Amazon Finds: 7 Things You'll Want To Spruce Up Your Home Office

Thanks to the pandemic, a lot of people have grown accustomed to working remotely. If you already have a room in your house where you can focus, hunker down, and knock off items from your task list, then you probably had no issues transitioning to working from home. If you don't really have a dedicated space for taking virtual meetings and the like, it might be a good idea to assign a room with a door you can shut to be your home office.

In any case, there's no reason for you to work in an area that's drab — part of creating a space that's conducive to work and productivity is having good quality furniture, in particular a work desk that suits all your needs as well as an ergonomic chair that you can sit in for hours without issue. Other important factors are having all the equipment you'd need, a well stocked office supply stash, and ample lighting, to name a few.

To help you get started on jazzing up your home office so it's less boring and messy and more inspiring and well-maintained, below is a roundup of items you can buy on Amazon. Recommendations are based on personal experience with the products, their rankings on Amazon, and positive reviews shared by fellow users.

Why settle for a singular computer screen when you can extend it? There are plenty of monitor options you can get on Amazon, all of which will be able to widen your display area and enable you to see multiple windows and tabs at once. Depending on your current setup and size preferences, you can pick one that's roughly the same size as your current computer screen or something a bit smaller where you can place work-adjacent windows — think messaging apps like Slack or even non-work platforms like Facebook Messenger or your personal email.

If your main work machine is a laptop, you might be better off investing in a second monitor that's light and portable so you can bring it with you should you decide to get a change of scenery and work from a coffee shop or public library for the rest of the work day. One of the best-selling portable monitors on Amazon is the Arzopa S1 Table. Originally listed at $129.99, this portable monitor is often on sale and even went viral on TikTok. Based on my hands-on testing, it's worth the hype, especially if you're on a modest budget or want a second monitor you can use while traveling.

Meanwhile, desktop computer users have more room to splurge on a high-quality monitor that you can keep in your home office. If you happen to be a gamer and you're off the clock, having a multi-monitor setup can enhance your gaming experience. You can splurge on any of these 1440p monitors on Amazon, or pick one of the more affordable and well-rated gaming monitors on the Amazon best sellers list. One such option is the 27-inch 100Hz monitor by Sceptre, listed at $120.

You don't have to settle for your laptop keyboard or the basic black one that usually comes with most PC builds. Instead, look into acquiring an external keyboard that has a variety of colored keys! It can be more exciting to look at and maybe even more fun to type on. In addition, laptop users will have better mobility with a wireless or plug-in keyboard that isn't built into the machine.

Moffii's $40 wireless keyboard might be a largely unknown brand, but it's got enough positive reviews on Amazon that make it worth looking into. You have 26 colors to choose from and the fact that it's wireless lets you position and use it however you want to. It also comes with a wireless mouse of the same color, making your computer accessories color coordinated.

If you prefer a wired keyboard and actually like keeping it black to match the body of your computer, you don't have to miss out on having a bit of color to spice up your work machine. Acebaff's $20 rainbow LED-backlit keyboard is quite nice to look at and can act as a statement piece on your home office desk. Compared to standard keyboards, this one has a larger font, which makes them easier to read.

Maintaining a tidy and organized office table can be hard to do, especially when you're neck-deep in work tasks. A simple way of achieving order on your chaotic desktop is by having a shelf you can put on top that can fit all your essential office supplies. If your table doesn't have drawers, this two-tier monitor stand — which currently costs $34 on Amazon — has a pullout drawer with three compartments you can put highlighters, pens, cords, and other knick-knacks in; an additional shelf for paper, gadgets, and the like, and side holders that can house pens and other elongated materials.

If you prefer a more modern look, this $24 monitor stand has a wood top design, available in two finishes. While it doesn't have a built-in drawer, it does have ample shelf space underneath the tabletop, which may be enough for your needs.

Apart from the orderliness it may provide, a monitor stand raises your computer screen to a more appropriate level that's eye-friendly and better for your posture overall.

If you own a variety of electronic gadgets, chances are high that you have a massive collection of cables that you need to keep close to your desk. Whether it's a power supply cable for your computer, a charging cord for your smartphone or tablet, or a USB or HDMI connector, they can accumulate pretty quickly and can be a bit of an eyesore.

To keep your office power strip or surge protector out of sight and somewhat orderly, an under-desk cable tray like the one from Cinati — listed for up to $26 on Amazon in a variety of colors — can do wonders for improving the neatness of your office setup by keeping an unsightly jumble of cords off the floor and relatively out of sight. It doesn't require any drilling and should be easy to install.

As for your numerous USB cables, rather than have them loose and in disarray, get an electronics organizer for $22. This travel case can act as your storage not just for your cable collection, but also for your power bank, flash drives, memory cards, and other small gadgets. You can use it to keep your electronic accessories in one place in your home office. Alternatively, you can also use it on your travels.

Keeping your office space clean and orderly plays a big part in increasing your work productivity, creativity, and overall good mood. It's a good idea to routinely vacuum or mop the room you spend the most time in and to have a couple of quick-cleaning implements handy, such as a handheld vacuum or a container of disinfecting wipes.

If you take inventory of the items on your office desk, the one that you probably touch the most and therefore needs to be cleaned a lot more regularly are your keyboard and computer screen. Dust can infiltrate the crevices of the keys and depending on whether you eat while working or not, your keyboard might have all sorts of junk and debris stuck to it. If you have a touchscreen laptop, the display may have a bunch of smudges that you should get rid of.

The Ordilend brand keyboard cleaning kit, currently listed at $17 and is in the top best-selling spot for its respective product category on Amazon, is definitely something you should consider buying. The compact tool itself contains several cleaning tools, including a brush, keycap puller, pen tip, sponge, cleaning pen, cleaning spray, and a variety of cleaning cloths that work on your screen, keyboard, and earphones. If you want more functionality, this $13 electronic device cleaning tool has twenty attachments, including an air blower to get rid of dust particles on screens, lenses, and other hard-to-reach surfaces.

When it comes to big ticket items for your home office, if there's one thing worth splurging on, it's a chair. It can't be just any chair — something too comfortable might diminish your productivity and something too rigid could cause you body pains.

A particular office chair design that has recently gone viral on TikTok is the "crisscross applesauce" chair. It's basically a chair that lets you have the option to sit cross-legged and comfortably work on your desk. The no-wheels version sold by Neo Chair is currently listed for $100 on Amazon (but is often on sale) and is probably the better choice to ensure that you don't accidentally roll away from your table. The seat itself is roomy and comfortable, while the backrest has a tilt function that provides enough support.

Another option worth considering is Vivo's ergonomic cross-legged chair. It's pricier at $250 — but is discounted by 20% on Amazon at the time of writing — but you have more options in terms of sitting position, thanks to the adjustable lower foot and leg rest. If you tend to fidget while you work and sitting in one position for long periods of time makes you feel restless, this could be a game-changer.

Sufficient lighting can make or break any living space, especially a room you'll likely spend the most time in, doing the most essential tasks. While it's true that natural lighting from the sun is best, having a good quality lamp — maybe one that mimics daylight, if you have one — is a must-have backup. Whether you prefer lamps that are equipped with a floor stand or ones that you can place on top of your desk, Amazon's Best Sellers for both categories are a great place to start.

The most popular desk lamp on Amazon to date is listed at $29 and has several features going for it. The lamp head is fully adjustable so you can direct it however you need it. More importantly, it comes with five different light modes and ten brightness levels, so you can tweak its intensity all throughout the day. Other cool perks include a built-in USB charging port and an auto-off timer you can set for either 30 or 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, this LED floor lamp — which normally costs $50 on Amazon but is on sale for $30 as of this writing — also has different dimmable lighting options: cold white, natural white, warm white, and warm. Apart from the fact that it's got a remote control which makes it convenient to control regardless of where you are in your home office, the light itself has built-in eye protection as well as purple and blue light filters. It also has an auto-off timer function.