12 must-haves for your home office in 2020

2020, besides the coronavirus, is all about working from home.

With this set to stay in place (till 2021 at least), now’s a good time as any to start thinking about upgrading that home office of yours.

A properly set-up home office, with all the essentials, will help you stay productive and efficient. Here are what you need:

1. Omnidesk Pro 2020

From $760

Standing desks were popular at one time and were marketed as helping to improve posture and health.

But if you have a desk-bound job, standing for hours on end or alternating that with sitting on an uncomfortable standing desk chair doesn’t sound too appealing.

Which is why companies have come up with standing and sitting desks that let you adjust the height whenever you feel like giving your posture a good lift.

We like this one by Omnidesk, which allows you to adjust the height of your desk electronically with a button at the side. No more fiddling with manual knobs or giving your arm a good workout.

The desk is crafted from MDF wood and its surface covered with a micro-textured powder coat so it acts like one giant mousepad.

There are plenty of customisable options: tabletop size, colour, legs, and other add-ons you can include with the purchase like a cable management bar, universal ports to charge your devices or an anti-fatigue mat so you can stand for longer.

Buy it here

2. Dyson Lightcycle Morph

$799 for the desk variant and $1,199 for the floor variant

Proper lighting is super crucial if you are looking to set up a half decent home office. You will need a general, ambient light as well as a task light that is more focused on lighting up your workspace directly.

Dyson’s new Lightcycle Morph works as either, as the light can adjust the glow it emits depending on your task at hand, your age, the mood you are feeling at the moment or the local daylight, adjustable via an app.

The app features pre-set modes you can use: Study, Relax, Precision, Boost, Wake-up, Sleep and Away.

Like most of Dyson’s products, this light fixture features a sleek (albeit slightly over-engineered) body.

Through apertures, the stem can be lit up and provides a warm, orange glow when it’s set up as an ambient light. Mounted on its stem is an intelligent optical head with a flexible, 360-degree manoeuvrability.

The Lightcycle Morph comes in two variants, allowing you to either use it as a floor lamp or a desk lamp.

Buy it here

3. Sail Luxury Ergonomic Chair

$619

If you are not getting a standing desk, then an ergonomic chair should be on the top of your must-have list. An ergonomic chair helps to ensure that you are sitting with the correct posture at any one time.

Good ones not only let you sit for long periods of time in comfort, they are also modifiable.

This is important because we are all built differently and have different needs.

In terms of adjustability, this ergonomic chair by TakeASeat well, takes the cake.

It comes with a flexible headrest that lets you adjust the height and angle of it, a four-directional arm support that takes into account your arm weight and height, a lumbar support at the back that moves when you sit, a slide-in/out seat depth adjustment and a backrest that you can modify the height and tilt angle of.

Buy it here

4. Nillkin Prodesk Adjustable Laptop Stand

$95

For those of you working on laptops, a laptop stand minimises visual and physical strain, as it positions your screen at the eye level and ensures you are not slouching at your desk while you work.

This one by Nillkin is a stylish contraption that lets you adjust your height and angle accordingly. Compatible with a wide range of laptop sizes from 10 inches to 17.3 inches, the laptop stand features four anti-skid silicone pads and preventive hooks to prevent your device from sliding down.

The slits on its surface also minimise the chance of your laptop overheating by permitting airflow and ventilation.

Buy it here

5. Cable Management Box Organiser

$15.90

A cluttered desk and tangled up wires are a sure-fire way to reduce productivity in the home office. Get your workstation organised with this minimalist cable management box retailing at Iuiga.

Highlights include seven electrical outlets, four of which are USB, trenches on the lid that hold your devices upright while charging, as well as ventilation holes that prevent your cables and cords from overheating.

Buy it here

6. Deskly Mini Broom & Wiper Set

$8.50

Healthy snacking while you work can be a great energy and mood booster when you’re all stressed out from meeting deadlines. If you frequently snack at the desk, this mini broom and wiper set will come in handy.

It comes with two interchangeable brush heads and a dustpan that can help clear spills and loose crumbs effectively. The broom head also doubles as a keyboard duster to keep your entire workstation sparkling clean.

Once done, the brush can be hooked on neatly into the dustpan for compact storage.

Buy it here

7. Art Deco Mini Desk Fan

$53.10

Since turning on the air-conditioning is not economical or environmentally friendly while working from home, getting a decent fan to beat the heat becomes even more important.

Desk fans are great since they offer a more targeted airflow and can help improve ventilation around the workstation. Scene Shang carries a very chic, old-school one that will elevate anyone’s workspace.

Only retro visually, the fan is powered by USB and features a two-speed selector switch.

The best part? It doesn’t take up a whole lot of desk space with its 10.5cm by 10.5cm base.

Buy it here

8. Sony WH-1000XM4 Noise-cancelling Headphones

$549

Ever had the sound of screaming jets (or kids) muting your presentation in a Zoom meeting? You will know the importance of getting a pair of decent noise-cancelling headphones with mic.

The new WH-1000XM4 headphones by Sony features two microphones on each ear-cup used for cancelling ambient noise, and five microphones to pick up voices.

It is designed to reduce low frequency noise (from vehicles) and mid-high frequency noise (conversations).

ALSO READ: Can Sony's new noise-cancelling headphones block out sound like broken plates and motorbike horns?

The pair of headphones also come with an adaptive sound control, a smart function that senses where you are and what you are doing to adjust ambient sound settings so you get the best out of your listening experience.

Over time, it will learn to recognise the location you frequently visit and tailor sound to suit that particular location and situation.

Other smart functions include ‘Speak-to-Chat’, which automatically stops your music and let in ambient sound when you start speaking, and a wearing detection that allows your headphones to detect when you are wearing them and when you are not so that it can stop the music to save on battery power.

Buy it here

9. Turret Mobile Pedestal

SGD269

Paperwork, stationery and other work essentials tend to be all over the place if you don’t have a fixed place to keep them all. This three-tier mobile pedestal on wheels is made for all these miscellanea.

It comes with a catch-all at the top, a tall shelf on the second tier suited for larger files and a shorter shelf on the bottom tier. We love that it can be wheeled around, adding to its functionality and versatility.

Buy it here

10. Healthy R-Go Mouse and Healthy Split Keyboard

$78 and $150 respectively

We never knew ergonomic mice or keyboards were a thing until now. But if the standard keyboard and mouse are causing all sorts of unnatural positioning and pain, then you will need to get these.

They are designed so that you can reduce strain on your hand and wrist, and to ensure that your hands are kept within shoulder width.

The keyboard is split into two for ergonomic functionality, but it can be kept together with the magnet in the middle, while the mouse is built vertically so that you will use your entire arm to operate it rather than put strain on the smaller muscles and tendons at your wrist.

Buy them here and here

11. Ember Mug

$169

Last we checked, this cup’s sold out everywhere, which says something about it, eh? What this mug does is keep your beverage at the temperature you want all day long.

So no more lukewarm, icky coffee even when you get distracted by work. It maintains the temperature for about 1.5 hours, but you get to keep your drink hot all day if you use the mug with the charging coaster.

Temperature controls are via the Ember app on a smartphone or you can tweak it on the mug itself. An LED light will light up to tell you when the desired temperature is reached.

Buy it here

12. Miuvo Knead Master Advance II Neck & Back Massager

$199

After a hard day’s work, nothing like a good massage to help ease the knots and tension in your muscles.

This back massager comes with a height-adjustable neck and shoulder massager and a back massager with four massage nodes that you can set to target specific areas on the back.

It features shiatsu kneading, which is a form of therapeutic bodywork from Japan that uses slow and rhythmic finger-pressing techniques.

The massager also comes with a built-in heating function designed to create a more relaxing experience.

Buy it here