5 Simple Works From Home Installations

Here are some simple work-from-home setups you can use to stay more productive while adapting to working from home.

I’ve been working from home for nearly a decade with a full setup I’ve tweaked, but for the past few weeks I’ve been working in a new location with a simplified setup.

If you don’t have a permanent place to set up your new home office, that’s fine. I use the kitchen table for all these setups, but you can adapt them almost anywhere you find them working.

It starts with a laptop, I’m using a MacBook Pro 16 inch, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If you are looking for an upgrade, I recommend new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 16, Dell XPS 13 or Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.

From there, you can add a keyboard and mouse, a purchased or made stand, a second monitor or iPad, and a few other upgrades to boost your setup.

1. Laptop Over The Counter
2. Standing Desk with Books
3. Laptop Stand, Mouse and Keyboard
4. Work From Home With Video Calling
5. Authorized User with Second Monitor

In each section below, I’m sharing a breakdown of how each of these setups work and tips you can use for your setup. All that work from home setups can be set up in minutes and taken apart at the end of the day.

Laptop Over The Counter

The simplest setup is to put your laptop on the counter and start working. I personally prefer a bench to a desk because the ergonomics work better for me, but you can use a desk.

Yes, it’s a very obvious setup, but one that you can use wherever you find yourself. I like this more than sitting on the couch all day.

Surprisingly, all you need to get this job done is your laptop and a flat surface.

Standing Desk with Books

Add some poise to your day with books.

The next setup is to make a standing desk on your desk or counter using a book or a box. I like to use a book if I’m going to be typing on a laptop when using this setup, as a box is usually very shaky.

With this setup, you can add some movement to your workday, and standing at work can help you burn more calories throughout the day. This can help you come out of isolation better.

Another benefit of this setup is that you can avoid some of the back pain that comes with using a temporary setup.

Laptop Stand, Mouse and Keyboard

Upgrade your workspace ergonomics.

Adding a laptop stand, an external mouse and keyboard is the best way to elevate your business from a home setup. Here you can go as cheap or expensive as you want.

I use Yohann MacBook Pro Standone Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2. This works great for me because it’s very portable and I get the same typing setup on my phone as on my laptop.

If you want to emulate this setup and can’t get the items I used, check it out. best buy for laptop stand, keyboard and mouse. Most stores are still open for pickup from the curb. Amazon It can also be shipped to you quickly, so you can examine the laptop stand, mouse and keyboard options.

Work From Home With Video Calling

Add a light to amplify your calls.

Are you always on Zoom calls while embracing the work-from-home movement?

We have the full list of video calling tips and accessories you need for your video calls, but the best option out there is a combination of the above setups and the addition of a light.

The first part of this setup is to lift your laptop up so the camera points to the head instead of your nose.

The next step here is to put a light behind your camera so that you are a front light. you can use Lume Cube Air VCany small video light you can find or place a desk lamp in your hand or behind your laptop facing you.

Authorized User with Second Monitor

Use your iPad as a second monitor and more.

My most used setup involves adding a second monitor to the mix. If you are using an Apple laptop and have an iPad, you can easily use the iPad as a second display.

It’s called Sidecar and is a standard feature in macOS Catalina and iOS 13. With this, you can choose iPad as the second display for your Apple laptop.

I use it 12.9 inch iPad Pro and it allows me to be much more productive with the MacBook Pro 16 and bench setup. When I’m done I can remove everything in seconds.

You can also check out this list of the best monitors for your MacBook Pro.