When it comes to work-life, I’m a total techie. I rely on technology for everything I do - mobile phone, laptop, broadband, TV, sound recording, the whole lot.

However, there’s some things I feel are totally necessary to have in the home, especially if you’ve set up a dedicated work space.

High Speed Broadband Connection

I rely on the internet for everything - my daily news, delivering my client work, sharing large files via FTP with the theatre company, keeping my blogs updated etc. I’ve got a 6mb cable broadband connection coming into the house and at this point find it difficult to work at lower speeds. Working from my Sligo base is tricky due to restrictions on mobile broadband coverage but for any freelancer, particular those working in the field of web design, a high speed broadband connection is a must.

Finding the balance between speed and affordability is the key.

A Wireless Router

A wireless broadband router is a must, especially if you’ve got a laptop. Yes - I mentioned dedicated workspace but sometimes it’s good to be able to get out of the room, out of the small office and sit in the garden or maybe the kitchen and get some work done - without the worry of “will my cable reach?”. I picked myself up a Linksys WRT54Gs wireless router last year and haven’t looked back since I bought it.

A Skype Phone

More and more I find myself turning to Skype when ringing clients and dealing with clients and friends out of town. It keeps my home phone bill down and more importantly it keeps my mobile phone bill donw. I picked up a cheap Skype phone (USB) on eBay for around US$15, upgrading to a desk phone (dual PSTN / USB) earlier this year. Both are fantastic working solutions and beat the hell out of a headphone and mic combination.

Good speakers

I don’t listen to the radio an awful lot, only tuning in if there’s something very specific I feel I need to hear. So on a daily basis I often play through my MP3 collection. I like the music loud and I like it clear. So I invested in some desktop speakers. Hearing music through the laptop just doesn’t cut it and I couldn’t face wearing headphones eight hours a day and then some.

You could pick yourself up a simple 5.1 speaker setup from Logitech for under the €60 mark (Irish market, see here on Komplett)

A Laptop

A simple one, but not often a given. The wireless router is useless unless you’ve something solid to work from - I chose a MacBook Pro almost two years ago. While MacBook’s are expensive (in comparison to PC-based models from the likes of Dell), I’ve found the Mac to be a solid investment that has more than paid for itself in the last two years. If I had to make the choice again to choosing a platform to work from, I would choose Mac all over again. It’s light, portable and hasn’t thrown a single day’s trouble since day 1.

A Second Monitor

A second monitor has become a must for me. Being involved in a lot of design work, the extra desktop space and screen space provided by an additional monitor has been a lifesaver and times, and boosted my productivity. The laptop has a secondary DVI port to connect a monitor, while my desktop also holds a graphics card with dual monitor output.

I managed to pick up a 19″ flat panel LG monitor for under €180 some time ago and like the MacBook, I’ve never looked back and even now find working on a single-screen setup restrictive.

A Mobile Broadband Option

I raved about this so much before buying into it. More to convince myself than anything but now that I’ve secured the mobile broadband option, my internet options are secure. Firstly, I can travel outside of the house, working from a client’s premises, a coffee shop - whatever happens. Secondly, already this week we had a power outage. A power outage means the desktop PC won’t turn on, the wireless router won’t turn on. But providing I’ve still got a charge in the laptop, I’m free to work away with the mobile option as a back up.

That option in itself alone came in so handy this week.

Small things, but things nonetheless that I rely on a daily basis. How about you?

(A late night post again for my ‘post a day’, thank my current theatre production for that! But we got there)

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