In February 2010, a decade before many of my contemporaries, I said goodbye to office life and started working from home full-time. It was a decision inspired by ten years of frustrating and time-consuming commutes to unpleasant industrial estates, which in turn followed six years of equally lengthy journeys to and from college/uni. Sixteen years of traffic jams, toilet cubicles and cafeterias came to an end, and fifteen years of WFH began at a time when homeworking was still considered exotic.

A great deal has changed since then, not least in terms of technology. Countless articles, reports and studies have been published about the benefits and drawbacks of working from home. We all have a vague idea about concepts like zoning and the delineation of work life from home life, yet millions of people are still working in home offices which are unsuitable in any number of ways.

If you’re reading this perched at a dining table, or about to start a conference call from the edge of your bed, there are some things your home office needs to function effectively – and a few things it doesn’t. Let’s take a look at the essentials first.

Five things your home office needs…

• 1. A large desk.

This might seem like an odd place to start a list of things your home office needs, but the chunky oak desk you can see in the photograph above has been my workstation since 2012. It’s still going strong today. In fact, it’ll outlast me. Not only has it swallowed everything from tower PCs and stacks of paperwork to DVDs (remember them?), but it remains an attractive and tactile piece of multifunctional furniture. Without it, there’d be papers everywhere – and I’d be a less efficient freelancer.

• 2. A laptop docking station.

In 2019, I stopped using desktop computers and switched to laptops. I can now attend meetings with my entire work history on one device, rather than porting things onto a tablet or printing out papers. I can work from Costa, the beach or a jury service waiting room with equal efficiency. Yet when I come home, plugging in one USB-C lead connects my laptop to a full-size keyboard, two 27-inch monitors, Bose speakers, a printer and hardwired broadband. Laptops are a WFH game-changer.

• 3. An ergonomic chair.

As a middle-aged man, it’s perhaps inevitable that I have a bad back. The chair I’m sitting in while writing this blog has adjustable lumbar controls, neck support and armrests. It’s also heated and massaging, which help to reduce the aches and pains often stemming from long periods being seated. Standing desks aren’t always practical long-term solutions, stools and benches don’t support your back, and cheap or poorly padded chairs quickly become uncomfortable.

• 4. Shelving.

To match my desk, I purchased an oak bookshelf with drawers underneath. Then I bought another one. Both are now groaning with proof that the paperless office was never going to become a reality. From lever arch box files filled with old invoices and bank paperwork to client brochures, booklets and manuals, shelves are a vital resource. You’ll need lots of it, too – paperwork is unavoidable, and some careers require extensive ancillary storage.

• 5. Effective lighting.

Since adolescence, I’ve suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder – a common condition brought about by the lack of sunlight in winter. A crucial element of my annual battle with SAD is full spectrum lighting, which stimulates serotonin production in the body as well as casting a clean white light ideal for working or reading in. Eye strain, headaches, low mood and an increased risk of accidents can all result from inadequate office lighting. All are best avoided.

…And three things it doesn’t

• 1. Gadgets.

Look closely at the photo above, and you might spot a label writer. In theory, this was a great addition to my canon of home tech. In reality, it was a pain. It jammed, smudged, failed to launch when I opened the software app and cost a fortune in labels. In general, gadgets are distracting and cluttering, causing compatibility issues with other hardware or software. They’re rarely things your home office needs, but they’re often an unnecessary cost – and hard to justify on the balance sheet.   

• 2. A landline.

Go back to the photo, and what do you see nestled up against the label writer? Yes, a house phone. This business expense added bloat to my telecommunications bill, yet the only time it really came into its own was when conducting phone interviews, so my mobile could run a voice-to-text transcription app. The absence of a landline doesn’t seem unprofessional any more, and it’s increasingly superfluous in terms of broadband. Plus, you’ll get fewer spam calls without one.

• 3. Clutter.

This is something I’ve never been guilty of, but clutter is the enemy of productivity. I once visited a solicitor’s office, where his desk groaned under three teetering piles of paperwork marked Urgent, Very Urgent and NOW. How he slept at night was a mystery, let alone how he worked during the day. The desk and shelving mentioned above should provide sufficient storage for anything from keys and lanyards to printers and peripherals. When everything’s neatly filed, it’s easy to find.

Much of my expertise in this area has evolved out of personal experience and trial and error, although 22 years spent working as a property writer has also offered up many valuable insights. If you’re looking for property journalism, G75 Media should be your first port of call.