Starting Your work from home Journey

Working from the comfort of your home can be one of the most exhilarating feelings one could experience. Imagine walking straight from bed in your boxers, undies or pajamas into your office, which could be in your bathroom, kitchen, on the patio or even in bed perhaps. Thanks to the pandemic, if I should use such strong words, this has become our reality. But I must hasten to say, working from home can be a nightmare as it can be even more rewarding depending on your situation, living conditions, and technical experience can make or break that experience.  Today we will explore and expound on the “must haves” to make working from home a possibility.

The Must Haves

Before your journey begins there are items you are going to need to make this possible as well as some basic computer knowledge apart form a reliable internet connection with at least 30 Mbps, a quiet environment with little to no traffic in that space a plain background is a plus.

Laptop or a Personal computer

Here you should aim for a decently spec machine that will handle whatever you throw at it, basics should start with minimum: 8 gigabytes RAM, i5 processor, 500 gigabytes SSD/HDD. Ensure they are virtualized. 

Peripherals

Dual monitors are great for multitasking, a wired backlit keyboard if you are working at nights and have a low light, wired optical mouse. wired options are more stable and less susceptible to hackers. Good quality webcam, USB Noise canceling headset wired. In case your laptop doesn’t have an Ethernet port you will need a USB to Ethernet adapter/Dangle. No cat 5e here, must be cat 6 to 8 Ethernet cables.

NB. A hard wired connection is preferred, especially if you are doing voice over Ip. Most companies require this connection as it is more stable and secure. Food for thought not using a wired connection is the biggest failure when companies do a system check on your machine.

Hardware Needed For work workspace

You will need to create a work space that is as quiet and comfortable as possible because some tasks are very demanding, so you will need to stay put. Sturdy desk/Table that is at least (4) four feet long and 2 feet wide will do a great amount of justice paired with a comfortable chair that provides some sort of back support.

 Here are some bonus addons that you can incorporate for detailed workspace and ease of mind:

• Office/gaming chair mat to protect flooring from indentations, scuffs and other marks, and from spills. Chair mats also make it much easier to move within your workspace-it takes 80% less effort to roll your chair on a mat than on carpet. And rolling your chair around on carpet all day can cause back pain and leg strain.

• A USB hub is like an extension lead for USB devices. It plugs into your computer and lets you connect more devices than your existing USB ports allow. Some USB hubs are powered, others are unpowered.
• Uninterruptible power supplies provide backup power, protecting equipment from damage in the event of grid power failure. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a type of device that powers equipment, nearly instantaneously, in the event of grid power failure, protecting the equipment from damage.
• Desk/table light
• Memory foam foot rest, mouse and keyboard rest
• Small desk fan if you don’t have the luxury or air conditioning. Small fans make less noise while keeping you cool.
• Headphones  holder and a cup holder to protect your head set and to keep your hot or cold beverage from spilling.

In closing I must say, this is an amazing journey that you have embarked on to make it enjoyable and productive. Practice good nutrition, exercise and general health as being stationary may impact on your wellbeing. Also invest in protective eyewear and computer screen protectors to protect your vision from damaging computer lights. 

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