Best Home Office Upgrades for 2021

Now that so many of us are working almost exclusively from home, it’s time to think about a few home office upgrades to make our work in 2021 not only efficient, but healthy. Strapped to the computer screen more than ever, we need to think about reducing strain on our backs, eyes and arms. Planning for my home office upgrades for 2021 got me thinking about stand up desks to keep my circulation going, blue light glasses to reduce eye strain, a better headset to improve call quality and ear comfort, better storage solutions, and much more. The list below contains my Amazon affiliate links to products I recently purchased to upgrade my own home office. That’s right, I have purchased all of these items myself (as I do everything on my blog and YouTube channel) and I am recommending them because I really like them. They are all highly rated on Amazon (4 1/2 to 5 stars), and they are quality products that I have been very pleased with. Some represent a more significant investment, and some are very inexpensive. On the higher priced ones, I will just say that I understand the hesitation sometimes to spend on the good stuff. I will also say that in each case, for me, it has been completely worth it. If you spend 10-12 hours a day in that home office like I do, it is extremely important to have the right equipment. So, let’s launch into the list!

I originally got a much more inexpensive (ok, it was cheap), portable standup desk to hold my laptop. Let me tell you, the difference in having this solid VersaDesk from my former pop-up version is like night and day. No more wobbling when I type! Going from sitting to standing is smooth and takes about 3 seconds. The height is fully adjustable, meaning it will stop at any point — not just predefined stops, but anywhere you want! It blends beautifully with my furniture, and the power adjustments with built in USB charger are just dreamy.

Having a monitor this big is kind of life-changing. More expensive than some alternatives, but LG is true quality. This monitor comes with several cables, a remote, even the remote batteries! It’s a true plug-and-play package where you don’t have to think about ordering a bunch of extra things to get it to work. Having this much screen real estate allows me to have my email, Microsoft Teams, and several other documents plus my Windows Explorer all open at the same time. It is nice to not have to find buried windows, or drag windows from my laptop monitor to the secondary monitor — it’s just all in one place, neatly laid out.

Newer laptops seem to come with fewer and fewer ports, but this aluminum alloy hub solves that and reduces the amount of wear and tear on the ports it does have. With this USB C hub, I only have one connection to my computer (which means only one thing to unhook when I am on the go). Everything else connects to the hub. This is not only convenient, it reduced all the “cord traffic” all around and on top of my desk. There are several models to choose from, with varying numbers of ports in several configurations. To use this particular model, be sure your laptop has a USB C connector. This hub model has:

• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• 2 USB 3.0 ports
• 2 HDMI ports
• 1 Ethernet port
• 2 SD/TF slots
• 1 Mic/Audio jack (3-1/2 millimeter)
• 1 USB-C Female PD Charging Port

If you opt for a large monitor and stand-up desk setup, then you will LOVE having this vertical laptop stand. It keeps your laptop safely and securely on your desk, reducing the width of desk space it takes up to less than 5 inches! It looks SO nice, and the aluminum design is sturdy and reliable. The little cradles on the side will hold additional devices to make one nice compact charging station, in close proximity to your hub. The width is completely adjustable to fit most laptop models, and the laptop cradle is lined with silicon mat to keep your laptop case scratch-free.

Now is the time to get serious about your screen presence. Do you get tired of talking to screen avatars all day long? Me too. And I also get tired of looking up people’s noses, or at their faces half cut off. Take a few minutes to see how you look on screen, and get this very simple and inexpensive ring light to brighten your face. This light is universally flattering! A little extra light adds energy and overall just looks more polished and professional. One caveat: This is not the best ring light for filming, but it is hard to complain about that at this price point. If you are leaving this light pretty stationary, like for video calls, it will be perfect for you. If you are doing any more serious filming, give other brands with more powerful lights and sturdier stands more consideration. This light is powered by USB, and you will want to be sure to plug it into a USB wall charger and not your PC (it pulls way too much power to operate through your PC USB ports for any length of time — it heated up my laptop pretty quick). The stand has a rotate and lock mechanism, which is excellent for the desktop and occasional use elsewhere. For example, my daughter steals this one to light up her piano lessons, which are still being conducted over Zoom due to the pandemic. The adjustable stand allows her to place it on the floor next to the piano and her teacher can see her very clearly.

These glasses are SO stylish, and they look great on both men and women!  I’ve read that reducing your exposure to blue light can really help save those eyeballs, so why not afford yourself a little extra protection? These glasses come in a 5-pack with black, tortoise, pink and clear frames. They are even less expensive now than when I bought them! Blue light glasses have been found to reduce eye strain which can help prevent loss of eyesight and headaches. If you are staring at your screen all day, these can be a real lifesaver.

Don’t be “that guy” that constantly has echo, background noise and foolishness on your video calls! It is absolutely imperative to get a quality headset for video calls to ensure you are not a distraction in your meetings. I’ve used many over the years, but I decided this year to try out a gaming headset. Choosing a price point on a headset can be tricky, because they range in price from $25 to more than $300 — so how do you pick? Let your requirements be your guide. If you are only joining calls through your phone, this headset it overkill. However, if you are like me and need a little more versatility, this headset has high enough quality for tasks like video editing while also having a high level of comfort. Calls on it take a little bit of getting used to because even though it isn’t technically “noise cancelling,” it cancels a LOT — JBL calls it “Echo cancelling technology” — which is nice in my sometimes busy household with two kids in virtual school. I need to be able to really hear my computer audio but as a mom, I have to be able to hear what is going on in the house as well. No escaping to a noise-free oasis for me! JBL does offer a full noise cancelling model in the JBL Quantum 800 if you want to go about $50 higher on the price point, and that model offers full bluetooth compatibility as well (this one has a wireless USB dongle, which was fine for me).  For comfort, I chose the gaming style for the over-the-ears design, as I find that other two-ear headsets push on my ears and hurt after an hour or two on calls. These Quantums really feel nice and soft on my head. JBL is an amazing brand that I swear by — I have a JBL sound system in one of my vehicles and the JBL Flip is pretty awesome too for tunes at the beach or on the golf course. I have never been disappointed after investing in a JBL product.

A wireless keyboard is nothing new, and you may already have one. For this upgrade, I want to emphasize the SLIM aspect of the keyboard I am recommending. This Arteck keyboard is inexpensive, looks fantastic, and types quietly and fluidly while retaining typing accuracy. You can use this keyboard on a conference call or in other meetings without worrying about the clackity clack clack being annoying to the other meeting participants. Ergonomically, I find this keyboard to be an awesome compliment to my standup desk, because my wrists do not have to bend upward and can rest comfortably on the desk surface creating a nice straight alignment. I love that it has a number pad since I do a lot of number crunching, but you can certainly get smaller versions without this feature. This is the cheapest item on the list and it is one of the upgrades that I was kind of surprised to love as much as I did.

It was a lightbulb moment when I watched YouTuber Sean Cannell (Think Media) talking through his office setup, and he showed these sweet little headphone hangers that he mounted inside the side wall underneath his desk. This little upgrade makes SUCH a big difference in the look of your desktop! I am one of the worst when it comes to desktop clutter, and I do not feel melodramatic in saying these little gems are kind of life changing. Headphones are now always conveniently within reach yet completely out of the way while not in use. You can also add multiples of these hangers under your desk for extra wire storage — think about extra phone cables, device chargers, power extension cords, instrument cables, you name it. The wider hanger area keeps headphones steady, and if you use for wires, it definitely cuts down on the tangle factor.

This is such a versatile power solution! I have a specific use case in that I film for my YouTube channel in different spots in my house and I have equipment to plug in that uses a combination of USB and traditional power plugs. A traditionally designed power strip generally tied me too close to the wall outlet, was bulky to carry around, and did not accomodate all the oversized odd plugs I had going on. Enter the Anker PowerPort, and several problems solved! An extension that allows me to not be so closely tied to the wall outlet, a cube design that accomodates every shape of plug because they sit on different faces of the cube, and a nice combination of 3 traditional power plugs and 3 USB ports. When I can start traveling again, this will be with me on every trip.

The number of USB-to-micro-USB charged devices just keeps growing in our family, and they all come with super short charging cables! These extra long micro usb power cables come to the rescue. They can stretch through the minivan for “emergency” device charging in the back seat, they can be routed through desk to floor connectors, and more. This versatile set of 2 was a must for my stash of power cords.

Cable management is so important for a clutter-free, stress-free home office. Regular plastic cable ties work fine for this purpose — that is, until you change your mind, or get a new device in the mix. Then you have to cut them all and start over. For just a few bucks, you can have these reusable cable ties. One pack of these will last you a long time, and you will find many other uses for them all over your house — in your garden, garage, craft room, kitchen, everywhere!

These bins are a great size for the office, even if you don’t have the cubicle-cubby type of storage. I nestled them under my oversized hutch, and they neatly organize my video equipment, notebooks and notepads, check and mailing supplies (which yes, I still use), and all the other odds and ends that I need in my office but don’t want sitting out in the open. The ability to label these is also nice. You can choose the label side, or flip them to the other side if you want a cleaner look.

Like many of you, I am making an effort to go paperless these days. However, sometimes you still need to hang on to important documents, and not everyone needs a big file cabinet taking up space in their office! You can really store anything in these lidded storage boxes, but they are the perfect width to hold file folders inside. They are a lot prettier than an ugly metal or wood file cabinet, and the price is a fraction of what you would pay for a furniture piece to hold files. They are stackable, and what I really appreciate about them is that you can configure them to store just about anywhere: under a desk, in a closet, or even out in plain sight in a neat stack.