Maybe you’re a full-time freelancer, or maybe your side hustle has become your new passion project. But no matter how many hours a week you freelance from home, there’s one thing that must remain true: you have to love your working environment.
The best work environment is one that helps you feel comfortable and get into an efficient rhythm every day. To help you achieve that, there are many items that are low in cost and will make your productivity skyrocket, saving you time and money.
Here are the 6 best gadgets that every freelancer should have.
Portable Laptop Stand
The problem with most desks is that, while they’re the perfect height for setting down your office pens or your morning coffee, they’re not designed to be the optimal height for laptop use. Chances are, when you rest your laptop on your desk, you’re looking down at the monitor. That’s a problem because, if you and your monitor aren’t eye-to-eye, you’re doing slow but steady damage to your back.
Keep your back upright with a portable laptop stand, so you can adjust your laptop to the perfect height at your desk or wherever your schedule takes you.
LED Desk Lamp
For freelance gigs that frequently take you into the night, it’s important to have bright, sufficient light on your desk. If you don’t, you’re straining your eyes every night you work.
An LED desk lamp gives you the light you need once the sun goes down, and remains aesthetically pleasing on your desk during the day.
Bluetooth Mouse
To optimize efficiency at your desk, the fewer wires, the better. Having a Bluetooth mouse not only cuts the chord, but also brings tremendous upside to the table (or desk).
The best bluetooth mouse will come equipped with features such as:
- Higher Resolution – Bluetooth mice have a higher sensor resolution than similar devices, making it more sensitive to movement. So, getting the pointer to respond on the monitor screen requires less motion.
- Quicker Response Time – With most wireless mice, because data is being transmitted to them sans chord, they tend to have slower response times than standard wired mice. Bluetooth mice, however, are known to have response times that rival their wired counterparts.
- Versatility – Whether you’re a righty, lefty or ambidextrous, Bluetooth mice are designed to accommodate all grips for a more comfortable work experience.
- Enhanced Functions – When surfing the web, the clicker on a Bluetooth mouse can be used to toggle back and forth between webpages, which is way more convenient than having to keep dragging the pointer over to the “back” arrow every time
Finger Stretchers
If your freelance gig entails a bunch of typing or drawing, inevitably your hands are going to get cramped. Finger stretchers are a neat gadget with five compact holes that help you—yep, you guessed it—stretch your fingers and mitigate the cramping.
Desk Organizer
When you’re trying to get work done, there are few things more stress-inducing than looking down at your desk and seeing a bunch of clutter. If your files, folders, pens, keys, USB flash drives, cords and other office knick knacks are intertwined all over your desk in one big mess, your mindset will start to mirror the chaos.
Use a desk organizer to keep all of your desk items organized and easy to reach.
Anti-Theft Backpack
One of the greatest aspects of freelancing is that you never have to choose between, “Do I want to hit the road and get away for the weekend?” and, “Do I want to keep getting work done?” With the right backpack, you can pack all your important items and work from wherever you’d like.
With theft continuing to be a problem all over the world, many backpack manufacturers are introducing anti-theft designs, which include:
- Anti-cut material
- Hidden zippers
- Secret pockets
Some even include a USB charging port for further convenience.
Now Take Your Work Environment to the Next Level!
Setting up the ideal work environment at home is a matter of combining comfort and convenience to boost your productivity. Now that you know which items to get, you’re ready to make your freelance working environment the most efficient it’s ever been.
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