When the pandemic forced the country to go on lockdown, resulting in most of us working from home, I was fortunate enough that I had a desk and a comfortable chair in our studio unit in Makati (our temporary home until our forever home finishes construction) that I easily transformed into my current work from home setup.
At that time, I was still working with my previous company, which provided me with an office laptop that I used every day.Upgrading my Work Area
Fast-forward to when I resigned and decided to focus on my passion projects: Greta’s Junk Shop, a curation of my favorite things, and Mama Jessie’s Kesong Puti, my mom’s backyard business—my husband felt like it was time to upgrade my workspace by building a PC, installing a Hackintosh (since I’m used to a macOS), and giving me one of his monitors.
Bigger Monitors Make a Big Difference
Having a 24-inch monitor was such a game-changer after being used to working on a laptop for eight years. The extra real estate allowed me to be more productive. I found myself writing more often and staying at my desk longer without feeling pressured. The monitor’s positioning encouraged me to sit straighter as well, which is great for my scoliosis.
Of Day Jobs and Side Hustles
These days, my current work from home setup caters to my day job and passion projects—whether I’m working as a writer and managing editor for a global tech-oriented brand publisher, or on my side hustles. I love that it easily connects to our Google Home Sound System, so I always play my favorite work playlists on Spotify: Hawaiian Cafe and Lo-Fi Cafe. I can easily attend online events for my blog as well, thanks to the camera that installed.
Where to Buy
In case you’re looking for inspiration on how to put together your workspace, I hope mine helps! Below are the monitor and keyboards I use—since these are the most frequently asked questions.
- Monitor – BenQ VZ2350
- Keyboards – Rakk Lam Ang Pro (Kailh box white switches; my husband changed the modifier keys based on a Mac keyboard)
Of course, this space is just temporary since we’re moving out soon. But in the last few months, it really served me well. And I guess this is my way of preserving memories formed here!