This is the list of things I’m using and you’ll probably use if you’re working remotely. Given you can work from anywhere, this list contains things you’ll use from your home office and others for when you’re with a backpack (coffee shops, co-working spaces, or nomadic lifestyle).

Disclaimer:
You’ll find me talking about lot of brands here. This is not an advertisement for any brand, I’m not paid to tell you this. I’m just sharing my personal experience.

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The indispensables

Those are the things you’ll need if you’re working from home, a coffee shop, a co-working space, your couch, near your dog, everywhere. They are the things that made remote working possible. They are indispensable for your work. And you need to make sure you have the best you can get so you can work effectively.

Laptop

Of course you need a laptop, regardless of your area of work!

I have a MacBook Pro 2017 15″, with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD for storage.

This is my first ever MacBook laptop as I used to have multiple Windows laptops before. And after trying the MacBook, I think I really need a big reason to switch back to Windows, especially for software development.

I know they are expensive, but… they are good. I just love how everything works and you don’t need a driver for anything you want to use. I hate when the OS doesn’t have a basic software to open basic things like a PDF file. Maybe this changed with Windows 10, but I’m from the Windows 7 era.

Internet

Your job depends heavily on an Internet connection. Having a good connection isn’t an option, it’s a must.

In Morocco, lot of people opt for IAM’s WiFi. I tested it, and it sucks. Don’t get it. It’s a trap.

I’m using a WiFi box from Inwi. It’s based on a 4G SIM Card and it works very well. It starts from 200dh/month, and the speed depends on your region, but usually it’s really good. Mine reaches 26mb/s sometimes. With the same price you get 12mb/s and 4mb/s with Orange and IAM respectively.

You’ll see in the advertisement that it’s unlimited. That’s only marketing. Yeah, it’s unlimited, but not with the same speed. I’ve seen it drop a lot if you use the Internet excessively for a period of time. Ex: if you stream an HD film for 2h, expect your connection to drop a little bit. But for daily normal usage, the speed stays the same, and it’s good.

They have other plans where you can spend 350dh/month for “real” unlimited. People prefer an optical fiber, but I do prefer a 4G so I can take it with me wherever I go. I don’t want to be trapped in home in order to have a good Internet connection.

I also have a portable WiFi I take with me to coffee shops (pictured above). It takes a SIM card and you can use it wherever you are. I got it used and unlocked with 500dh. Unlocked means I can use it with any carrier I want, even internationally, which is awesome! Inwi is selling one with 499dh, but not sure if it’s locked to Inwi only, or you can use it with other operators (if you have one, let me know). You can also tether from your phone, but I like to keep my phone’s battery 🙂

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Home Office

Monitor

It’s not always good to work from a small screen, so you may need a bigger screen for some work. Especially if you work in design and want to see how things look and feel.

I have a Samsung 27″ LED Curved monitor (you can find it here). Colors are vivid, sound is good, and it also got a yellow screen option you can set for working at night. It’s good to take care of your eyes.

Desk & Chair

You’re working from home, so you need a good home setup. This includes a desk and a good chair.

I don’t think there is a large choice in Morocco and I ended up getting them from Ikea. I got the BEKANT desk (you can find it here) and the MARKUS chair (you can find it here).

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Gear for the road

Backpack

A backpack is crucial for remote working. You’ll be using it a lot to transport your laptop and gear in general.

When joining Automattic, you’ll receive a backpack as a welcome gift. And you can customize it too! I opted for a grey/black combination for mine as you can see in the picture.

These backpacks are from Timbuk2, and the quality is insane. It got a place for your laptop and plenty of room for other things too. You can find it here.

Headphones/Earbuds

This is a personal preference, but I don’t like headphones. They make my ears hot and sweaty. So I always opt for earbuds.

I’m using some earbuds from Samsung (I can’t find them online). They are compact and relatively cheap compared to high end headphones. The quality of both sound and materials is good. They cost between 150-200dh, and I have them for one year and still counting.

I’m still waiting for the new Galaxy Buds, and I’ll make sure to update this once I get them.

Good list of coffee shops/co-working spaces

Always working from home can turn to be boring. You should have a list of best coffee shops or co-working spaces in case you want to head to one. If you’re in Casablanca, check out our post on the best coffee shops there.

If you’re not, just try to visit coffee shops and keep a list of all those you visited and your review for each one.

I personally don’t work from co-working spaces, but I’ll definitely check those in the future and update with any info.

Music

I’m not really peaky when it comes to music. I can listen to anything.

I have both Deezer and Spotify on my laptop and phone. I usually listen to pre-made lists and keep changing them when I start to recognize the songs. If you have some weird playlists let me know!

Medication (if any)

If you use a medication, be sure to take it with you. It’s really easy to spend all day outside of home, so make sure to take it.

Anything else?

Is there anything else you want to share? Please let me know

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remote.ma is a blog where we talk about working remotely from Morocco. If you are new to the world of remote working, visit this page to learn more. If you want to get all new articles in your email subscribe to this blog if you are not already: