Whether you work from home or in a brick and mortar office, everyone has things they can’t work without. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some of the things that people who work from home can’t work without. First, I’d like to start with my own list though.
- My computer – This one is obvious, I’m sure. I need my computer to do the work I do for Apptical, and I need at least some kind of electronic device, whether it’s my Kindle or my phone, to jot down ideas I get when I’m away from my computer.
- My Samsung Galaxy phone– As I just mentioned above, when I can’t be in front of my computer, I use my mobile phone to make notes about things I need to do, or to check emails.
- My Kindle – I also use my Kindle to make notes and check email, and I also read a lot of books on it that give me ideas for different things related to my business.
- My landline phone – I need my landline phone for my current work from home job with Apptical, which I need to hold on to until I’m making enough money from other sources.
- Evernote – I use Evernote for all sorts of things, such saving important emails or articles that I want to read, making to-do lists and setting reminders for things I need to do.
Q. What are five things you can’t work without, and why?
A. David Leonhardt (President, THGM )
First, I cannot work without my computer. It is my communications tool, my office and my filing cabinet. I write on it, I Skype from it, I manage a virtual world of social media on it – I do everything from that screen.
Second, I can’t work without fitness breaks, even if it is just to stretch my arms, run upstairs or grab a few minutes of fresh air. Fitness breaks help me clear my head and allow me to keep thinking straight.
Third, I can’t work without sleep. OK, I can’t work “well” without sleep. When I don’t get enough sleep, my productivity takes a nosedive.
Fourth, I can’t work without socuial media. Twitter, G+, FaceBook groups and Skype groups are my networking and my water cooler. Most human interaction takes place through these venues.
Fifth…there is no fifth. These are the four critical things I need to work.
A. Anna Fox (Blogger)
- My laptop (I always have it even if I am going for a walk! You never know when you get inspired!)
- Coffee (For some reason, I can’t start working without a cup of coffee!)
- Stickies (They are all over my desk and my laptop. I am using them to make notes)
- My to-do list (I usually create one to keep track of my tasks)
I guess I have just 4… I really don’t need to much to work, apparently! 🙂
A. Sandy (Writer and IT Project Manager)
- My laptop. This one is probably obvious, but I can’t write and submit online articles, blog, or network and market on social media without it!
- Dual monitors. I got so used to using 2 monitors at my office job that I knew how beneficial it would be at home. This improves my multitasking and thus my productivity.
- My home office (aka My Writer’s Room). This is my writing space. It’s where I can concentrate and focus without distractions. Plus it is decorated to inspire! 🙂
- My desk and comfy chair. Another obvious answer, but necessities for writing and working from home.
- Great software and apps. Scrivener for writing my books, MS Office for complete productivity and necessity, task managers and calendars that span my devices to keep me organized, social media assistance apps like HootSuite, again for productivity, and WordPress for my blogs.
A. Philtrate (The Teacher Escape Guy)
- Brain – I had depression a few years ago, my brain just withered and went away, very frightening. Depression never totally goes away, but you keep it firmly under control, vitamins and supplements help long-term more than pharmaceuticals. Having had depression I appreciate the way my brain works much better
- Silence – my brain only engages creative mode when I have total silence, no radio, nobody moving about, my best time is 4am-6am. It really is worth getting up early
- Internet – I had the Internet from its beginning, then I moved to a house 5 miles from Cork down a country lane with no broadband. I lived without the Internet for 3 years because I had a day job and then had to spen 1000 euro getting a satellite system (they cost less now) when I needed to work online
- Computer – When my hard drive crashed I was like a lost soul; I had a backup compter, but it is pretty ancient and to lose all my works in progres was tough
- Trackball – I can no longer use a mouse because I find it gives me tendonitis in my forearm (RSI). The trackball is a much more logical solution to moving a cursor around a screen and if it had been invented before a mouse then people would laugh at the idea of moving a mouse with your hand rather than rolling a ball with your finger.
A. Paul Manwaring (Paul @ IMH Blog)
My standing desk – now only has this improved my productivity but also my general health and posture. I now stand 12+ hours a day while working and I’ll never go back to a sitting desk.
Hi-spec PC – When I switch over to my laptop I notice how much time I waste waiting for stuff to load, especially when I’m designing. My PC however is equipped with SSD drives and a hi spec processor. I get jobs done so much quicker it’s as simple as that.
Lastpass – I wouldn’t have a hope in hell to remember all of my passwords and account for the 100’s of websites and services I use regularly. It’s great because it’s synced to my phone too so if ever I’m out and need to access a website I dont have to worry about remembering the login information.
Phraseexpress – Auto text software which has saved me over 100,000 keystrokes since I installed it. You can program it to type things with the touch of a few buttons. I use it easily 10 times a day when entering information or repetitive tasks.
WordPress – All my sites run on this and it’s also what I use when building my clients sites. It’s free and powers a large amount of the web, Im pretty sure most of you have heard of it.
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