One of the biggest shifts we saw in 2020 to the way people work and live is a move from the office to the home.

And just because the pandemic might lift doesn’t mean that everything is going to move back to the way things were before. In fact, many analysts expect they won’t. Given that, you need to be prepared to work from home just as easily as you can work out of your office. 

To do that, you’re going to need certain pieces of equipment and, no, we’re not talking about the basics like a computer and Internet connection. We’ve compiled a list of ten items that we think you will find absolutely necessary to help you transition to and work from home full time. 

From displays to finding the best remote software for connectivity that works for you, here are the ten must-haves to work from home in 2021: 

Smart Display

What is a smart display? These are the hub devices for smart home functionality that Google and others offer. They are connected to the Internet and typically serve up daily information at a glance. This could include the weather, important incoming emails, and other critical information that you want it to manage. It can also help you search the Internet, play music, or even make calls. Think of it as a secretary working with you at home to help keep you organized and on track. 

Large Monitor for Computer

You’re going to be staring at your computer screen for a long time. Make sure your eyes don’t strain. To do that, get a large monitor that makes it easy on your eyes to look at it for long periods of time. Not only does eyestrain cause eyesight deterioration over time, but also it can cause headaches and other ailments that will make you less productive during the day. 

Ergonomic Accessories

Just as with your monitor, you need to make sure your keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and other accessories are ergonomic and comfortable for you to use. This goes beyond simply having padding and often goes into the realm of strange, novel designs that might look weird but are tailored to make things easier for you during the workday. 

Professional Webcam

We know what you’re saying: “But, my computer already has a webcam!” If it is a good webcam, then you might be set in this area but consider this: How easy is it to move your webcam? If you answered that it isn’t easy at all - and, in fact, might be quite difficult - then you need a portable device that not only gives you the quality you need but also the flexibility to pivot to different spaces. 

Smart Speaker

Along with a smart screen and a good webcam, you should also consider a smart speaker. These are devices like the Amazon Alexa, among others. They help tie your smart home’s devices together and even help you with easy tasks such as managing emails and communications as well as making to-do lists and even placing phone calls. 

Conferencing Telephone

When you’re working from home, you might start to notice just how bad (and basic) your home telephone is - if you even have a wired solution! Whether you use an Internet-based telephone or a traditional rig, you need to make sure your phone is cut out for the corporate world. That means it needs to have speaker functions, call waiting, and hold at the very minimum. Because not all handsets can do this, you need to make sure you buy one that does. 

Portable Hard Drive

Because you could find yourself working between two spaces, you need to keep your computer’s critical information with you in a form that is transportable. A solid state hard drive or even a traditional model will do the track. Place all of your important documents and work-related materials on this drive so that when you need it, you can simply unplug it and go plug it in to your work computer and back again to your home computer as needed.  

Printer

It almost goes without saying that you will probably need a printer at home to help you manage your home office. You’ll probably be amazed at just how much you relied upon your office printer to help you with materials and presentations. We suggest you get a model that can help you do double duty or one that is perfect for the home as well as the office. Of course, if you print off a lot of materials, you’ll need a serious, commercial-grade printer - and that can cost a lot of money. That said, you are the best judge of your needs in this area and, given that, we advise you to figure out what would work for you and then go a little bit above that just to be safe. 

Noise Canceling Headphones

Noise-canceling headphones are a necessity for the work-from-home professional. Not only do they help shut out the outside world, but also they can help you focus on the task at hand. Noise-canceling headphones don’t necessarily have to be able to play music, but it’s a huge bonus if they do. You’ll probably want to shop around for the best deal as these can be quite pricey.  

Remote Software for Connectivity 

The single most important thing you need to help you work from home is remote software for connectivity and productivity. Often teams decide on this kind of thing as a collective and you’ll want to go with what your colleagues want. When deciding on remote software for connectivity, you’ll want to factor in the fact that everyone is operating at a different technical level and has specific, unique needs that they need to get out of the software. You’ll want to choose an option that everyone is comfortable with using and that covers the most bases in terms of needed features and functionalities. It often helps to make a list of must-have features and then try to find a piece of software that best reconciles those must-haves with each other.