Over the past few weeks, I’ve posted three guides on the gear you can get to start working from home, ranging from under $300 for basics, to under $1,000 for a more fitted-out workspace, to over $1,000 for those who are building out a very serious office space.
While those lists have been helpful, a bunch of you have told me you can’t buy a ton of stuff to set up a home office. You asked me to narrow it down to the most important things you could do to make yourself more productive at home, the best investments that will help you work from home for the long haul.
After some thought, I realized that there are three things I couldn’t live without. When I had to evacuate from Hurricane Irma with just my wife, my puppy, and my laptop, the three things I bought for our stay in a rental house were a bigger screen, an office chair, and noise protection earmuffs.
In this article, I’ll explain my choices. I’m also going to bring in my recommendations for monitors, chairs, and ear protection from the previous articles so you have them all here in one place.

Noise protection earmuffs

These may be the least expensive, and by far the most important, upgrade you can make. During the week-plus that we were driving across the country during our evacuation, I drove all day and then had to set up camp in our motel’s lobby to do a full day’s work in the evening. The noise was considerable. And while noise-canceling headphones might have worked, I didn’t need music. I needed quiet to be able to think and write. This noise protection saved my ability to bring home the bacon.
Although you’re more likely to be sheltering-in-place than traveling, you may be sharing your space with your entire family. It might not be realistic to ask everyone to keep “library silence” for a full workday, especially if you have school-age children, a spouse who is also working from home, multiple roommates, or a small, wonderful, adorable yappy dog.

Bigger screen

A laptop screen is great for travel but can be difficult on the eyes in the long term. If you used a bigger screen at work, you’ll want one at home. Below, I recommend three varieties ranging from a surprisingly popular $85 24-inch TV up to a $550 curved ultra-wide monitor. When you work at home, unexpected things happen and uncontrollable events occur. If you’re on a deadline and the house is filled with noise (and trust me, this will happen whether you want it to or not), having a pair of earmuffs like these can save your deadline. There are cheaper models, but these have been battle-tested in my life, and I can recommend them solidly.

Better chair

When I landed in that rental house, I bought some cheap, horrid, back-breaking disaster from Costco. It wasn’t their fault. I just snapped up the first thing I could find and it was a mistake. If anything, it showcases why getting a chair that’s a step up from your kitchen or dining room chairs is essential if you’re going to be putting in any real-time in a home office. Here are the three highly-reviewed, well-loved, popular chairs:
At $258, this might just hit the sweet spot. Not only do you get a very large monitor for your desk, but you also get a very nice TV. It’s a win-win. We chose this model because it’s big enough to help your eyes but small enough to fit on a compact desk, has an HDMI input for both sound and video, and is affordable enough to be a no-brainer purchase when equipping a budget office. Plus, it has nearly a thousand reviews with a four-star average. For a bottom-priced TV, that’s a really great track record. I’m only including one of these in my recommendation to keep you within the thousand dollar budget. But if you can afford it, I strongly recommend you get two. Dual-monitor setups will substantially increase your productivity. The slight curve makes it. It took about a week to get used to at first, but it makes the screen easier to read and reduces eye strain. I still use additional monitors, but they’re good for secondary information and work. I can use this main curved screen and see what I need without straining my neck. My ultrawide monitor was probably the most useful and valuable tech purchase I’ve made in the past few years.

Make ergonomics a priority

If there’s any theme in these recommendations, it’s choosing to upgrade things that can help your body. I recommended earmuffs so you can have quiet and concentrate. I recommended a monitor to help reduce eye strain. And I recommended a better chair to reduce back strain.
We like this chair because it’s inexpensive, everything is adjustable, plus it’s got a mesh back that can help you remain comfortable for the whole day. It’s also got casters, so you can easily move around without scuffing the floor.  Also: Best office chairs I like this style because I’m a big fan of a headrest in my office chairs. I find that after hours of working, the ability to lean back and rest my head is a boon to productivity. It’s also attractive and easy enough to put together. Also: Best office chairs in 2020 Right now, it’s hard to get to a prescribing doctor or chiropractor, so do what you can to stay healthy. Protecting your eyes and your back are a big part of that when it comes to traditional office work.
Oh, and if you were to ask me what my next three recommendations would be, it’d be a separate keyboard, a mouse, and carving out a space of your own.
What about you? What have you done to make working at home easier, healthier, and more productive? Let us know in the comments below.
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