33 Work From Home Setup Ideas, Gear, and Essentials

Working from home has become increasingly popular and accepted worldwide. But if you’re new to remote work or never established a proper setup, it can be challenging to create an effective workspace. Traditional offices come with equipment and setups already in place—when working from home, you need to create these yourself.

Short Answer: A productive work from home setup requires a dedicated space with proper isolation, essential equipment (desk, chair, computer, lighting), and a consistent routine including breaks and focused work time.

Where Should You Set Up Your Home Office?

Quick Answer: Choose a dedicated room with sufficient size, isolation from household traffic, door closure, noise resistance, temperature control, and preferably a window for natural light.

Your home office should be a designated room—not working on the couch. Consider these key variables:

Sufficient size: You don’t need much space, but you should have room to move comfortably. About 200 square feet (average bedroom size) is more than sufficient.

Isolation: Your office should be away from heavily trafficked areas. Setting up next to the living room or kids’ playroom leads to regular noise and interruptions.

Closure options: Ideally, your workspace has a door for privacy. If not, a curtain can create a similar separation.

Noise resistance: Choose a room with some noise resistance. Basements work well, but you can modify other rooms with insulation, window seals, carpeting, or sound dampeners.

Temperature control: Most people prefer working temperatures from 68 to 76 degrees. Your office should offer full climate control.

A window: Windows provide fresh air, eye relaxation, and natural light to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Best Home Office Location Options

1. Guest bedroom: The obvious choice—right size, out of the way, and probably unused. Add furniture and embellishments and you’re working.

2. Finished attic: Finish your attic for a home office. Temperature regulation can be challenging in some climates, but attics meet most other criteria.

3. Finished basement: Section off a specific room in your basement. The main issue is potentially lacking window access.

4. Under the stairs: If you have roomy space under your stairs, consider it for a cozier office—just expect occasional noise from foot traffic.

5. Porch or balcony: You won’t use it 100% of the time, but it’s great if you love being outside.

6. Garden shed: If you have minimal home space, outfit a garden shed or outdoor building as your office.

7. Garage: Convert your garage (or part of it) into a home office.

What Equipment Do You Need for a Home Office?

Quick Answer: Essential equipment includes a proper desk, ergonomic chair, computer with good specs, extra monitor, reliable Wi-Fi with backup, and good lighting.

Equipment choices drastically impact productivity. Consider each option carefully.

8. Desk

Your desk is where you’ll accomplish most daily tasks. Make sure it’s the right height, size, and aesthetically pleasing. Options include standing desks (ideal if you hate sitting all day) and treadmill desks. Standing desks help with back and neck/shoulder pain and feel healthier than sitting. Example: Ergotron standing desk.

9. Desk Chair

Even with a standing desk, you need a comfortable ergonomic chair. Invest in good lumbar support and customizable options—this helps retain good posture and minimize chronic pain associated with sedentary jobs. Example: Flexispot C7 office chair.

10. Computer

Laptops offer portability, but invest in good specs: solid state drives (SSDs) for faster booting, higher memory and processing for speed, and larger screen size for easier viewing. Example: Dell XPS laptop.

11. Extra Monitor

Once you experience multiple monitors, you’ll never go back. Multiple monitors expand viewing potential and allow more windows open simultaneously.

12. Printer/Scanner

Even if you don’t need it regularly, have one on hand for when you need to scan or print something.

13. Tablet

A tablet is even more portable than a laptop and relatively cheap. Use it for basic tasks like catching up on emails away from your main desk.

14. Reliable Wi-Fi (and Backup)

Internet connection is vital for remote collaboration. Have reliable internet with a good router, plus a backup plan like smartphone tethering.

15. Good Lighting

Good lighting makes work easier to see and minimizes eye strain. Invest in a light that mimics natural sunlight to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in winter.

16. Writing Gear

Keep a notepad and pen/pencil for jotting down notes or sketching quick plans—even if most work is digital.

17. Headphones or Speakers

Invest in high-quality headphones for music or noise-cancelling headphones to block external noise. Alternatively, set up a good speaker system.

18. Physical Calendar

A wall calendar is friendlier to visualization than digital calendars. Use it to organize personal and professional life. You can also try time blocking apps if you prefer digital.

19. Whiteboard

Great for brainstorming and outlines, especially when hosting digital meetings.

20. Filing Cabinet

Even in a mostly paperless environment, occasionally you’ll encounter physical documents needing organization.

21. Coffee Maker

Caffeine (in moderation) staves off fatigue and boosts productivity.

22. Water

Even small drops in hydration significantly reduce concentration and productivity. Keep plenty of water nearby—bottled water, a cooler, or a pitcher all work.

What Accessories Enhance a Home Office?

Quick Answer: Plants boost productivity, artwork stimulates creativity and mood, and pleasant scents like peppermint or lavender can improve focus.

23. Plants

Research suggests plants improve productivity by creating a more pleasant environment and stimulating attention and focus. Add one or two houseplants to your setup.

24. Art

Hang artwork on your walls or include a sculpture on your desk. Looking at art stimulates creative thinking and boosts mood.

25. Scents

Some people work better surrounded by pleasant scents. Try incense, candles, or plug-in diffusers. Peppermint and lavender are good starting choices.

What Habits Make Working From Home More Productive?

Quick Answer: Develop a routine including email catch-up, exercise, breakfast, focused heads-down time, minimal meetings, regular breaks, and automatic cloud backups.

26. Start Your Day with Email Catch-Up

Check email and catch up on voicemails and missed calls first thing. It sets new priorities and starts the day with a clean slate.

27. Exercise

Physical exercise is important for sedentary jobs and boosts productivity. Make time for exercise—even a quick 20-minute neighborhood walk.

28. Meditate

Before diving into difficult work, spend time meditating. Many successful professionals meditate daily to clear thoughts and destress.

29. Have Breakfast

Get coffee brewing and eat a full, nutritious breakfast. Working from home means no excuse to skip the most important meal.

30. Eliminate Meetings

Schedule meetings in advance and trim down their number and length. Meetings tend to run longer than necessary. Keep them short and efficient.

31. Make Time for Heads-Down Work

Have at least an hour or two each day where you’re unreachable. Use this undistracted time to focus on your most important projects.

32. Take Breaks

Breaks maintain productive momentum. Spend a few minutes every hour doing something other than working. Treat yourself to occasional days off or vacations to fully decompress.

33. Set Up Automatic Cloud Backups

Most work is done in the cloud by default. If working from a local machine, back up work automatically and check backups periodically.

How Do You Measure Work From Home Productivity?

Quick Answer: Track email activity, response times, and work patterns using analytics tools. Experiment with different conditions and measure which approaches boost productivity.

The best setup isn’t the same for everyone. Some prefer silence; others like background noise. Some prefer regimented schedules; others thrive in free-flowing environments. Gradually adjust and experiment with different approaches.

EmailAnalytics integrates with Gmail to show stats like number of emails sent and received, average response time, and average thread length—helping you measure productivity as you try different setups.