 Welcome to the journey. Today, we're going to talk about working remotely on a more permanent basis and how to get the ideal home office setup. COVID-19 is still flaring across the globe. It seems like we're all going to be stuck at home for some time. And for me, that's this office right here. So given this, it's a good idea to have a comfortable home office setup. And for some, working remotely might even become a long-term arrangement. So here are five useful tips on how to make sure that your home office is set up to keep you productive and healthy however long you need it. Starting with create a work environment that makes you feel good. That's what this room does for me. Healthy, safe, focused. And the goal in creating a home office setup is to create a space where you feel you can be productive, but also creative and inspired. And that will depend on the work you do, of course, but create an organized area where you will not be distracted by family, friends and other household tasks. And you might want to choose a space with some natural light. I love sitting in front of this window here. And make sure that your monitors are not affected by any glare. Yeah. And consider healthy ergonomics that best fit your comfort level and physical condition. What works for others isn't necessarily what will work for you. Like for me, it was this nice little chair where it goes all the way up. I'm pretty comfy over here. But also a door that you can close at the end of the day is ideal. This will help separate your work from your home life. What works for others isn't necessarily what will work for you. And if you're purchasing a new office chair, if you're able to sit in it for several minutes and adjust it, move it around, just so you know what to expect before bringing it to your home workspace. With me, I got to basically play around with this chair and it was the perfect fit. It's a gaming chair. Gamers like to sit and play Xbox or be on the PC. I'm basically doing the same thing with my work sitting all day and I had to make sure that it was comfy enough for me to basically live here all day. But some people may enjoy working while standing, so you might want to consider a desk that you can adjust as well. I wish I would have taken your advice nearly. I got a new office chair during this pandemic and it's not the most comfortable, but it's stylish. So also get the best type of computer for your work. PC or Mac desktop or laptop. If you work remotely for someone else, this decision might be made for you. If not, here's some food for thought. Let's start with desktop computers. Now, desktops, they're a great solution even though they take up more space and they aren't as portable as laptops, but you can think of them as your home base or server. And desktops, they have limitless storage as it's easy to add hard drives. And if you're doing anything creative or graphic intensive, desktops are ideal because of external PCI Express video cards, which are much more powerful than any options on a laptop. And if you don't need a desktop tower, but like the other advantages, then consider getting a smaller sized PC or even a mini PC. All in ones where the computer is built into the screen are also a good option as well. If you need something that's more practical than a laptop at home and have larger screens and more desk space. But back to laptops. Again, my preference at home. Laptops are the default option for working remotely since you can just pick it up, leave your workspace, change rooms. And when buying a laptop, be sure to look at business class or enterprise laptops with SSD drives, so solid state hard drives, as they usually have better warranties and are built to last much longer than consumer grade computers. The SSD drive is a must upgrade for any laptop with a regular spindle style SATA hard drive. Not only will you boot up your computer much faster, but the difference in overall responsiveness is also incredible, which really brings us to our next part of this is really finding the right monitors. It's a good idea to invest in a bigger monitor or even two monitors. Highly recommend it with high resolution if you have the space when working remotely. If it is within your budget, consider adding an ultra wide monitor for improved productivity instead of two monitors. Also consider outfitting a corner desk. If your work area is located in a corner, a wide curved screen might work well. I mean, consider mounting your monitors on a wall or use a mounting arm, like if your desk is not made of glass, as it's going to allow you to stay viable work area and easily adjust your monitors as needed. I actually have adjustable mounting arm for my laptop that I just love. And some people like having one monitor in landscape orientation and another in portrait orientation, which is good for reading or editing documents. Right. And now I'm talking about laptops since that's what both Emma and I use, some of the accommodation when it comes to laptops. And if you have a laptop that you're comfortable using, consider raising it to eye level so you're not hunched over, hurting your neck and back. You can also span your laptop workspace over to another monitor or even have two additional monitors with a laptop. You're not limited by just that one screen. If you have a business laptop that supports a docking station, that's a plus. And alternatively, you can buy a USB 3.0 to HDMI adapter to expand your work area if you don't have the additional video port or docking station. So now we want to talk about the importance of choosing the right accessories. The right accessories can improve productivity when working remotely and head off physical problems, back neck, shoulders and repetitive stress injuries. Now I want to talk about your keyboard and your mouse. I know for me personally, I just switched over from just using my laptop trackpad to a little mobile trackpad over here and game changer. So if you type quickly, you should consider a mechanical keyboard. They are a little more expensive, but are very practical and easy to use. And when it comes to computer mice, get a mouse that fits your hand and feels comfortable and accurate enough that you can almost sign your name with it on the screen. And if you want to eliminate cables like I did, look into wireless mice and keyboard options. I'm telling you, game changer you guys. Absolute game changer. And when it comes to a webcam, it's just a necessity these days considering that everyone is using Skype or Zoom for meetings. You can use the ones that you have on your laptop or buy an external webcam or have a very expensive hobby and set up your DSLR as a webcam. But most webcams have built-in microphones. And if yours don't, consider getting a headset instead. And all of this requires some power. So let's talk about power supply. If you're working from a desktop computer and sure that it's plugged into a reliable power bar, surge protector, keep that in mind, or even better a UPS, which is an uninterruptible power supply. And these are basically standby batteries, which ensure that constant clean power is being provided to your workstation. Anyone who's ever lost work because of an interruption in power can vouch for these. And if you have a laptop, you don't really need to worry about a UPS because it already has a battery inside of it. However, if you still want a reliable surge protector to protect your equipment, because there might be power spikes, like lightning and things like that, that can cause damage. And something I haven't done yet, but we want to talk about find the right printer. Yeah, I still walk up to the UPS store to print anything that I need, but determine whether you need to print or scan it all. Working remotely often doesn't require a lot of printed material since we're communicating primarily through digital means. Laser printers are better option over inkjet. When it comes to like buying fewer plastic products, hello the environment, toner is something you won't have to worry about nearly as much as ink as toner cartridges last much longer than inkjet cartridges. Now that you have the gear and you set up where you want it, you're ready to get started. Just remember, you know how you work best. If bringing your Nespresso machine like Emma or other small coffee dispensing machine into your workspace enhances your creativity and do it. Who cares? Just do it. Everyone who works remotely does it differently. So do everything that helps your productivity and work life balance. Well said, Nelly. And that's a wrap. You just learned how to get the ideal home office set up. Be sure to comment below what's working for you and be sure to subscribe to our channel. Hey, while you're there, make sure you ring that bell so you get these episodes first. This is The Journey. We'll see you next time.