Welcome reader! Since this website is about improving your life and creating an advantage for yourself, and our readership is primarily working in the technology sector, it is time to bring you a list of the items everyone working in tech needs. Not to mention that this month, we are having a Black Friday so that you might get some of these items for dirt cheap. We are bringing you some nice to have, some must-haves, and everything else that comes in between.
Before moving forward, it is worth mentioning…
Enough said.
Healthy Relationship With Buying Items
Frugal Mindset: We didn’t plan to cover this, but it is worth mentioning. There is nothing more unattractive than someone frugal and cheap. No one wants to hang out with a guy who picks up the bill, and the first thing he does is send everyone a link to pay… Most individuals like that should be avoided since you can’t count on them. Why are we mentioning this part? If you know you are cheap or in a position where you have to be cheap, realize that you will only push through that situation by making more money. That is how you save yourself from your situation — everything else is just a short-term fix. There is no reason for us to go through the levels of frugality. However, the idea here is to warn you and make you understand that there are things that cost more and are worth spending more money on. Frugal individuals often look for the easy way out. Forget about that. Focus on getting quality items you will enjoy that will allow you to get the most out of them. They last for years and are wiser purchases overall compared to cheaper alternatives.
Relationship With Material Items: We have always considered those who preach that companies are evil and that you should boycott any purchase of new items ridiculous. They are not reading this material anyway. Everyone reading this should understand that there is nothing wrong with working hard for something or using it as a goal to work harder. We are not talking about a guru-style approach to life and getting into debt to rent a supercar. That is plain stupid and should be avoided at all costs. Let’s say you want to buy a 10k watch because you got a big bonus this year and have already taken care of the more important stuff first. There is nothing wrong with that. Buy items based on their quality and the value you get from them. A Barbour jacket might cost $400 but will outlast many others. Clothes that fall into that category often age better and look good years later. The same way that the watch you bought with your bonus check will age - if you did not buy Hublot. This approach could apply to anything else, not just clothing. When you are buying something because you know what you are buying and are not afraid to pay the premium that comes with it — you can’t go wrong. Another mental model we have covered in one of the PDFs you can find in products and resources is to always look at the material items in a way that enhances your life. Not just your life but also those who are around you. Following this approach, you remove external validation, which plays a big role in the decision process and purchasing behavior, making it impossible to make the wrong decision. Read how to spend money to improve your life.
Buying Once Vs. Buying Multiple Times: To expand on the point above. No doubt that tech workers are among the cheapest people you can meet. There are hundreds of stories where people take things to extremes and pinch pennies. $400 jacket? Why when I could buy something that will keep me warm from Walmart for $40? The mindset could be classified as a lifestyle trap you should avoid. What’s our point here? Learn to buy stuff that will last you years. What does that mean? It means you are most likely buying premium stuff that will age as it should instead of buying something new every 2 to 3 years because the old purchase can’t even compare with the models. You are better off spending 5x the price of the cheaper alternative and buying something that will last you for years with the same quality as it was on the first day. This applies to most of our lives and should be normal — unfortunately… It is not. Most are wasting their money and time looking for new purchases every few years just because of their poor choice. We understand that there are cases when you want to have the best of the best every 2 years (laptops are a good example), but that is not the case for most people out there. Our advice? Buy less and buy premium — it’s cheaper in the end.
Note: We tried to find items you can use in the office and when working from home. Also, avoid giving generic advice, such as getting a 49-inch Samsung monitor or NuPhy Air 75. Monitors, keyboards, and mice are common sense — invest money to get the best equipment possible. They are your tools.
Another Note: Since tech is a broad term (as well as a sector) and our audience is split between sales individuals and engineers, we tried to balance the picks and go for those who will benefit both sides. Plus, focusing on material possessions that will bring value.
10 Must-Have Items
1) Separate Business From Personal: The idea here is not to mention basics as discussed above. But it is worth mentioning that under any circumstances, you should not mix your professional life with your personal. What does that mean? Your work laptop is your work laptop for a reason. The number of reckless tech workers who think they know better than their local admin team is… Funny. Your employer might not monitor you or what you do in your "downtime", but the log is only a few clicks away. What you should do is position yourself smartly and not use the business laptop (employer one) to do personal stuff on it. No Telegram, no social media, and no doing any business from it. Get a separate machine (devices) that will ensure you don’t run into any problems. If things ever get tough in your workplace or your employer is looking for reasons to fire you. They start diving deeper into initially unnecessary details that suddenly become necessary. The same goes for your business mobile phone — separate business from personal.
2) Top Tier Chair: This investment will never make sense if you have never tried to sit on one of those. Which is far from optimal when you think about how many hours you sit in front of the monitor. Not getting into health specifics or why proper chairs are better than sitting on a $15 plastic chair. It should be self-explanatory for anyone reading this. Those who have already had a chance or are working in the companies that provide Herman Miller - Steelcase equipment know what we are about here. Sitting 10+ hours in one spot is difficult, but having a good chair makes things much easier. Tight on the budget and can't afford a $2000 chair? Look up your local market for used stuff. Often, you can find chairs such as the ones we mentioned in great shape for 30% of that price. Extra points if you live in a big city with a startup movement and one of them goes bust. What happens when they go bust? Cheap equipment. Suppose you are unsure what models to pick for the Herman Miller - Aeron or Steelcase Leap. You will never regret buying one and won’t be able to stop asking yourself why you didn’t get one earlier.
3) Learn Your Colors: Only nonmaterial items—suggestions on the list. Learn your colors. What does that even mean? Once you understand this, you will never have problems picking clothing for yourself. The way you should approach choosing the clothing is based on the colors. Hair, eyes, and skin tone will determine your color and what you should pick. The idea here was not to go deeper into what kind of clothing or brands you should choose, as it depends on your situation and the environment you are working in. We know examples of software engineers who wear Birkenstocks 80% of the year, but we also know tech sales representatives who have to wear suits. Your surroundings will dictate what kind of clothing and brands you pick. The color part? That is the universal and will work in every situation. Where to start? Color for Men or articles such as this one. Forget about the recommended outfits (the book is written in the 80s) and stick to the main principles that revolve around the color — this is where the magic is.
4) Headphones-Noise Cancellation: This is an easy pick if you work in an open space. Wearing headphones signals to others that you don't want to be bothered or asked dumb questions that could be found on Google in under 2 minutes. Add the option to cancel all the noise with one click. Hard to beat. What should you pick? In-ear AirPods Pro 2 or Sony WF-1000XM5. Those who are more confident or want to communicate to colleagues that they don’t want to be bothered should go with something like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort. If you don’t want to use headphones or know that you won’t be able to help yourself but listen to music. Smartphones are far from an optimal and easy way to distract yourself. Earplugs are one of the best and cheapest investments you could make. Get ready to get looks for the first few days, and after that, no one will care anymore, but you will have all the peace you want. The big benefit is that headphones often come with a good microphone to make things easier for those who jump between the calls — making devices like Jabra offers unnecessary.