{"id":4568,"date":"2020-04-28T06:59:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T06:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.shop.wacom.eu\/us\/?p=4568"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:27:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:27:35","slug":"being-productive-and-happy-while-working-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/being-productive-and-happy-while-working-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Being productive and happy while working from home"},"content":{"rendered":"I have essentially worked from home for the past 20 years. Sure, I\u2019ve owned and worked in studios offsite during that time, but the majority of this time, I have worked out of a home office.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/87RZe62H394\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>\n\nNow that the world is in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, working from home has taken on a new meaning. While there are many social changes and a lot of sad and crazy stuff going on in the world, my work life hasn\u2019t changed that much. Because of this, I feel I\u2019m in a unique position to help people who have suddenly been thrust into this situation. These are the things I have learned over the years and things that work for me. I\u2019m not saying all of this will work for you, but hopefully there are some good takeaways for you.\n\nIn this article, I\u2019ll address the pressing things I am having people ask constantly.\n<ul>\n \t<li>How to be productive from home.<\/li>\n \t<li>Equipment you need to run a successful home office.<\/li>\n \t<li>WFH mindset to not go crazy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>HOW TO BE PRODUCTIVE FROM HOME<\/h2>\nNow that you are working from home, you are sharing a space. Even if you are living alone, you are still sharing a space. There is the work you and the non-work you and these need to be different.\n\n<strong>SEPARATION OF SPACE \u2013 DEDICATED SPACE<\/strong>\n\nIn my case, I have an extra bedroom, which is converted into a home office. The doors have been removed from the closet and its open storage space. Only work equipment is in this room, its my office. When I am in this room I work. I don\u2019t do any non-work-related tasks in here. I never work in my actual bedroom, that\u2019s personal space.\n\nIt\u2019s important to have these boundaries, because they help your mindset, when you are in these places, your mind knows its worktime, or its playtime. Not everyone has the luxury of a separate room. When I started out, I was living in a small apartment. I set up a desk on one side of the living room and that became my office. Even if your work area is nothing more than a desk, that\u2019s your workspace and you need to guard it.\n\n<strong>SEPARATION OF SPACE \u2013 SHARED SPACE<\/strong>\n\nAs I just mentioned, you may need to segment your living room, or even your bedroom to create a workspace. There is also shared space. Examples of this might be the kitchen, or the garage. You might use the kitchen during leisure time, and you may need to grab a snack during the day or make lunch. This is an ideal time to take a break, you need to take defined breaks, just like you would at a regular office.\n\n<strong>SEPARATION OF TIME<\/strong>\n\nThis is so important to not get burned out. You set a time, when you begin work and when you end. It may not be the same time every day (or maybe it is for you). I like to work in the morning and then finish around 5 or 6. In the past, I worked better at night, so I would start after dinner and work through the small hours. It doesn\u2019t matter the time unless you have call you need to make. Choose the times that work best for you, YOU are making the schedule.\n\nI have breakfast and then start my workday. Eating breakfast, prevents me from crashing in the afternoon. I work, take a lunch break and then sometime before dinner, I finish work for the day. When I am finished, I leave my office and shut the door. When I shut that door, work is over for the day. (Unless I have a pressing deadline, then I will return after dinner and put in a few more hours).\n\nIt is so important be at work when you are at work, and off work when off work. If I have personal chores that need to be done during the day, such as my weekly grocery run, Ill schedule this for my least productive time of the day. For me. This is the afternoon, when my energy is at its lowest. For other people this might be a different time of the day.\n\n<strong>ELIMINATING DISTRACTIONS<\/strong>\n\nIt\u2019s really important to remove as many distractions as possible while working. I know some people watch TV or movies while working. I almost never have the TV on during the day. I do listen to music a lot while working, it helps me.\n\nOne big killer is notifications on your computer. They pop up and before you know it, you are 3 hours into surfing youtube videos, or clearing out your inbox, or some other distraction. Turn those off and put your phone on a stand, so you can see if there is an important call, but not so you feel every vibration whoever someone likes one of your Instagram posts. Same thing, with Apple watch. While it\u2019s great to be reminded to breath or to stand up, it also interrupts you with taps all day long. The reason I make such a big deal about distractions is because it takes a lot to get momentum going. Once you get momentum and get into a rhythm or into the zone, you are creative productive and clever. This is where creativity and inspiration lives, you need to protect that zone and go with it when its there. You are like a superhero in this time. (I\u2019ve been known to skip lunch because I\u2019m in the flow and I don\u2019t want to waste it). Don\u2019t let anything pull you out. You will notice there are times in the day when you are really productive, and other times when you aren\u2019t. You will recognize a pattern, when you can easily focus and when you can\u2019t. Always schedule your phone calls during these less productive times. Know yourself, learn your \u201cprime time\u201d and do the lion\u2019s share of your work during that time.\n\nHere is a tip. If you find yourself noodling around, basically looking busy, but not doing anything, take a break. This could be the time to make a phone call, run an errand or get some exercise. If you just can\u2019t get motivated to do anything, take the rest of the day off. Make up the time, later if you can. Unless you have someone forcing you to work certain hours, or you have a pressing deadline, its better to just go into full recreation mode, than hover between the 2 worlds, neither getting any work done, not relaxing.\n\nI know having a child at home can really complicate this, but I\u2019m not going to offer advice in that area because I don\u2019t have any children. Rather than try and have clever advice, Ill stick to what I know, because there are brilliant resources out there from experts on that topic. If you have roommates, or a partner, its important from them to realize that its work time. They have to understand that you are at work, and now isn\u2019t the time for other things unless they are an emergency.\n\n&nbsp;\n<h2>WORK FROM HOME MINDSET<\/h2>\n<strong>BREAKING THINGS UP<\/strong>\n\nOne of the things people seem to really be struggling with, is all the days blending into one. \u201cEvery day feels the same, I don\u2019t know what day of the week it is\u201d I hear a lot of people say. Personally, I don\u2019t have this problem. This is because of routines. First of all. Knowing when I\u2019m at work and when I\u2019m not.\n\nI used to work 7 days a week. Now that I am more established, I only work Monday through Friday, and very rarely on the weekends. Sometimes I have to, but I try not to. But if I do, maybe a few hours on Saturdays, but almost never Sundays.\n\nI have things I do on certain days. I\u2019ll stay up later on Friday and Saturday nights. I like to play my guitar on Saturday mornings. I almost always have steak Sunday night. I like a glass of wine on Friday night. I eat different food on weekends. In normal times, I never eat at the same place on the weekends that do during the week. I wont even enter my office space during the weekends. I schedule during the week, but guard against this on weekend. May set aside time for leaning something new and different. Even if its something I do every day, Ill do something different one weekends, such as learning a new song on the guitar. No matter what it is for you, it about changing it up on weekends. (Could be a different day for you). But this stops the days endlessly running into each other. You get a fresh start to each week, and trust me, this makes a big difference.\n\nI hope you found this helpful. Stay safe.\n\n&nbsp;\n<div class=\"wfh-product-module\">\n<h3>Find the perfect Wacom tablet for your \"working from home\" style and space<\/h3>\n<div class=\"desk-icons\">\n<div class=\"desk-icon icon-small\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_small@2x.png\" alt=\"Small Desk or Tablet Icon\" title=\"\">\n<p class=\"icon-label shome\">Small Desk or Table<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desk-icon icon-medium\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_medium@2x.png\" alt=\"Dedicated Work Space Icon\" title=\"\">\n<p class=\"icon-label shome\">Dedicated Work Space<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desk-icon icon-large\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_large@2x.png\" alt=\"Office or Studio Icon\" title=\"\">\n<p class=\"icon-label shome\">Office or Studio<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spectrum\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/spectrum.svg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<div class=\"product-four-up\">\n<div class=\"product small-box\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-icon\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_small@2x.png\" alt=\"Small Desk or Tablet Icon\" title=\"\">\n<div class=\"prod-image-container\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/intuos_small@2x.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"prod-title\">Wacom Intuos Pro Small<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"desc shome shome\">Proven, compact pen\ntablet for drawing and photo editing. Perfect for small work surfaces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"software shome\">Includes 2 months of Photoshop and Lightroom<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"soft-icons\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/software-icon.svg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<p class=\"software shome mobile\">Photoshop and Lightroom<\/p>\n\n<div><span class=\"price full-price\">$249<small>.95<\/small><\/span><\/div>\n<a class=\"shome\" href=\"https:\/\/estore.wacom.com\/en-US\/wacom-intuos-pro-small-s-pth460k0a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shop now \u2192<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"product medium-box\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-icon\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_medium@2x.png\" alt=\"Dedicated Work Space Icon\" title=\"\">\n<div class=\"prod-image-container\">\n<div class=\"blue-dot\">Draw on screen<\/div>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/cintiq16@2x.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n\n<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"prod-title\">Wacom Cintiq 16<\/h4>\n<p class=\"desc shome\">Feature-packed pen display for next level illustrations. 16\u201d screen fits any work space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"software shome\">Includes up to 6 months of<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"soft-icons\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/software@2x.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<div><span class=\"price full-price\">$649<small>.95<\/small><\/span><\/div>\n<a class=\"shome\" href=\"https:\/\/estore.wacom.com\/en-US\/wacom-cintiq-16-dtk1660k0a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shop now \u2192<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"product medium-box\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-icon\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_medium@2x.png\" alt=\"Dedicated Work Space Icon\" title=\"\">\n<div class=\"prod-image-container\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/intuos_medium@2x.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"prod-title\">Wacom Intuos Pro Medium<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"desc shome\">All the features you need for drawing, sketching and photo editing. Great tablet for more spacious surfaces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"software shome\">Includes 2 months of Photoshop and Lightroom<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"soft-icons\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/software-icon.svg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<p class=\"software shome mobile\">Photoshop and Lightroom<\/p>\n\n<div><span class=\"price full-price\">$379<small>.95<\/small><\/span><\/div>\n<a class=\"shome\" href=\"https:\/\/estore.wacom.com\/en-US\/wacom-intuos-pro-medium-m-pth660.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shop now \u2192<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"product large-box\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-icon\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/desk_large@2x.png\" alt=\"Office or Studio Icon\" title=\"\">\n<div class=\"prod-image-container\">\n<div class=\"blue-dot\">Draw on screen<\/div>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/cintiq22.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n\n<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"prod-title\">Wacom Cintiq 22<\/h4>\n<p class=\"desc shome\">Large 21.5\u201d HD display perfect for creating detailed illustrations, paintings and animations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"software shome\">Includes up to 6 months of<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"soft-icons\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/software@2x.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\n<div><span class=\"price full-price\">$1,199<small>.95<\/small><\/span><\/div>\n<a class=\"shome\" href=\"https:\/\/estore.wacom.com\/en-US\/wacom-cintiq-22-dtk2260k0a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shop now \u2192<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>.wfh-product-module p{font-size: 0; line-height: 0;}.wfh-product-module .shome{font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;}.wfh-product-module{width: 1000px; margin-left: -55px; border: 2px solid #E8E8E8; background: #F8F8F8; text-align: center; padding-left: 40px; padding-right: 40px;}.wfh-product-module h3{font-size: 24px; margin-top: 35px; margin-bottom: 25px; font-weight: 700;}.wfh-product-module .desk-icons{display: flex; justify-content: space-between; align-items: flex-end;}.wfh-product-module .icon-small{text-align: left; color: #83BD01;}.wfh-product-module .icon-medium{text-align: center; color: #42AB6A;}.wfh-product-module .icon-large{text-align: center; color: #059AD0;}.wfh-product-module .product-four-up{display: flex; margin-top: -23px;}.wfh-product-module .product{width: 25%; padding-top: 23px; border-right: 2px solid #E8E8E8;}.wfh-product-module .product:last-child{border-right: 0;}.wfh-product-module h4{width: 83%; margin: auto; height: 42px; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;}.wfh-product-module .spectrum{position: relative; 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font-weight: 500; color: white; background-color: #0299D5; position: absolute; font-size: 12px; width: 62px; height: 62px; top: 20px; right: 20px; padding-top: 20px; line-height: 12px;}.wfh-product-module .icon-label{font-weight: 700;}.wfh-product-module .icon-small img{width: 91px;}.wfh-product-module .icon-medium img{width: 76px;}.wfh-product-module .icon-large img{width: 112px;}.wfh-product-module .prod-image-container img{width: 210px;}.wfh-product-module .prod-image-container [src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/intuos_small@2x.png\"]{margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: -1px;}.wfh-product-module .prod-image-container [src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/03\/intuos_medium@2x.png\"]{margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: -2px;}.wfh-product-module .price small{font-size: 12px; margin-top: -2px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;}@media (max-width: 1000px){.wfh-product-module{width: calc(100% + 50px); margin-left: -25px; height: auto;}}@media (max-width: 900px){.wfh-product-module{padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;}.wfh-product-module .desc{font-size: 12px; width: 90%;}}@media (max-width: 767px){.wfh-product-module .spectrum{display: none;}.wfh-product-module{padding-bottom: 50px;}.wfh-product-module .product-four-up{display: block; margin-top: 10px;}.wfh-product-module .desk-icons{max-width: 500px; width: 100%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}.wfh-product-module .product{width: 100%; max-width: 500px; margin: auto; padding-top: 0; background: white; margin-top: 10px;}.wfh-product-module .desc{max-width: 280px; min-height: 0;}.wfh-product-module .desc br{display: none;}.wfh-product-module .prod-image-container{position: relative; width: 210px; margin: auto;}.wfh-product-module .blue-dot{right: 10px; top: 10px;}.wfh-product-module .product .size-icon{display: block; position: absolute; left: 10px; top: 10px;}.wfh-product-module h4{width: 100%; height: auto;}.wfh-product-module .desk-icon{text-align: center;}.wfh-product-module .desk-icon p{width: 80px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; text-align: center;}.wfh-product-module .icon-small img{width: 58px;}.wfh-product-module .icon-medium img{width: 48px;}.wfh-product-module .icon-large img{width: 73px;}.wfh-product-module .product.small-box{border: 2px solid #82BD03;}.wfh-product-module .product.medium-box{border: 2px solid #42AB6A;}.wfh-product-module .product.large-box{border: 2px solid #0299D5; padding-top: 5px;}.wfh-product-module .product.small-box .size-icon{width: 40px;}.wfh-product-module .product.medium-box .size-icon{width: 35px;}.wfh-product-module .product.large-box .size-icon{width: 35px;}.wfh-product-module .software span{display: none;}.wfh-product-module .software.mobile{display: block; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 20px;}}@media (max-width: 400px){.wfh-product-module .product{width: 100%; max-width: none;}}<\/style>\n\n&nbsp;\n<h2><\/h2>\n&nbsp;\n<h3>MY WFH GEAR VIDEO, ESSENTIAL WORK FROM HOME TECH<\/h3>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kDx9FxdeZgE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>\n\n&nbsp;\n<h2>EQUIPMENT FOR A HOME OFFICE<\/h2>\nHow about the gear I need to work for home? Since I\u2019m in the creative industry, my needs will vary, but there are things everyone needs.\n\n<strong>FURNITURE<\/strong>\n\nYou need a comfortable chair and a sturdy desk. It is good for your posture and your productivity. Laing back on a sofa may sound nice, but it will cut your productivity and concentration. Make sure your chair is comfortable, if not, get a comfortable chair, this is essential for your health. Make sure your desk is big enough to accommodate your work gear and it the right height for you to work comfortable without straining your arms.\n\n<strong>COMPUTERS<\/strong>\n\nMy computer system is the most important piece of gear, because I do all my work on it. I use a Mac Pro (see review) and this serves me well for heavy duty Photoshop work and high Def video editing. It doesn\u2019t matter if you are on Mac or Windows, try to get the system that best suits your needs. You don\u2019t need to spend a fortune and you don\u2019t need a maxed out powerful computer if you are just online and working in Word and Excel. You can also built your own PC if you want a lot of power at a much lower price than the Mac Pro.\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4580\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/macpro-1024x576-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Computers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" title=\"\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/16-inch-macbook-pro-review-good-creatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I also use the 2020 16\u2033 Mac-book pro (review). This thing is a beast.<\/a>\n\n<strong>WACOM TABLET\n<\/strong>\n\nMy most important input device is my Wacom tablet. (<a href=\"https:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/review\/wacom-intuos-pro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">review here<\/a>) Right now I have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B01MQU5LW7\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref=idea_lv_dp_&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=2e3fedb3bcef57fdc59caf73122bcb1f&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wacom Intuos Pro medium<\/a> on my desk. I have different sizes and use the small when recording my video and for travel. The medium is a great size for sitting on my desk without taking up too much space.\n\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B01MQU5LW7\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref=idea_lv_dp_&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=2e3fedb3bcef57fdc59caf73122bcb1f&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wacom tablet<\/a> is a drawing tablet. It features a wireless pen with 8192 levels of pen pressure. The pen has no battery so it never runs out of power or needs to be charged. It works on Bluetooth or wired. The tablet has a nice feel like pen on paper and makes it easy for me to do things like retouching because of the pen pressure, you can blend with it. I also use the pen tablet for making notes and signing documents on my screen because a pen is more natural to use than a mouse. When I\u2019m in programs like Photoshop, I don\u2019t really use a mouse, because I can navigate and work with the tablet.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B01MQU5LW7\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ref=idea_lv_dp_&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=2e3fedb3bcef57fdc59caf73122bcb1f&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More info on Wacom Intuos Pro here<\/a>\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4581\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/wacom-tablet.jpg\" alt=\"Wacom Intuos Pro\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" title=\"\">\n\n<strong>MONITORS<\/strong>\n\nMonitors are a dual setup. I have used dual monitors for many years, it makes me more productive. I can have panels or second applications on the second screen, and also copy between applications. I run my music and email software on the second screen.\n\nMy main monitor is a 27\u201d BenQ SW270C. I like this monitor because it has very accurate color and I can switch between different color profiles by tapping a puck. Its easy to adjust the height and tilt of this monitor so that its comfortable to look at. It also comes with a hood that helps reduce glare on the screen. The colors are very consistent across the display and it supports 99% Adobe RGB. This means its pretty spot on when it comes color. Its super important that I am looking at a calibrated display when color grading video or working on photographs and images.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/BenQ-SW270C-PhotoVue-Technology-Reproduction\/dp\/B07SJ27N9H\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?th=1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=3ff58aca0a1706a8ec23db7ecbc6dd36&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More info and buy it here<\/a>\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4583\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/benq_sw2700pt_27_photographer_monitor_with_1439379336_1176775.jpg\" alt=\"monitors\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" title=\"\">\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor Calibration, I use the X-rite i1 Display Pro. This colorimeter lets me get accurate colors on my monitor.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/X-Rite-EODIS3-i1Display-Pro\/dp\/B0055MBQOW\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=eye+1+display+pro&amp;qid=1587780416&amp;sr=8-1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=a501599671eed4e52d6588e2af2487db&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More info and buy it here<\/a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4584\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/X_Rite_EODIS3_i1Display_Pro_1309452243_798930-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"X-rite\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" title=\"\">\n\nFor the secondary monitor I use a 32\u201d 4k Samsung display. This is a cheaper monitor, and I don\u2019t use it for critical color work, more as screen real-estate.\n\n<strong>SOFTWARE<\/strong>\n\nObviously the software I run and live in, is Adobe Creative Cloud. This is the same software that started off as Individual boxed apps such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, After Effects, InDesign and Illustrator. Then Adobe bundled the apps together in what was Creative Suite. Now the apps are in a collection called Creative Cloud. You download each of the apps and then run on your desktop just like before. However, with the full creative Cloud, you get a ton of apps and add-ons such as fonts for a monthly subscription. Not everyone loves the subscription, but for someone like me that uses so many of the different apps, its good value for me. Also I can use it on both my windows and Mac machines. You used to have to by different version for each platform.\n\nCheck out Adobe Creative Cloud Here\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/clk.tradedoubler.com\/click?p=264355&amp;a=2805383&amp;g=24653182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4585\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/adobe-cc.jpg\" alt=\"Adobe CC\" width=\"500\" height=\"270\" title=\"\"><\/a>\n\nI use a wired keyboard because I don\u2019t like to deal with changing the batteries or charging a wireless keyboard. Also I don\u2019t like the latest apple wireless keyboard, it feel like the same horrible butterfly keys that were on the 2016 Macbook Pro.\n\nI use a Logitech multi-button mouse with scroll wheel. I don\u2019t like the Apple magic mouse either. The ergonomics aren\u2019t comfortable in my hand and also it keeps scrolling to the side and messes me up when in Premiere pro. Not to mention, you need a physical middle button for working in Maya (3D software).\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Logitech-Lag-Free-Wireless-Gaming-Mouse\/dp\/B00E4MQODC\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=logitech+G+mouse&amp;qid=1587866573&amp;sr=8-17&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=bd00757835405a057f5ffd8ff92b08e1&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More info on mouse<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4588\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/mouse.jpg\" alt=\"mouse\" width=\"271\" height=\"436\" title=\"\">\n\n&nbsp;\n\nFor doing livestreams I use the Blue USB microphone. I have other, higher quality mics, but this is easy to use and \u201cgood enough\u201d for livestreams. I wouldn\u2019t dare record my premium tutorials with it though as I use much higher quality (and pricey) audio hardware. I use OBS which is free software to do the livestreams. I can also use the mic for audio conferencing, and its better quality than built in mics, so I actually sound pretty good on those. I also use a Logitech HD webcam for putting my caf\u00e9 on live stream and also zoom and Skype conferences.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Logitech-C920S-Webcam-Privacy-Shutter\/dp\/B07K95WFWM\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=logitech+webcam+privacy&amp;qid=1587780597&amp;sr=8-1&amp;th=1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=5bcfb5de67736f2cfe7ec7a84868e0d4&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Info and buy here<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4589\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/yeti.jpeg\" alt=\"microphone\" width=\"231\" height=\"600\" title=\"\">\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<strong>CONNECTIVITY<\/strong>\nI\u2019m very fortunate that ATT recently installed fiber in my neighborhood and I have 1Gb up and 1Gb down speeds and very fast wifi through the house. I also run a secondary wifi mesh system which is dedicated for my smart home devices. This frees up bandwith for other tasks and offers me an added level of security and redundancy. I obviously have a very good security system, but I won\u2019t discuss that here.\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4586\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/speedtest.png\" alt=\"speedtest\" width=\"350\" height=\"200\" title=\"\">\n\nI also have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?k=echo&amp;i=amazon-devices&amp;ref=nb_sb_noss_2&amp;linkCode=sl2&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=c5bd9e9d01000ffd6affc9e34097752a&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon Alexa<\/a> throughout, so I can control music, lighting and climate control with my voice.\n\nFor storage I have a 32TB OWC Thunderbay raid and back it up onto a daisy chain of other drives. But I do most of my work right off an internal nVME drive.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/OWC-ThunderBay-External-Solution-Thunderbolt\/dp\/B079KSFNB2\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&amp;keywords=32+thunderbay&amp;qid=1587780753&amp;sr=8-1&amp;linkCode=sl1&amp;tag=photoshopcafe&amp;linkId=9daf11929e4a1f887c04507443fbee3e&amp;language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">32 Tb OWC Thunderbay Raid:<\/a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4587\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/raid-drive.jpg\" alt=\"Thunderbay Raid Drive\" width=\"499\" height=\"372\" title=\"\">\n\nNVMe SSD:\n\nI have a few Samsung X3 drives for taking data with me.\n\nAs I mentioned, music is very important to me. For sound I use Sonos wireless speakers. I have a Play 5 which enables me to run a line in cable from the headphone jack of my computer to the speaker. This lets me run my computer audio through the sonos system. I could attach wirelessly, but it gives me attenuation and makes the audio out of sync on youtube videos. I also have 2 play 1 speakers in stereo and sub woofer for the bass. I run the desktop app to pump in Apple Music, Spotify and the such into the speakers. I also have them through the house so I can have the music follow me around and control it from my smartphone as well.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Vz87aT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonos Play 1:<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2xV97wQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonos 1 (new model):<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2S62jUh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sonos Play 5:<\/a>\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4590\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/sonos.jpeg\" alt=\"speakers\" width=\"281\" height=\"179\" title=\"\">\n\nAs far as high quality printing, I use the Epson P600 (and the P800 for larger prints). This creates exceptional, gallery quality prints.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/Epson-SureColor-P600-printer-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I have done a review on that here<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2KvMgdU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Epson p 600 printer<\/a>:\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4591\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/04\/epson.jpg\" alt=\"Epson printer\" width=\"254\" height=\"255\" title=\"\">\n\nI use an inexpensive laser printer for office printouts.\n\n&nbsp;\n<h2>About Colin Smith and Photoshop Cafe<\/h2>\nColin Smith is a best-selling author, and award-winning digital artist who has caused a stir in the community with his stunning Photoshop work. Colin is known as a pioneer of HDR photography and aerial drone photography. Colin \u00a0is founder of one of the world\u2019s most popular Photoshop resource sites, PhotoshopCAFE.com, which boasts over 30 million visitors. He has been nominated 2x for the Photoshop Hall of Fame.\n\nWith over 20\u00a0years of experience in the creative industry, Colin was formerly Senior Editor and Creative Director for VOICE magazine. As a commercial artist,\u00a0his clients include Satcchi &amp;\u00a0Satcchi, Proctor &amp;\u00a0Gamble, Toyo Tires, Microsoft and several Hollywood entertainment companies.\n\nOfficial affiliations include Adobe Freelancer (and MAX Master).\u00a0 He is a regular columnist for <em>Photoshop User<\/em> <em>magazine<\/em>. He has been featured in most major imaging magazines including<em> Computer Arts, Macworld, Advanced Photoshop, Photoshop User, Shutterbug, After Capture, PSD Photoshop, Photoshop Creative, Digital Photographer, Web Designer magazine<\/em> and a host of others.\n\nColin\u2019s digital imaging work has been recognized with numerous awards, including, MacWorld Digital Design and 3 Guru awards at Photoshop World 2001 and 2002. He\u2019s authored 20\u00a0books, including the best-selling <em>How to Do Everything with Photoshop<\/em> (McGraw-Hill\/Osborne) and award-winning <em>Photoshop Most Wanted<\/em>, as well as being prominentely featured in the H<em>all Of Fame book, New Masters Of Photoshop <\/em>and <em>New Masters of Photoshop 2<\/em> (the only artist featured in both editions). His latest book is\u00a0<em>The Photographer\u2019s Guide to Drones<\/em>. Colin is also creator of the PhotoshopCAFE series of videos \u00a0(PhotoshopCAFE.com\/video). He is in high demand across the United States, presenting his Photoshop techniques to Photographers and graphics professionals across the nation. He has been a speaker at such conferences as Adobe MAX, \u00a0Photoshop World, WPPI, Imaging USA, PPE, creativeLIVE Photoshop week, Flash Forward, NVision, , PIDE, DL Expo, Creative Suite Conference, Cre8, Create Chaos, Deviant Art Summit and many more. In 2012 and 2013 Colin was the featured speaker and producer of \u00a02 Multi-City Tours (Route CS6 and Destination CC) Sponsored by Adobe. Colin has consulted such companies as Adobe Systems, Edison International, Apple and Disney Studios.\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Website<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/photoshopcafe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCc0_OX4mqSoRecj3IgJTLtg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube<\/a>\n\n&nbsp;\n\n&nbsp;","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have essentially worked from home for the past 20 years. Sure, I\u2019ve owned and worked in studios offsite during that time, but the majority of this time, I have worked out of a home office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4579,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2324],"tags":[587,499,588,559,514],"class_list":["post-4568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wacom-at-home","tag-colin-smith","tag-gear","tag-photoshop-cafe","tag-tips-and-tricks","tag-working-from-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}