Ask HN: What is your Work From Home setup

[magneticz]

Since the pandemic started, I am working from home 100% (like a lot of others). Initially, I just created ad-hoc work place, with table and chair I have at home.

Now I want to make a proper WFH setup, thinking about furniture, monitor holders, laptop stand, keyboard, mouse etc.

What is your favorite (home or office) setup, what are essential things for your productivity and what are nice to have?

[sethammons]

CloudNine Mechanical Keyboard - Very similar to Microsoft Ergo 4000. Ultrawide monitor. USB webcam. USB switch to switch between sending peripherals to my personal desktop or my work laptop. Wacom tablet. Electric standing desk with 4 programmable heights. Dedicated room for home office with lots of windows looking over a lake. Lots of green and blue in my vision until I have to pull the shades later in the day.

[zkirill]

Which standing desk do you have?

[sethammons]

Wish I could tell you. There are no brand markings on it and I don't see anything about it in my inbox or my amazon order history. Odd. It was just the frame, so I had to order a top separately. I looked for one that could go as low as possible, and I found one that would go to 24 inches. When sitting, I want the keyboard as close to my lap height as possible.

[zkirill]

My work from home and work on the road setup is a yoga mat. I found that my shoulder and back health were severely degrading after years of sitting and despite daily physical exercise, and this was the only solution that reversed that pattern for me.

[giantg2]

I have a desk with a personal desktop and a basic computer chair. I can put my laptop on top of the keyboard when sitting or put it on top of my desktop tower to stand. I have an antifatige mat for standing since the floor is not carpet.

I think a dual monitor setup could be the only thing that would improve my setup. I haven't gotten around to setting up my desktop monitor to work with the laptop.

[tstegart]

Here's one law professor's setup. I thought the telepromter was a nice touch if you have to do a lot of presentations. https://reason.com/2020/05/24/my-new-eight-monitor-display/

[magneticz]

that's one hell of a setup

[ivylee]

I wrote about my favorite setups at https://bestwfh.com/best-work-from-home-setups/. It was quite an interesting journey of discovery.

[magneticz]

wow, there are already platforms that cover this topic. Cool, thanks for posting it

[p1esk]

what are essential things for your productivity

Interesting problems to solve.

[babygoat]

How does WFH factor into that?

[p1esk]

I was already WFH, so as far as the setup nothing has changed.

I worked with several very productive people, and not one of them cared about workplace setups. I remember I asked my boss (the founder of a company which later got sold for half a billion) why doesn't he get an external monitor, and he said alt-tab works good enough for him. All he needed was his laptop and a place to sit. He seemed to be equally comfortable working at home, in the office, or on the plane.

If I'm interested in what I'm doing I will be productive. If not, no setup will help.

[magneticz]

You've got a valid point, you need to have an interest, to be productive. But there is nothing bad imho, in making life easier, ride more pleasant in the process, and if better home or work office setup makes it so, then why not.

If you are working from home already, I guess you already have some kind of setup, that you have developed over the years, I am genuinely interested in that (maybe i can find something interesting for me)

[p1esk]

Sure, I've spent a lot of time and money on my setup, but at the end I realize that it does not make much difference - even in terms of enjoyment. You get used to whatever you have.

I got Uplift bamboo desk, Leap chair, and two PG27UQ monitors. MX Keys keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse. HD 600 headphones. Brio 4k webcam.

But sometimes I take my macbook to a library, and I'm just as comfortable working there without any of those things I have at home.