Don't forget to invest in your comfort!

We acquire many responsibilities during our adult life; most of them are economic. For that reason, we need to have a budget to prioritize them. Most of the time, we forget about our comfort. We place ourselves out of our priorities because we think investing in ourselves is selfish or unnecessary.

Let me explain this a bit. Do you remember our life without the Internet? I started to use the internet on a dial-up connection with a modem. Oh dear, what a slow connection it was. A 3 Mb MP3 file took about 2 hours to download.

If I still had that internet today, tasks like checking my inbox, looking for GitHub issues, or reviewing a PR would be a nightmare.

There are many needs to make our daily tasks easier. Even some that we could classify as comforts or a luxury.

Since I started to invest in my comfort, my daily workday has been more enjoyable and easier to handle. Also, my productivity has increased because my effort, in combination with the best tools to work with, will drive me to success.

Completing a task without the right tools makes you stressed, and it's also a time-consuming waste when you know you can improve having them. You're investing in your time, and you're investing in your health and comfort, which will result in a productivity boost.

Five things it is worth investing in

If you're a developer working from home, you must consider these five things to invest in.

A gamer laptop or PC

It is not for playing games (unless you like it). Gaming laptops and PCs have high-performance hardware. It would be best to work on equipment that will not leave you stranded; even working in a heavy resource-consuming development environment, you will have enough speed to work without a freeze.

A wide-screen display

This is something you may have a different opinion. I like to work on a single monitor. Maybe your setup includes multiple monitors, and that's OK. The important thing is that you invest in a setup that works for you the best.

A dock station with multiple ports and monitors support

I work on a dual laptop setup, including a dual KVM dock station with multiple monitor outputs. It's a Thunderbolt-based one, so all my peripherals will switch between my laptops.

An ergonomic chair

This one is important. We spend most of the time sitting, so having an ergonomic chair is something your back will thank you for. Look for one with lumbar support and also for your neck. You will be able to lie down and support all your spine.

A premium pair of headphones

They could be on-ear or in-ear, whatever works best for you. I have both, and I switch between them because of the weather. When you use an on-ear pair, people around you will think twice before interrupting. Look for sound quality, comfort (you will use them during extended periods), and noise-canceling features.

I hope you find this helpful; I leave below a bonus list of things you should also consider so you can build your list of priorities.

• Fast internet.
• Large desk.
• Multidevice combo of keyboard and mouse (better if Bluetooth).
• Monitor light bar.
• Under desk footrest.
• Desk mat.
• Adjustable height desk.
• Air conditioner.
• Network switch for ethernet-wired internet access.