If recent times have taught us anything, it is that almost any job can be done remotely with the right tools. The flexibility offered by working remotely gives workers a better grasp of their own time and a way to balance work and play. You could work from home in a perfectly tailored office, or you could work from a beach with a Mai Tai in hand!
The possibilities are endless, so long as you have the perfect tools for the job.
While there are many perks to working from home, you do need to keep in mind that there is a certain level of discipline and tech knowledge required to do it well. You will need a variety of software and online services, and it could take time to find the ones that you need.
With a website like Sonary, you can cut that time way down. Sonary gathers all of the possible software service needs you could want, along with reviews and ratings, and puts them all in one place for your convenience.
In this article, we will be covering some of the must-haves for working remotely, from software to tech to comfy work clothes.
Here are a few statistics before we jump right in to the tools for better productivity for remote teams:
- 75% of remote workers said they are more productive because of fewer distractions, while 74% attributed it to fewer interruptions from colleagues
- 73% of employees work outside their work hours as they find themselves more productive.
- 40% of workers would be willing to take on a greater workload if it meant greater flexibility, while 18% would take a pay cut for the opportunity.
- 49% of remote workers have worked between 1-5 years in their jobs. 21% have worked 6-10, and 22% have worked for more than 10 years.
Gear and Gadgets
This is the biggest factor of a good work-from-home environment. A good tech base will help with any job. Here are some great things to invest in.
Best Laptops for Working from Home & Remote Work
Investing in a high-quality, lightweight laptop will be a huge benefit when you are working remotely. This will enable you to work from home, a coffeeshop, or even a tropical island or mountain getaway. Working from home does not have to mean that you are trapped in your house. Make sure to check the specs of the laptop you are interested in and make sure they line up with what you need to accomplish for your job.
A few Good models popular with remote workers:
- Macbook Pro. 16-inch screen.
- Macbook Air. 13.3-inch screen.
- Google Pixelbook Go. 13.3-inch screen.
- Acer Aspire 7. 15.6-inch screen.
- Dell XPS 13. 13.4-inch screen.
- Microsoft Surface Book 3. 13.5-inch screen.
- ASUS Zenbook 15.
- Samsung Galaxy Book S.
A portable laptop stand
Having a stand for your laptop that can go wherever you go will help keep your mobile office ergonomically sound. If you choose to go with a laptop stand, you will also want to invest in a cordless keyboard and mouse. Be sure to double-check that your equipment will all work together.
A multiport adapter hub
You will never have enough ports for all of your plugin needs. It is a strange fact of remote work. Investing in one of these hubs will ensure that you have plenty of ports to go around.
A Wi-Fi range extender
If you want to make sure that you can do business from all over your house, the coffeeshop, or hotel room, a Wi-Fi extender will boost your signal so you will not have to deal with lags.
A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot
In case you are going somewhere where you are unsure of the internet connection, having a hotspot on hand will help keep you functional no matter where you work from.
Noise-cancelling headphones!
Whether you are working at home or from a café, having a way to shut out the noise so you can truly focus is a key part of a successful remote working situation. You can do in-ear or over-the-ear headphones, and you can find them in pretty much any budget range.
So many other items
You can find so many other useful gadgets meant to improve your remote work environment. Take a look at what you need to be successful in your work and then find the tools you will need to make it work. You can easily find things in a wide array of price ranges to fit all of your needs.
Software Services
This category will cover everything from workflow organizers to VPNs and more. These types of tools will help streamline and improve your business, especially for those working remotely.
Get a VPN
VPNs, or virtual private networks, ensure that you and your work stay secure while you are operating remotely. Individuals and businesses alike have grown more attached to using VPNs in recent days, as they keep your private work private no matter what kind of internet connection you are working on.
Business-level IT support
Using a high-quality IT support system will make it so that you can get help anywhere, at any time.
Internal Communication software
AgilityPortal All of your team's communication in one place, reach every single team member with AgilityPortal's internal communication software. Eliminate communication silos and let your teams collaborate freely. Message, meet and share within fully secure, searchable channels.
This will be especially important if you are working remotely as part of a team. Being able to keep all of your team communication in one spot will help streamline the process of staying in touch and up to date on all facets of work. It will also help boost productivity, as you will save time and increase collaboration.
Project management software
Incorporating project management software for your remote working situation will help streamline your work. It will allow you to organize, manage, and schedule like a professional. When looking at project management software you should choose, you can find one that fits all of your needs along with your budget. Most of the good ones will come with virtual collaboration tools, communication tools, scheduling tools, and so much more.
File sharing and storage
With a good file sharing and storage server, you can share and access files from all over the world within your company. This will be more secure, easier to control, and it will work as a perfect pair with your project management software!
A Few Extra Accessories
Now that you have all of the necessities, we can get into some fun things!
- Invest in comfort items to make sure you stay comfortable while you work. Back pillows, ergonomic chairs, etc.
- A mix of healthy and yummy snacks will help you maintain focus during your workday.
- Adding a plant to your workspace can increase productivity by about 15%.
While these are just a few of the many things that can keep your remote workspace fully operational and enjoyable, this is just the tip of the ice burg. We hope that you have gotten something useful from this article, and we know you will create the best remote workspace for you!