Are you working at home more these days? Just kidding, we’re *all* working from home these days. I guess what I should have asked is if you’re surviving working from home these days. While we’re all new at this working and schooling from home, I’ve created a list of my favorite products and services for online learning and schooling. I’ve also included a few products that make it easier to survive the stay at home order. I give you, my Work from Home Essentials in this new COVID-19 world:
From items to make the most of your video conferencing, desks to make work from home ergonomic, and items from security as well as great tech to help you survive, this list has it all.
Work From Home Essentials to Keep You Sane
1). MOVO Smartphone Video Kit
Are you finding yourself shooting videos either for school, work, or for fun these days? If so, you need to know about MOVO Photo. Whether you are creating informational videos for work, connecting via social media, or it’s for your kiddos homework, MOVO can help you. My daughter has already had two videos assigned for her, and a few optional videos teachers have asked for.
The MOVO Smartphone Video Kit has made creating high-quality videos easier than ever. No more shaky cameras, terrible sound quality, or fumbling phones. The Movo for video making allows you to use the PR-1 smartphone rig to give added stability and multiple mounting options for accessories. Once your camera is secure, sound is next. The VXR50 Pro Stereo Mic adds full stereo sound to all your videos so your message can be received.
Find out more at Movophoto.com to see their full range of camera and video tech that can up your video game, and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
2). MOONUltra Light
While you may not need a selfie light these days for going out on the town with friends, there are multiple uses for a high-tech selfie light from home. Whether you are documenting quarantine life or you are hopping on yet another video conference call, the MOONUltra is here to light the way. The best part is that the MOONUltra adjusts to fit devices from 6mm-10mm thick, so you can use it for cell phone videos and pictures as well as on tablets and even laptops.
As everyone working from home or schooling from home knows, lighting for all these conference calls definitely is an issue, and the MOONUltra solves it beautifully. This super tiny light is so much more powerful and adjustable than other selfie lights. And, unlike cheapie cellphone lights that blast you with cool light and wash everything out, MOONUltra allows you to adjust the intensity of the light as well as the color temperature.
From Tungsten color tone 2700K to daylight 5000K, it all looks great through its frosted diffusion lens. As if that wasn’t enough, the MOONUltra is also anti-flicker with smooth transitions and continuous lighting for shooting video or lighting during video meetings. Battery is a rechargeable lithium-ion that lasts 2-3 days with intermittent use and 2-3 hours of continuous use for meetings and videos.
Find out more at MOONUltra.com and be sure and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
3). Standing Desk from Ergotron
Are you feeling chained to your computer these days? Now that we’re all working from home, computers are how we do virtually everything. If the idea of sitting at your kitchen table or your couch makes your back hurt just thinking about it, you need a good quality desk at your home. If you are looking for something that can keep you more active and ergonomic, I suggest a standing desk. I’ve tried numerous standing desks in the past, and I especially love the all the standing desk options from Ergotron.
Whether you want a sit-to-stand desk that can go from couch to podium or you want one that goes on your existing desk, there’s options for everyone. Check out Ergotron and see what standing or sit-to-stand desk is right for you.
4). Blue light blocking glasses
Once you realize how detrimental blue light is for our health and well-being, you realize that blue light blocking glasses are basically a necessity. While you can find blue light blocking glasses at most pharmacies or big retailers, you can also order blue light blocking glasses from Amazon and pick from a wide selection of frames and looks.
You can even get readers that are blue light blocking, which is awesome.
5). A great pair of noise-canceling headphones
If you don’t already have a great noise-canceling headphone, working from home will convince you to buy. You can you can use them while working, during conference calls, or just for music throughout the day. But, my favorite use of noise-canceling headphones is to block out sounds from the family while you need to concentrate.
Of course, blocking out noise isn’t a good idea if you’re the one in charge of small children. But if your kiddos are old enough or there’s another responsible adult in the house, these will be your savior. If you get a really nice set with a built-in microphone, you can also use these for conference calls to help speak up in your meetings. I love this set of noise canceling headphone from Jabra that is also rain and water resistant.
6). Logitech MX Vertical
Now that you’re home all the time, you’re probably realizing that all those ergonomic items you had back at the office really were essential. If your wrists are aching by noon, you’re going to have big problems long term when working from home. You will quickly realize that a regular old Amazon basics mouse isn’t going to cut it for long-term WFH, you really do need a high quality mouse.
My favorite of the bunch is the new Logitech MX Vertical mouse that is so untraditional and awesome that it will blow your mind. We’re talking hyper efficient tracking, three different ways to connect, a rechargeable battery, and advanced ergonomic design. Save your wrists with this totally unique 57 degree angle mouse that prevents forearm twisting and thereby reduces muscular strain. Not only does the angle of the mouse help, it also has a with a 4000 DPU high precision tracking that requires 4x less hand movement as compared to a traditional 1000 DPI sensor.
As a photographer that does teeny tiny actions for hours at a time, I noticed the difference upon plugging it in. No longer was I chasing the mouse around the screen, and to get from one point to another was effortless. I have found that my carpal tunnel flares up after long work days using the basic mouse, but the new MX Vertical almost eliminates my wrist pain completely. Seriously, it’s magical.
To buy: shop Logitech MX Vertical on Amazon.
7). Kuna security lights
How many times a day do you have to get up and help family members with projects, fix snacks, or do something around the house each day? Every time you get up wastes precious time that extends your work day, so any time you can eliminate the need to stop working is a win. That’s why I love MAXIMUS lights from Kuna that help me keep an eye on things from my office. There are so many uses that it’s hard to just list a few.
I love that I can see when someone is dropping a package and know whether I need to get the door. I love knowing my home is safe and secure without ever having to check the perimeter. And, I especially love being able to keep tabs on my family and know that everyone is inside where they should be. We have tried many {many, many} camera systems in order to find one that works for us and isn’t obtrusive when installed and the MAXIMUS Smart Security Light is by far our favorite.
The Smart Security Light also has two-way talk so you can engage in live conversation or play a message every time someone is detected. Add in the fact that it’s easy to install and doesn’t require an electrician or damage the exterior of your house, and it’s not hard to see why we love it so. Find out more at GetKuna.com
8). Litra portable & professional lights anywhere
Have a big meeting and need even more light than the MOONUltra can provide? If so, you need a Litra. At merely 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch, the LitraTorch can fit inside your pocket but can illuminate large areas indoor for any need. With 800 lumens of daylight temperature light, you will be amazed that so much output is coming from the teeniest of sources. LitraTorch is the world’s most powerful and portable pocket sized light with an ultra wide beam angle.
And, did I mention it’s also waterproof, can be handheld, and can mount to numerous different stands, mounts, magnets, and more? Find out more at Litra.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 
9). Alexa dot, echo and show on Amazon
We use our Amazon Alexas for everything these days. We use them for playing music, turning on lights and appliances, doing trivia, asking homework questions, and so much more. But, recently with everyone home all day they have been instrumental in allowing us to use them like an intercom system throughout the house. Being able to make announcements allows me to save myself from yelling upstairs over and over again throughout the day.
As much as I love the Amazon Alexa Dot and Echo, the Echo Show really has my heart. We have both full size and mini Echo Shows and they are great because you can see recipes, scroll through personal pictures, and see daily news headlines throughout the day. This strange time feels a little less so when we can feel more connected to the outside world, and the Echo Show helps with that immensely.
Shop Alexa dot, echo and show on Amazon.
10). SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe
Are you constantly moving from one computer to the next or worried you might lose files? If so, you need the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe that comes in storage sizes up to 1TB. I’ve been known to do the “I’ll email this to there and then download it there” dance in order to get important files and photos off devices. Never again with the super sleek and sexy all-metal SanDisk Ultra® Dual Drive Luxe that can hold all of my important files in one place.
It’s the size of a small flash drive, but still really big on features like super fast transfer rates, swivel cover for throwing into your laptop bag, and even easy to slip onto a keyring for easy access. Now you can take even more photos and access them across all your devices just by plugging in the drive, and you can even automatically back up your latest photos, videos, music, documents and contacts with the SanDisk Memory zone app.
Find out more at shop.westerndigital.com to see even more options and sizes. Be sure and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
11). mycharge.com
How many times have you realized that you have a meeting in 5 minutes and your phone is running on empty? I can’t even count the times since we started working from home, so I’m really glad I had the HUB Plus-C at the ready. With built-in wall prongs and built-in USB-C cable and micro-USB cables, you never have to search for wires again. Everything you need is built right in and ready to go in this little 6700mAh device.
At just a little bit bigger than a deck of cards, the HUB Plus is easy to connect even while you’re using your phone. You can charge two gadgets at once with the built-in cables, and it provides enough power to charge your small accessories and phones 3.5 times before you will need to juice it back up by plugging it into a standard wall outlet. Find out more at mycharge.com.
12). Gourmia 11-in-1 Multi Cooker
It may seem strange to have a 11-in-1 cooker on a work from home article, but everyone that works from home knows why it’s on here. These days we’re expected to work from home, homeschool our kiddos, and also provide 3 meals plus snacks on demand. If you’re keeping track, that’s just too many things to be responsible for. If I can save some time whole providing my family the best and most delicious meals I can, it’s a huge win.
The Gourmia 11-in-1 multi cooker allows me to either slow cook a meal all day so it’s ready at dinner, but it also can do so much more. Using the bake feature on the Gourmia is so much faster and easier than cooking in an oven, and my meals I’ve made in it have a 100% success rate. Oh, and it also has 9 other functions that are amazing and make it an absolute necessity for us working from home. Find out more at Gourmia.com
13). Tech stand and charger
If you are now homeschooling and working from home, I highly recommend you get a tech stand with built in charger so you can charge all of your tech devices in one spot. Having a dedicated charging station eliminates the running around looking for chargers, gives one single tech spot where everything “lives” and helps keep things looking less like a tech store exploded in your house.
Amazon has a wide selection of tech charging stations, including this compact and easy to use bamboo version.
14). A great coffee maker
Gone are the days of swinging into an espresso stand or popping into the break room for a cup of Joe. If it’s time you got yourself a nice coffee maker at home, I recommend a smart coffee maker. I saw lots of great coffee makers at CES this year and cannot wait for them to fully launch here in the US. In the meantime, look into espresso makers or Nespresso machines as they have all the fancy features.
Of all work from home essentials, this might be the most important. Working from home requires good coffee – especially when kids are involved.
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