The coronavirus pandemic has upended many aspects of life, changing the way people live and work in dramatic ways. While much of 2020 with COVID-19 has been bleak, one of the benefits of the pandemic for many has been the opportunity to redefine work/life balance and get to work remotely. Even so, not everyone’s home is equipped for office work. Especially if you’re anticipating needing to work remotely for the foreseeable future, this can be a problem.
If you don’t have a separate room to use as a dedicated office or need your workspace to do double duty, the right gear can make a big difference as you work. Houses and apartments all come with their own strengths and limitations, and having specific accessories can allow you to make the most of your time working remotely. Here are ten items that will help you create a comfortable office environment at home.
Need 55 inches x 55 inches L-Shaped Folding Computer Desk
When you’re short on space, there’s a lot to be gained from an L-shaped desk that can go in the corner and Need’s folding computer desk takes that flexibility up a notch. Since these desks can fold, you don’t even need to commit to keeping the desk in a room 24/7. All it takes is a few minutes and two screws to join these two folding desks together and get your workday started.
Even with a spring loaded folding design, Need’s L-shaped folding computer desk is still plenty durable, supporting over 200 pounds of weight. Need offers their folding desks in three different finishes: white, black, and teak. Each of these colors helps your L-shaped desk fit in with its surroundings perfectly. Particularly if you aren’t interested in spending hours constructing a desk from hard-to-follow instructions, Need offers a welcome office solution for homes and apartments of all sizes.
Furious Racing Style Office Chair
The chair you sit in plays a major role in how comfortable you are at work. That being said, many people neglect the time and energy necessary to pick out a truly ergonomic office chair. This kind of apathy can negatively impact your posture, ultimately making it harder to do your work in the first place. Although Furious’ racing style office chair looks straight out of the final round of an esports competition sponsored by Mountain Dew, it has all the features you need to stay comfortable working eight hours a day from home.
Built from high-density sponge, Furious’ swiveling office chair is ergonomically designed to reduce pressure and tension in a few places of your spine. Curved to match your spine’s natural body line, the lumbar support on this chair by Furious is unparalleled for the price. At under $100, this desk chair rivals some major competitors, thanks to its high back and fully adjustable height.
5 STARS UNITED Back Support for Office Chair
If you don’t have the money to buy a new office chair or don’t have a dedicated office space, the 5 STARS UNITED back support cushion is going to be a lifesaver for you while you work at home. Sitting on a hard wooden chair can be painful for long stretches of time, but with the right back support cushion for your chair you can get the lumbar support you need to maintain good posture.
Thanks to its ergonomic design, this back support cushion can help keep your spine in the appropriate position when you’re sitting for hours at a time. The result of such orthopedic support is that your circulation and energy will be much higher thanks to being in proper alignment. If your current office chair just isn’t cutting it, this solution for less than $20 gives you a versatile and effective way to relieve pressure on your back.
Mountup Single Monitor Desk Mount
If you’ve got a dedicated spot for your computer and monitor, it’s crucial that you have your monitor placed at the proper level and viewing angle in order to avoid neck or eye strain. Your posture has a major role to play in your stress levels and even productivity, so having a desk mount for your monitor like the one manufactured by Mountup can be a major help while you’re working in a new environment.
Mountup’s single monitor desk mount is sturdy enough to support monitors weighing up to 19.8 pounds in a variety of sizes. Whether your monitor is 13”, 27”, or somewhere in between, you’ll be able to find a healthy position to work from, thanks to the desk mount’s ability to tilt up to 90 degrees and swivel up to 180 degrees. In as few as four steps, you’ll be able to quickly and safely install the single monitor mount to your desk. Best of all, Mountup’s desk mount includes some cable management features to keep things organized and clutter-free.
DEWEL Two Person Desk Dual Desk with Drawer
If you’re quarantining with a partner or roommate, it can be even more difficult to find the space to stay productive. However, if you’re looking for a solution to make things easier for you and the person you’re living with, Dewel has a great solution: a two person desk. If you can find room for it in your home, you’re bound to have a great experience with Dewel’s innovative workspace solution.
Dewel’s two person desk offers a workstation fit for single or dual use. Offering storage shelves as well as a drawer, this piece of office furniture has a few extra built-in features that make it more useful than your kitchen table when it comes to finishing that email marketing presentation. Although it’s made from engineered wood, the handsome scratch resistant finish is sure to up your home office’s aesthetics instantaneously.
ATMOKO Cordless Back and Neck Massager
While not necessarily the most traditional item to find in an office, when it comes to finding comfort in your home office environment, a back and neck massager is a welcome relief. Let’s face it: even if you know better than to work from your couch or favorite armchair, the chances are high that you’re going to do it at least a few times a week just to break up the monotony of self-quarantining for months on end. Thankfully, ATMOKO’s cordless back and neck massager will ensure that you don’t regret making that decision too often.
Boasting almost two hours of power when fully charged, the ATMOKO back and neck massager is the perfect tool for targeting any tension you might get in your shoulders working at a computer. Featuring a combination of heat and eight shiatsu kneading heads with three different speed settings, it’s easy to use this massager to target your back, shoulders, and neck. In addition to boosting your blood flow in as little as 15 minutes, you’ll also find that using this back and neck massager can reduce stiffness and fatigue, helping you make the most of your work break.
TaoTronics Trucker Bluetooth Headset with Microphone
If you’re working from home more, you’re likely taking a lot more video calls. “Zoom fatigue” is a real phenomenon, and there are several different ways to combat it, including turning your video off periodically to have less visual stimulation. One often-overlooked factor in how comfortable you are during video conferences comes down to the headset you’re wearing. Thankfully, TaoTronics’ trucker-style bluetooth headset is perfect for a host of different applications without sacrificing quality or comfort.
Featuring noise-cancelling technology that harnesses artificial intelligence, the TaoTronics BH041 can reduce background noise by up to 40 decibels. Thanks to its soft ear pads, lightweight materials, and adjustable headband, this headset is great for both short calls or all-day usage. Depending on your line of work, you can even program the multifunction button on the side of the headset to automatically hang up, transfer a call, or redial a call that’s been dropped. All of these impressive features are packaged at an attractive price-point, making the TaoTronics BH1041 a must-have for any at-home worker.
Skydue Accordion File Organizer
Part of staying focused and comfortable when working in a space that’s different than you’re used to comes down to staying organized. Even so, not everyone has room for a desk with drawers in their space or a filing cabinet. Thankfully, you can keep things organized with an accordion file organizer like the one made by Skydue without sacrificing much real estate in your home.
Skydue’s expandable file folders come with multiple pockets and tabs to keep things organized in a variety of ways. Whether you’re working on different projects or need to keep contracts sorted by client or year, a waterproof accordion file organizer is a compact and effective way to keep things appropriately categorized. Best of all, Skydue’s tear-resistant file organizers come in a few different colors and styles, allowing you to add a pop of personality to your home office environment, too.
Bonsaii Paper Shredder
Having the right tools can make it much more comfortable to work at home. One item you may not have thought about needing as you were grabbing materials from your workplace to transition to remote work is a paper shredder. At the same time, a paper shredder isn’t the most attractive item to have in your home, so you’ll likely want to find a shredder that balances size with functionality. Enter the Bonsaii paper shredder.
The Bonsaii paper shredder might be small and unassuming, but it packs enough punch to rival your corporate office’s tools. Offering over 240 minutes of continuous shredding, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that any private or personal documents have been properly destroyed. Bonsaii’s micro shredding technology meets all P-5 high security level standards and can shred up to ten sheets of paper at a time, as well as CDs and credit cards. This makes it the perfect combination device for home and office use.
Power Strip Tower JACKYLED Surge Protector Electric Charging Station
Making space in your outlets for additional computer equipment and other technology can be tricky if you’re living in tight quarters, which is why JACKYLED’s surge protector is another must-have from this list. It’s not comfortable to have to crouch down and unplug and replug different devices just to be able to use them. That’s why getting a power strip tower can solve a few of the hangups you might have about traditional extension cords or electrical outlets.
Simultaneously, it’s worth pointing out that if you overload your breaker box, you might be risking the files on your computer if a fuse gets blown. That’s why having a power strip that doubles as a surge protector is so smart. JACKYLED’s power strip tower with surge protection goes one step further, including four USB ports and independent switches which make it possible to reduce energy usage and costs when certain devices aren’t in use.
