Home Working: Getting The Most Out Of A Little Space And A Little Cash

For many people the sudden need to work or learn from home was something of a shock to the system. Either they had never needed or been able to do so; or they had only done so in a casual manner.

The extended period of lockdown was challenging for many, with workspace layout, technology and even privacy being problematic. For a long time into the future there will be people suffering from the after-effects of working in a poor position, with a small screen and in an unsuitable chair.

The way we work has been changed forever. Now the pandemic has mostly abated, the benefits of remote or hybrid working hasn't been lost on employers or employees

Long term, remote working - with an employer in a different city to even country - is going to be much more prevalent than it ever was before the pandemic, which means employees are going to have to rethink how they are set up to work from home. 

Using your laptop whilst propped up on the couch or lying in bed might be okay for the occasional session, but if remote working is going to be more common then physical and mental health become considerations. As does the security of your working environment.

Privacy is important when you share a home working space. Nobody wants another person eavesdropping on their business conversations. 

So you need a comfortable, stable and capable enough setup to allow you to work; whilst also being properly segregated from the rest of your household. What should that look like? 

Well at its most basic, it could be a folding table like the one below. This is ideal if you need to setup an office in a bedroom or space which needs to do double duty as a family room.

The double drop leaf design makes it useful in a number of ways if you're short of space. Folded down and pushed up against a wall, it barely encroaches into a room, but has enough space on top for a monitor to sit and drawer space for a keyboard, mouse and other accessories. Open one leaf, pull up a chair, plug everything in and you're ready to go. 

It's a working from home setup at its most basic - and very similar to what I used when I first started working remotely more than twenty years ago. If you haven't got the space for a permanent setup, this is an ideal compromise.

If you do have the space for a permanent setup, but the budget can't or won't run to an expensive desk, IKEA is your friend. The Linmon table top is cheap, relatively robust and large enough to hold everything you're likely to need for a remote working setup. The basic 120cm table top and Adits leg set is just £25, but if you can stretch your budget the combination of a Linmon top and Alex drawer, so loved of YouTubers everywhere, is only an extra £50 - and well worth it.

The Linmon table top's internal construction is corrugated cardboard, but it is surprisingly robust. From personal experience I can tell you it's strong enough to cope with a monitor arm and 24" monitor, as this is the setup my own children used for their online learning setups. 

If you have the space, I'd recommend replacing the Alex drawers with a Kallax 4 x 2 cube unit, as in the picture at the top of the page. This gives extra storage and also more leg room under the tabletop. IKEA sells clamps to attach the Linmon table top to the Kallax for a couple of quid. 

The next thing you'll need to consider is a chair. If you are space poor, then you may have to make do with a chair you already have, for the dining table for example. 

However if you're going with a permanently installed solution you have a wider selection. Get the best chair you can afford. IKEA again has a wide selection, but if you're building your setup on a budget the Langfjall is robust, well shaped and recommended.

Having worked out your desk and chair combination, now you need to decide what goes on it. 

The first decision is whether you will use an external monitor with your laptop to get more screen space. If you have the budget I would strongly recommend doing this. 

For Mac users, try to find a monitor with USB-C support and Power Delivery. For Windows laptop owners check the connections available on your laptop and get a monitor to match. If you have a  choice pick a connection in the order of USB-C first, DisplayPort second, then HDMI. VGA should be an absolute last resort.

USB-C monitors power your laptop and generally have a USB hub built in. That means one wire to power your whole setup and accessories plugged into the monitor so they don't need to be unplugged everytiem you want to move your laptop.

Remember that you're going to be staring at this monitor all day, so get the best screen your funds will allow. A 1080p monitor is the lowest you should accept, 1440p is significantly better though - and for work purposes a 24" display is a good size to aim for, striking a good balance between desk space and screen space. Widescreen monitors have their benefits but tend to need more cash and more desk space.

If you can't run to a monitor then a stand to lift your laptop up to a usable height is a must-have. I can personally recommend the Rain Designs mStand for its sturdy construction and design. It is expensive though, so if you're looking for a cheaper option, IKEA's Brada stand is under fiver. If money is really tight, standing your laptop on a shoebox or a pile of books will do in the short-term.

You'll need an external keyboard and mouse. Again don't skimp on these because you'll be getting a lot of use out of them. 

Logitech has a couple of standout keyboards at the cheaper end of the market - the MK270 combo comes in at under £25, whilst the MK470 Slim  combo is under £45. Both give a solid typing and mousing experience and have excellent battery life. 

If you're looking for something to fit a smaller space I would recommend the Logitech K380 keyboard, which has excellent keys and isn't much wider than most laptops. Pair it with a Logitech Pebble mouse and you have a compact, high value and usable solution for entering information into your computer.

The last thing you might need is an external webcam. Laptop webcams are notoriously poor - mostly because laptop lids are too shallow to fit decent camera hardware. If you're going to be spending a lot of time video conferencing on any platform even the most basic webcam is likely to outperform the one in your laptop.

Once you've put all this together you should have something approaching a safe and comfortable solution for working from home on a regular basis.