12 tech accessories and tools I use to stay productive when working from home by Brandt Ranj on May 3, 2018, 5:17 PM The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. 
Because of the internet, more people than ever are getting the ability to either telecommute entirely, or work from home on a regular basis. It's a great perk, but as someone who's taken advantage of it over the past five years, I can say from experience that learning how to stay productive outside of a traditional office can be tough. And I'm not alone in feeling that way. There are some general tips I can offer to help: make an actual schedule or routine and stick with it, stay connected to your teammates online throughout the day, and cut down on distractions. But the biggest factor in determining my personal work-from-home success has been creating the right work environment. After years of trial and error (and a couple of moves), I've created a spot where I can hunker down and work comfortably for hours at a time. Space constraints will obviously limit the tools you're able to use, but I've been able to make working at home, well, actually work in a New York City studio apartment — which proves it's possible to pull off just about anywhere. SEE ALSO: 9 productivity tools and apps to maximize your time and energy SEE ALSO: 15 tech gadgets under $100 that make it easier to do your job An L-Shaped desk  It's possible to get work done from any desk, but starting my home office space with this relatively cheap L-shaped one is a decision that continues to pay off. I can keep my computer screen in front of me, with plenty of room to spare for other necessary gadgets and tools. My favorite feature is the enclosed two-story bookshelf on the side, which is where I stash external hard drives and other tech that I rely on every day but don't require maintenance. It's an "out of sight, out of mind" style of decluttering that helps me focus on the work at hand.
A wireless charging pad  With one notable exception, I've turned to wireless tech to help me reduce my work space's cable clutter. I recently tried Anker's PowerWave wireless charging pad, and became an instant fan. It's sleek, relatively small, and charges my iPhone X quickly and consistently. The LED that lets you know your phone is still charging without having to wake its screen is my favorite little touch.
A multi-port hub  I work on a Mac, and for years now the most useful productivity accessory I've hooked up to it has been a Thunderbolt dock from OWC. Its latest dock has five normal USB ports, an ethernet port, a DisplayPort, an additional Thunderbolt 3 port, a FireWire 800 port, an optical in port, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. The dock connects to your computer through one of its Thunderbolt 3 ports, enabling you to use accessories that are plugged into the dock. This is supremely useful if your primary computer is a current-generation MacBook Pro, which only has Thunderbolt 3 ports. This dock will allow you to use all of your old accessories with your new computer while it's at your desk instead of replacing them. It might seem like overkill at first, but almost all of the ports on my dock are taken up on a daily basis. Editors note: The dock above works with current generation Macs, if you have a machine released before 2016, you'll want this dock, which has similar functionality.
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