.” — Angelfishu

It’s available in four colors and with a wood or glass top.

Promising review: “LOVE this desk. Super easy to assemble, and the built-in drawer keeps things so tidy. I like the child safety lock, too. It took a few weeks to arrive but was very well-packaged. The quality blows me away. Before the pandemic, I worked at various offices with all different kinds of stand-up desks, and this one by far is the most versatile and well made. This is a must-have upgrade if you’re working from home. Beautiful, functional and the child lock feature makes it safe if kids are around. Can’t recommend enough.” — Brie

This whiteboard also comes with a dry-erase marker, accessory channel (to hold the marker), and a storage drawer.

Promising review: “This black whiteboard is wonderful! You do need to get some liquid paint markers for it to work; I bought these at the same time and they are wonderful as well! Once you write on your board and the ‘paint’ dries, it doesn’t wipe off! Only the white pen that came with the board wiped off with my hand. When you need to clean off your board, just use a damp microfiber cloth or just some paper towels and it will come right off. I use this board daily to time block what I am doing and put it behind my keyboard so I can type and see what I’m doing for that hour. A must-have productivity tool for me now! Especially working from home now. Two thumbs way up!” — Rose Gold

I’ve had this cooling pad since 2018, though I mainly use it with my personal laptop when I’m playing PC games. The pad itself is super quiet and not distracting, and it does a fantastic job of actively cooling down my now-older laptop while it’s working hard to run games, so I can vouch for its effectiveness. It’s also fantastic to use while you’re working with your laptop on the couch, keeping your legs away from the heat without feeling bulky or heavy. If you’re using a MacBook, be sure to pick up a USB-C hub to connect this.

It’s available in three colors. There also an RGB version if you want it to light up, which would look pretty cool in the evenings.

Promising review: “Best purchase I have made in years. Only had it two days, but the first words out of my mouth to my wife were, ‘I can work for hours like this.’ If you work from home and like to work on the couch, recliner, breakfast nook, patio, etc, and you have your computer in your lap, this is an absolute must-have. Not only does it keep your legs and lap cool, but it also keeps your computer cool and able to process much more efficiently.” — Trent Thiel

Promising review: “This chair is amazingly comfortable. Especially with the lumbar pillow I received from the seller. I was in desperate need of a new chair, and this chair meet my need. I love it! Definitely a must-have for your home office.” — LNG

I’ve had this exact lumbar support pillow since 2018, back when I was still working in an office, and I can’t express enough how much it’s improved my posture and reduced back pain after long hours of sitting. I initially got it because I was stuck working in one of those awful office chairs with zero lower back support, and years later, I still use it at home, even though I have one of those fancy gaming chairs with built-in adjustable lumbar support, simply because I prefer how soft and comfortable this pillow is. It fills the curve of your spine perfectly, and you can adjust the positioning as needed, with straps that go around the back of your chair to hold it steady. I personally use it in conjunction with the ErgoFoam footrest above, and I never have back pain after working anymore.

It comes in five colors.

Promising review: “Must-have now that we work from home. My wife and I are on our office chairs around eight hours a day and these have helped completely eliminate back pain. The cushion has kept its original form after three months too. Great product.” — Lad

Promising review: “Well-made seat cushion with the added benefit of a cutout where your tail bone rests to aid in sciatica situations. A must-have for people suddenly working from home who miss their great office chair.” — J. Snodgrass

It comes in seven colors.

Promising review: “Best home and professional office chair you will ever own. I am not coordinated enough to sit on a yoga ball without the base. This chair is wonderful. Ergonomically customizable (by inflating/deflating) for any work station. I had I bought for work and another at home. I recently switched jobs and took my one in from home for the front desk window as we share coverage. All my co-workers love it! At my previous job, 90% of my co-workers with desk jobs purchased one for their work stations as well. What I love most, as I am petite and have lower back damage, is that this type of desk chair never puts pressure on the nerves in your leg. It is a must try.” — SJCJ

It also has a touch sensor and memory function to store your preferred brightness and color settings in between uses — that way it’ll automatically return to your custom setting when turned on.

Promising reviews: “A must-have for your desk! This is one of the best lamps I’ve bought. The style is great. I like how there are different light settings and there’s a timer that helps too. it’s a sleek lamp that folds up for storage. I like how you can plug it directly into your computer, no messy wires or anything. Definitely a must have for any office. Would buy again!” — Julia