Working from home undoubtedly has its advantages. You can curate your own schedule and daily routine, cut out lengthy commutes, and prepare gorgeous home cooked lunches for yourself. With so many more of us making the transition from the cubicle or shopfront to the laptop screen at home, working from home is more popular than ever before.
But there are definitely pro’s and con’s that come alongside embracing the work from home lifestyle. Luckily, top designers and engineers have been developing new products with work from home employees in mind. Their innovations have kept up with the times, so the latest tech gadgets and helpful organization tools can improve your home office, help increase your focus, and make your workday run more smoothly at home, every day.
Let’s take a look at the top 4 new remote work accessories you absolutely need to improve your work from home lifestyle.
1. Standing Desk
No home office is complete without a desk. Since most of the work you will be doing takes place online, you will need a desk that is spacious enough for all of your important papers, select office supplies, and, of course, your laptop or desktop monitor. Since your desk is a space you will interact with every single workday, you will want to make sure you are working at a comfortable one. So, top on our list of the best work from home accessories is a standing desk.
You may have heard about standing desks already- desks that allow you to stand up while you work at your laptop. But the sheer variety of options available online today may surprise you. Studies have shown that sitting at your desk for eight hours a day can have hugely detrimental effects on your mental and physical health, including fatigue, brain fog, and bad posture. Working while you stand refreshes your mind, so you can think more clearly while you work. It also naturally improves posture and gets energy flowing through your body, so you actually even get slightly more fit while you work.
If you have never used a standing desk before, you may want to choose one that provides you with options. Plenty of standing desks are flexible, and can be adjusted to different heights, transformed back into a regular desk to sit at, or even packed away in a convenient carry case, so you can bring your office outside with you.
2. Ergonomic Office Chair
As we have mentioned above, your home office is where you will spend a significant amount of time each week, so you will want to make this space as comfortable (and as beneficial for your health) as possible.
In addition to choosing an adjustable standing desk, you will definitely want to explore your options for an ergonomic office chair. Hunched shoulders and curved spines are frequently the result of sitting in an office chair that fails to support your back. Bad posture is just one of the negative side effects of choosing the wrong type of chair- you can also begin to develop aches, pains, and even chronic conditions.
The best ergonomic chairs will help you sit with your spine straight, but relaxed, maintaining a neutral posture. They should also prevent any excess strain on your neck, shoulders, wrists, or lower back. You want a chair that will help you sit with your waist and knees forming 90 degree angles; this will help lessen the damage to your spine. Look for an ergonomic office chair with a mesh backing, adjustable arms, and moveable positions. You can also try a kneeling chair, which will allow you to change position more frequently and keep your spine limber and flexible.
3. Blue Light Blocking Glasses
For every possible health concern related to working from home, there is an accessory that can provide a potential solution. Studies have revealed that the blue light emitted by laptops and computer screens can lead to eye strain, mental fatigue, and disrupted sleep patterns- especially for those of us who work at night.
When working from home, it is important to attend to these kinds of risks, especially since working from home usually involves increased hours spent staring at the screen. So blue light blocking glasses can make a world of difference. Blue light blocking glasses help to increase the contrast on your screen, so you can continue to look at the screen and concentrate on your work without the associated eye strain and mental fatigue. They can also prevent or reduce any headaches related to an excess of screen time.
4. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Your work at home office relies heavily on the tools you use each day- and there may be some tools that get easily overlooked. Don’t discount the importance of your keyboard and your mouse. Whether you write a travel blog, run on an E-commerce site, conduct online classes via Zoom, do video editing, or any other job that uses the computer, you will be using your mouse and your keyboard. A lot.
So make sure you choose the best option for each of these tools. A keyboard and mouse that sync to your laptop or monitor via bluetooth cut down on the clutter and hassle of having to plug in and untangle too many cords. If you travel frequently with your work, you may want to look into a foldable keyboard that can fit into your travel kit. Add in a good gel wrist pad to soften the impact of daily work on your wrists and prevent muscle strain and carpal tunnel as you move your mouse around.
Make Your Office Work For You
No matter what your remote work job is, as you choose the accessories that you will use in your everyday routine, look for options that best suit your needs. If mobility and flexibility are key for your work from home accessories, prioritize that. If comfort and convenience are your premium factors, shop around with those in mind. No matter what, investing in high quality work from home accessories will help benefit you, making your focus, productivity, and overall quality of life just that much better in the long run.
