Top must-haves for the home office

I complete believe I forgot! Well worth the $20, or you can just get dry erase board paint and make one on your wall. GREAT for mapping backlinks or brainstorming.

I was thinking of buying a whiteboard. I've got a cork board right now that doesn't get used. I think a whiteboard and a corkboard combined would be a good way to organize current papers, thoughts, ideas, projects etc.

I don't print business stuff out all to often so I'm not sure a printer would do me much good. I've got one in the basement and it's usually worth the walk downstairs whenever I print something.

I have been looking at chairs and the only ones I can find around where I live are the leather task chairs. I've tried a few of them out and some of them are very comfortable for the price. I've been looking at the herman miller embody, but it's almost 2 grand. Looks nice but the only way I'd consider buying it is if I tried it for several weeks and loved it.



EDIT: I just thought of something..... Mini fridge under the desk anybody?

Any rec for a screen filter? I had two strokes last year and have severe migraines, but I can't find anything except privacy filters for medical/legal. Thanks!

When folks say "surge protector," I assume they mean a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). Get the very best you can afford. Not only will it help protect your computer from damage from power fluctuations and blackouts, it can provide a source of power for cell phones or a desk phone if the outage lasts for longer than a few minutes. Power down your computer and just save the battery for more critical things.

Also, some sort of remote backup system. Carbonite is excellent for complete backups. I would also get a Dropbox account for current work in progress.

Dropbox has a lot of other useful features. I've had many an idea while away from my desk and started them on my phone or iPad, and saved them to the Dropbox account. When I get back to the office, they're available immediately. Very handy stuff.

If you live in an area prone to power outages, an iPad with 3G service can be a handy backup for the basics. Email, web, and some development work. Get a Zagg keyboard for it, and it's like a second laptop.

Which 3G service you choose will depend on where you live. I like AT&T's system, both because it's dependable in my area and because they're set up for more rapid expansion of 3G in the future. Verizon is also good here, but they're not positioned as well for a lot of other areas.

A handful of good USB thumb drives is also a cheap investment that will turn out to be handy for a lot of people.


Paul

I was going to say a coffee pot, but after that..