Sitemap
The Orange Journal

The Orange Journal is a publication devoted to helping one another grow into the best version of ourselves. From productivity hacks to love stories, we want to know the best way to make this life as beautiful as it can be.

Member-only story

Must-Haves for My Home Office

5 min readMay 19, 2025

--

Press enter or click to view image in full size
A desk showing a computer monitor, steaming cup of coffee, books, and jars of pens
Image created via Midjourney

I’ve been working from home for more than 15 years. But most of that time was spent working for an employer; I’ve only been self-employed for the past two years.

When I was working for an employer, a lot of my home office supplies were provided to me, like a laptop. Now that I work for myself, I get to make my own decisions — not only about computer equipment, but also how I organize my day and get work done.

Here are the things in my home office that I can’t live without.

A vertical second monitor

I’ve worked with a second monitor for a long time. Being able to have research, notes, or email open on one monitor while working on the other monitor eliminates a lot of flipping back and forth between different tabs.

When my employer gave me a laptop, I had my laptop screen, plus a large second monitor attached. Now that I provide my own equipment, I have a Mac mini with a large monitor and a second, vertical monitor.

Most people think of monitors in a horizontal orientation and two monitors create a larger horizontal space. I bought a monitor that can be flipped to a vertical orientation and I’m MUCH happier.

--

--

Tech Writer + Journalist. Solopreneur Operations Expert. Career pivots are fun. 🎉 https://start.annabyang.com/

See more from me

The Orange Journal
The Orange Journal

Published in The Orange Journal

The Orange Journal is a publication devoted to helping one another grow into the best version of ourselves. From productivity hacks to love stories, we want to know the best way to make this life as beautiful as it can be.