We’re three weeks into the ongoing lockdown, and those of us that are lucky enough to get to work from home are coming to the realization that this might just be the new normal. At least for the foreseeable future. This is why you need to make the most of the situation by ensuring that your productivity remains optimal. So here are 4 ways you can enhance your current work-from-home setup to achieve just that.
1. Turn your laptop into a desktop
Laptops are great for their mobility, but now that we aren’t taking them outside the four walls of our houses, we might want to do something about some of the trade-offs that make them so easy to carry around. For starters, their keyboards and trackpads might not be ideal for tackling serious tasks for a long duration, so you should definitely consider getting external USB replacements.
2. Get more visual real estate
And while we are still on the topic of turning your laptop into a desktop, you might also want to consider hooking up an external monitor or TV as a secondary display. That way you have more room to visualize your work, thereby reducing the amount of window hopping you need to do to get your work done.
3. Invest in a quality webcam and microphone
Do you spend a significant portion of your work day stuck in virtual meetings? Then you might as well invest in a quality webcam that shows you in the best light, and a microphone that ensures you can be heard clearly. They don’t need to be top-of-the-line quality, just something a touch better than what can be found in an integrated setup.
4. Have a backup internet connection
The fact that you’re working from home means that you have access to the internet. But what happens when your connection goes down? A very likely scenario, considering everyone is currently at home guzzling precious bandwidth. This is why it is important that you have an alternative means of connecting to the internet (preferably one that is from a different internet service provider), even if it is by creating a hotspot on your mobile phone.
Have you been working from home since the lockdown began? What measures have you taken to make your experience more suited to the current situation? Let us know in the comments section below.