6 Working from Home Essentials Every Remote Worker Needs

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has just started to haunt people again. The countries that were least affected by the first wave are now preparing themselves to overcome the situation. While the worst-hit countries are still working day in and day out to deal with the pandemic. 

With the outbreak of the pandemic, most of the organizations asked their employees to work from home. A large chunk of people was able to manage work effectively as they were used to it. It was mainly because they were associated with some sort of digital work that needs an internet connection, a laptop, and collaboration tools to get the work done. Work behavior has changed long before the outbreak of the pandemic. 

If you are new to remote working, you might not know the essentials of working from home. But don’t be overwhelmed because we are here to help you out in working remotely while staying productive. Let’s have a look at some of the essentials of working from home. 

Internet is the Backbone of Working Remotely

Working remotely means that you need to be connected to the high-speed internet throughout the day. From video conferencing to managing workflows and delivering projects to downloading large files, high-speed internet is essential for managing your work effectively without affecting productivity. 

A fast internet connection can only be enjoyed when you have the right hardware. Your productivity will only suffer with hardware that keeps on lagging. Nevertheless, getting a new computer on a budget can be challenging, especially if you want one that does not compromise on performance. Fortunately, you can get high-performance refurbished computers for less. These can last for years, and you can even upgrade them when you want to amp their specifications.

You can find plenty of internet service providers near your area. Check out the availability of service providers in your area and compare their plans. Most of the ISPs offer bundles and packages so that you can enjoy high-speed internet along with cable TV and telephone service at affordable prices. Of course, you need some entertainment at the end of the day because working remotely is as tiring as traditional jobs. 

Having said that, you can check Spectrum bundle deals that offer you high-speed internet as high as 940Mbps. Moreover, you can enjoy unlimited data caps to browse, stream, or download without running out of data. The best thing is that you can also enjoy watching your favorite channels in HD without compromising on picture and sound quality. 

Ergonomic Office Chair to Avoid Backache

Working remotely requires you to do as much work as you might do in the office or sometimes more of it. Sitting for long hours can result in backache, which could lead to health issues in the future. 

To avoid any health issues, make sure to invest in the ergonomic chair you can find online in stores like Amazon. Some people might not take it seriously and ignore it to save a few bucks. But the benefits it provides are more than you could imagine. Firstly, it would help you in maintaining your sitting posture. Ergonomic chairs are designed to give support to your back and avoid any spasm or aches in the back. 

Ergonomic office chairs come in different varieties varying in color, design, and price. You need to evaluate what chair suits you in terms of budget and work office settings. Make sure to look at your office desk to avoid buying the wrong chair. 

Seamless data transfer

Most of the online work requires working with videos, photos, text, and audio. Sometimes you need to transfer the files from one device to another to carry out your work. For this reason, having a reliable data storage option is essential. For instance, if you are a UI/UX designer, the files are quite heavy and require a lot of storage capacity as compared to a text file. Having a USB device would not be as effective as investing in an external hard drive. With storage capacity in terabytes, backing up your data and transferring files becomes a lot easier. 

Make sure to have an external hard drive with USB 3.0 connectivity. The prices of external hard drives vary with storage capacity. Find out how much you can afford and what storage capacity is enough to meet your requirements. Western Digital and Seagate are the two most popular external hard drive manufacturers that you can trust on. 

Slack 

Working remotely requires you to collaborate with your team as much as you require in the office. Especially when it comes to teamwork where every individual is dependent on other team members, the collaboration tool plays an important role in eliminating the gap. 

Slack is one of the most effective and popular online collaboration tools used by big and small enterprises. Remote workers are no exception as they require seamless collaboration with clients as well as peers. 

Slack allows you to share files, connect other apps, and even make calls. If you have a small setup, but cannot afford to pay high prices, then worry not because Slack gives you a free version as well. Unlike other collaboration tools, you can find plenty of premium features offered for free. Make sure to give Slack a try for effective collaboration and productivity. 

Focus Apps

A lot of times you are distracted by time-wasters such as Facebook, Instagram, and other apps. Working remotely isn’t as easy as it seems to be. You can be easily distracted from your work with these apps. To ensure productivity, you can install focus apps devised to offer you stay on track while blocking access to those websites and apps. 

Some of the focus apps you can try on Windows or macOS are Cold Turkey Blocker, Serene, Freedom, Forest App, Hocus Focus, Mindful Browsing, and many more. Stay productive and deliver your projects without missing deadlines. 

Zoom 

COVID-19 has forced people to stay in their homes. You cannot interact with your peers and clients in person as there are risks of being infected. Zoom is a popular video conferencing app that allows you to seamlessly interact with others on a video call. Whether it be a meeting, a webinar, or a conference, Zoom allows you to collaborate with peers over video in HD. The collaboration tool allows you to hold meetings with support up to 1000 participants simultaneously. Moreover, the attendants can also share their screens to demonstrate their findings, giving presentations, and sharing files.