Setting up your home office smartly: a mouse, mouse pad, USB hub, and cables that just work
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
A practical guide to decluttering and upgrading your home office: which mouse, mouse pad, USB hub, charging station, and cable protectors truly make a difference during a long workday.
It's Friday afternoon, you're at your laptop, the screen is too low, your mouse is stuck because the cable snagged behind a monitor stand, and to charge your earbuds, you have to unplug your phone charger. Sound familiar? A home office rarely gets bogged down by one big issue — it's usually a collection of small annoyances that pile up. In this guide, we'll tackle them one by one, with concrete items you can order today.
Start with your peripherals: mouse and mouse pad
Your laptop's touchpad works, but you'll notice the difference on a long workday. An external mouse offers more control, less wrist pain, and faster navigation through long documents. For office work, you don't need to buy an expensive gaming mouse, but if you want something more robust, most gaming mice are comfortable to hold and programmable.
BattleTron Gaming Mouse — € 19.95. Wired USB mouse with a 1.4 m cable; ample for most desks.
A mouse pad seems superfluous until you have one. On a smooth table, your mouse moves unpredictably; with a pad, your movement is consistent, and you save your desk's finish. Opt for an XXL mat if you also want to place your keyboard on it — it reduces cable clutter and looks tidier.
USB hub: from eternal plug puzzle to one central point
Most laptops have too few ports for a decent workspace. As soon as you want to connect an external mouse, keyboard, earbud charger, and a USB stick, you've run out. A USB hub with individual on/off switches works best here: you don't disconnect every time, but only turn off the port you're not using. This reduces wear and tear on your cables and your laptop's USB-C port.
Choose USB 3.0 if you want to connect an external drive or a fast stick (5 Gbps); USB 2.0 is more than enough for a mouse, keyboard, and earbud charger.
Phone, earbuds, power bank, e-reader, smartwatch: every home office has a web of chargers that no one can keep track of. A central charging station replaces four to eight plugs with one and keeps USB cables together. Handy for the end of your workday: one place where everything is charging for tomorrow.
Cabling: the difference between "cluttered" and "tidy"
Cables fall behind your desk, bend sharply there, and break where they connect to the connector. A set of cable protectors (the spirals at the end of the cable) significantly extends the lifespan of your charging cables. For a few euros, you save buying a new USB-C cable every six months.
Is your mouse or charging cable just a bit too short? An extension cable is sometimes cheaper than a new one.
USB 3.0 Extension Cable 2 meters — € 9.95. To get your USB hub or charger to the edge of the desk without unplugging everything.
Small things that make a big difference
A few inexpensive extras make the difference between a workspace you enjoy sitting at and one that drains you:
Desk Organizer with Phone Holder — € 5.00. Pens, tape, hangable phone, and a small compartment for paper clips — all within reach.
Anti-Loss Cord for Earbuds — € 2.95. For wireless earbuds that would otherwise roll somewhere behind your desk every week during a call.
In order: what to tackle first?
External mouse and a mouse pad if you don't have them yet.
USB hub with switches, so you don't constantly pull on ports.
One charging station for your phone, earbuds, and power bank.
Cable protectors on the cables you use daily.
An organizer for the small things that otherwise lie scattered everywhere.
What you'd rather not order twice
Do you regularly work both in the office and at home? Stop moving cables. Buy a second charger for your phone, a second USB-C cable, and a second pair of earbuds — or their charging case. You'll recoup the five to ten euros per set within two weeks because you'll no longer forget anything in the morning.
Ready to tidy up your desk?
All items in this guide can be found on our website under PC Accessories, Cables, Mouse Pads, and Desk Accessories. For larger orders (e.g., for your entire team), feel free to email us at info@verpakkingdeals.nl: we'll help you with quantities and the order process. Good luck tidying up.
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