# My work from home set-up

Given the corona virus craze, a lot more people are considering working from home. I wanted to share my set-up since I spent considerable time designing my home office.  
  
I believe in spending good money in some key areas. A proper posture and work-setup will help me avoid physical pain later. A good set-up will help me stay healthier and more engaged when working.

#### The sound

My home office was pretty echoey. When I would hop on calls with co-workers, it annoyed me how I used to hear my own echo. It threw me off.

The sound bounces off hard surfaces much more easily than cloth or other softer surfaces. So, I tried many things to reduce the echo. First, I hanged some curtains and I bought a small rug to put in the middle of the room. I got them from Target. It wasn’t a huge improvement.

Then, what helped the most, was buying these [foam soundproofing wall tiles](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TP7C9YY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I also bought some double sided tape to tape them to the wall. Very cheap fix. I placed them around my monitor so that my voice goes _at them_ when I’m on video calls.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1637639693674/AOZc-odfe.jpeg)

### My desk

I bought my desk from [fully.com](https://fully.com/). It’s a programmable sit-stand desk. Yes, I stand often. When I notice myself slouching, it’s time to hit the button!

My experience from using the website is great and I highly recommend it. It’s a 72 x 30 [Jarvis Laminate Desktop](https://www.fully.com/standing-desks/jarvis-adjustable-height-desk-laminate.html) with a Walnut finish and steel alloy legs. It’s large enough that I can have my huge monitor and my desktop on it.

I chose to get a powered grommet. I love it. I no longer have to do yoga whenever I want to unplug my laptop charger to go on travel. I simply unplug it from the top of my desk. The same is true for my headphones.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1637639695581/jxGBAibZS.jpeg)

### My monitor

My monitor is expensive and phenomenal. It’s a [Dell U3818DW](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073FHWTPL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Here’s a [YouTube review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS5aJxhNrF0) on it that pushed me over the edge. It came with a _3-year warranty_. I actually put it to use because my first monitor had a strange glitch. The support from Dell was great and they shipped me a new monitor right away without receiving the old one.

It’s massive. Almost a bit too large. I love it though.

One of my favorite features of my large Dell monitor over my LG monitor is it’s KVM-switch like features. Meaning, I can hook up multiple computers to this monitor _and_ keyboard/mouse and switch between the set-ups with a push of a button. It’s very easy for me to have my desktop computer hooked up at all times and also plug-in my work laptop without having to unplug an excessive amount of cables.

I also have this [LG monitor](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074JKT894/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) at the New Signature office and it’s also great. Certainly a lot cheaper. It does not have the KVM switch features.

### My chair

It’s a [budget chair](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049UCECE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1). If I had more money at the time, I would have splurged. But, this chair is really comfortable and functional for the price. Not a bad pick. I will say, I had to return the first one because the first box they’ve sent me came in terrible condition and it had missing parts.

### My keyboard

I have an old mechanical keyboard. The Das professional with MX Cherry Brown switches. I have had this keyboard for over 8 years and it still works great. In order to spruce it up and trick myself into _not buying_ a ridiculously expensive new mechanical keyboard, is buying [keyboard caps on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GT1CKMC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). They don’t all fit.

I chose to let go of my perfectionist side. This way, I saved hundreds of dollars.

### My mice

I have two mice, one cheap and one expensive one. The cheap one is for when I forget the expensive one at the office.

The expensive one is a [Logitech MX Master](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Master-Wireless-Mouse-High-Precision/dp/B07DHDFW5V/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mx+master&qid=1584408810&s=electronics&sr=1-2). It’s very comfortable and I love the scrolling mechanism. It also supports and remembers up to 3 computers to be paired with. Making it very easy to take it with you and use with multiple workstations. If you’re going to do that, I recommend that you get a small case it as well. I had things jammed into it before because I just dropped into my bag.

### What’s next?

Next, I will be installing a window AC unit. I live in sunny Florida and it gets _really_ hot in my home office in the summer. My computer sounds like it’s going to take off from a runway because the fan is so loud.

I will also upgrade my web cam. At the moment, I have an old 720p web cam. Lastly, my company will also be providing me with a dock for the laptop. That should help me cut down in cables. Hopefully, it will work with my fancy monitor.