After the pandemic-induced lockdowns throughout 2020, fewer people are willing to leave their homes and return to the office. Across the United States, millions of working adults have had a taste of life without long commutes, annoying co-workers, and an environment not conducive for productivity. At home, people feel more comfortable, have better control of their surroundings, and get more work done less the time.

Americans Do Not Want to Go Back to the Office

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 54% of Americans would want to continue working from home even after the pandemic has ended. The majority of respondents said that they already have the equipment they need in order to complete their daily tasks, and most also have an adequate space at home to designate as a home office. More than half said that being at home gives them the dedication to work.

The respondents also reported that they did their work with no interruptions, and they were able to meet their deadlines.

Moreover, they are saving money from staying home. In one study, an economist estimated that American adults are collectively saving up to $411 million a day by sheltering in place. The fewer trips to the gas station and car repair shop and reduced accidents, pollution, and others contributed more savings.

The benefits of working from home are clear. Of course, it is not for everyone. There are advantages to being in an office. One, unless your employers are generous, you likely will have to buy your own equipment with money out of your own pocket. Two, there is no commercial and residential office cleaning company to tidy your workstation for you. Lastly, the call of the bed or the couch can be pretty tempting, preventing you from doing your work as efficiently as you are expected.

Here are some tools that will aid your transition from spending days at the office to permanently working at home:

Surround Sound Speakers

The simultaneous tapping of multiple keyboards, the ringing of telephones, and the sounds of your co-workers chatting with one another may have been annoying to you. However, if you have gotten used to it after years of working in an office, the moment you leave, you would start to miss it.

There are types of background noise that are not distracting. They may even improve your focus.

It is called stochastic resonance, and it has been proven to enhance the senses among humans in experiments. At a certain level, participants were able to see, hear, and feel better when they were made to listen to noisy sounds.

There are different ambient noises ranging from the sounds of nature to coffee shop chatter available on Spotify or YouTube for your streaming pleasure. All you need is a good quality surround sound speaker on your desk to create an environment that encourages concentration.

Ergonomic Keyboard and Mouse

Your regular laptop can cause muscle aches and pains after long-term use. Eventually, you might develop chronic conditions from using devices that are not designed to promote health.

Experiencing discomfort is distracting. For your body’s sake and for your productivity, there are ergonomic keyboards and computer mice sold in the market. They are a little more expensive than regular devices, but they are built with the natural movement of the user in mind. They can prevent injuries as well as chronic conditions that may develop from using a computer for long periods of time.

If this is not something that you are interested in, there are also wrist rests that will allow you to make typing on your computer for several hours feel more comfortable.

Time Tracker

Whether at home or at the office, there are things that can distract people from their tasks. It is especially tempting when there is no boss present to monitor your actions.

But, a time tracker can help. Having a clock might not be enough to ensure that you are on-track with finishing all your assignments throughout the day. A time tracker online or on your desk is a great way to remind yourself that you have work to do.

Get one that has a countdown timer to limit how much you are spending on cleaning your email, for example, or browsing your social media feeds. Through it, you can become your own supervisor and ensure that you are using your time wisely.

At the end of the day, working from home is still work. Despite the lack of eyes monitoring your every single action, you are still expected to submit your output and do your assigned tasks.