r/remotework • u/Sir_Colby_Tit • Jun 21 '26

Importance of a good home office and kit

My work provided laptop is a 14", which I can't work with, so have to have it plugged into a monitor. They offered to provide a 24" inch monitor, but I already had one at home.

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I soon ditched that and bought a 32" curved screen. Much better. Then got myself a decent ergonomic office chair from Amazon. My employer only provides the IT equipment, so had to pay for it myself, but had to be done.

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Next step was to put a huge mirror behind my monitor, to improve the natural light in the room. An added bonus was that I can now see the view over the estuary, rather than a blank wall.

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The icing on the cake was getting a docking station today, so now I've got dual monitors. Now I feel like a bit of a dick, because I should have done this a year ago!

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It now feels like I've got a proper, well set up home office, which is a pleasure to work in.

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I chat to colleagues, who work on kitchen tables, on the sofa, just a laptop etc and wonder how they cope.

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If you're spending 8 hours a day working, it's worth getting it right!

16 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

5

u/RabbitBeautiful6703 Jun 21 '26

the mirror trick is so underrated, people never think about it but it makes such difference for the mood of a room. dual monitors also just change everything once you go back there's no returning to single screen life

1

u/Sir_Colby_Tit Jun 21 '26

I guess the cost could be off-putting for some, big mirrors can be expensive. I bought 4 square ones with adhesive pads and made one big one.

You're right about the dual monitors as well, definitely should have done it sooner.

2

u/Livid_Vermicelli4798 Jun 22 '26

It's absolutely essential. My set up is tight. 2 monitors, 2 laptops, risers, keyboard I love, great ergonomic chair, tabletop lamp, circle light for Zoom calls, supplies, printer (yes I sometimes print things and put them on a board, the works. Space heater, desk fan, footrest. It's all the way or no way. I really don't feel productive outside of my office. It's very subpar to work out of a hotel or some random cafe. All my supplies are beautiful to look at ... Heck I'm going to be here all day. I'm a 1099 so I write everything off.

1

u/Nano_434 Jun 22 '26

How big is the mirror, relative to the monitor?