The start of this decade has brought new challenges and reforms to most households. Because it finally gave way to the popularity of work-from-home setups. It is no doubt challenging for people who had been working for decades at an office to transition to this structure– even now. That’s why workspace accessories matter now more than ever.
Because a home doesn’t exactly have the quality of life improvements necessary for it to be a conducive environment for productivity. But if you already have a crude or makeshift home office, then fixing up some stuff will help a lot. Every small improvement from workspace accessories count.
These can be anything from lights, tools, cushions, or even something as mundane as flora. So, if you already have the computer, table, chair, and peripherals, then consider adding in these workspace accessories.
RELATED: 7 Best Ways to Improve Your Workstation Ergonomics
If you click on any link on Unslider.com & decide to buy it, we may earn a small commission.
Monitor Light Bar
There are benefits to working in the dark– such as increased focus and fewer distractions, but the most damaging drawback is eyestrain. In order to reduce eyestrain, something like a monitor light bar can do wonders for vision.
You just clamp it lightly on top of the monitor or screen and it will illuminate the keyboard and the surrounding areas where your hands are usually situated. This reduces the need for keyboard backlighting which can also help in preserving battery life for wireless keyboards.
But more importantly, it will decrease eyestrain if you can’t be bothered to look somewhere else every 10 minutes to reduce it on your own.
Power Strip
Cables are your worst enemy when it comes to workspace cleanliness. As much as possible you ought to go wireless so you don’t have to deal with them. But some devices such as the desktop PC or lamps will need to be wired no matter what.
That’s where the power strip comes in. We’re not talking about those industrial-looking extension cords; there are power strips like these that are tailored for a more minimalistic desk. It’s less aggressive and will help you organize your workspace with better motivation.
Glass Tumbler
Proper hydration is also mandatory if you want to fix most of the apparent health issues plaguing your 30s. The problem is, getting up to fetch water in the kitchen can be distracting and more often than not intrudes on your train of thought.
That’s why tumblers are a must if you want to keep working while staying hydrated. And not just any tumbler will do. Glass tumblers tend to be easier to clean and won’t accumulate mold, rust, or slime compared to plastic or metal. Just be careful with them.
Phone Stand
Looking at your phone is likely one of the most common breaks you do while working from home. But doing that is inconvenient and bad for the neck if the phone is flat on the table or desk. Phone stands help with this.
Because as it turns out, an upright position for the phone can do wonders for your sitting or even standing posture. With a phone stand, you don’t even have to pick the phone up. You can just check notifications with the flick of a finger.
Memory Foam Seat Cushion
Speaking of sitting postures, too many chairs often get it wrong, no matter how “ergonomic” they claim they are. If it’s not the back cushion that’s lacking, it’s usually the bottom that wears out fast. So a memory foam seat cushion will do wonders for your bottom and your tailbone.
Most memory foam seat cushions will also force you to perk up your spine, correcting your sitting posture. If they are too high, however, they might cause some friction or discomfort for your thighs, so experimentation is key here. You can either lower your seat height to compensate or try out other cushions.
Dust Blower
No matter how clean you are in your house, dust will always find a way– mostly on your keyboard. Sometimes, they settle on your monitor screen or other glossy surfaces. Instead of taking out these peripherals apart and wiping dust off, you can use an electronic dust blower.
These are safety devices that focus air to a certain point and blow out the dust, as advertised. Obviously, the dust will go somewhere else, but just make sure they settle on the floor so you can vacuum them.
Why not just use the vacuum cleaner directly on the dusty electronics? Because those can generate static electricity and might short out your electronic components. Just don’t try it, you’ve been warned.
In any case, the less time you spend dusting off your workstation, the more you can focus on productivity.
USB Hub
You never know when you might run out of USB ports. Too many peripherals use ports these days from the small lamp to the large keyboard. Even speakers occupy USB ports. That’s why it’s better to be prepared with a USB hub.
You just plug it into your laptop or PC and voila! You’ll have even more ports than you could ever need. Some USB hubs also come with different types of ports to accommodate your other devices. Save yourself the trouble of performing some plugging and unplugging puzzles whenever your PC is out of USB ports.
Mouse Pad With Wrist Rest
Carpal tunnel syndrome can stop productivity dead in its tracks once the wrist starts complaining too much. And ignoring it is generally a bad idea. So instead of taking long breaks and tedious wrist exercises, you can just try to prolong your wrist’s endurance with a mouse pad.
And not just any mouse pad will do, make sure to grab something with a wrist rest or cushion. This cushion makes it so that your hand is in a neutral position when gripping your mouse instead of angled upwards. Just be aware that the cushion might eventually stink and mold up if your hand is always sweaty.
External Hard Drive
Like shuffling some USB ports, freeing up storage space on the PC is also an activity that can stealthily take up more of your time than you initially thought. Weighing in which files to keep or delete to make room can get tedious and time-consuming.
So instead of buying some Cloud space, you might want to invest in something tangible, like an external hard drive. If you want something fast, then an external SSD might be better though those cost more per terabyte than good old hard drives.
Plants
Last but not least, greens! Not money, of course, but nature’s greens. Because studies have proven that the color green can considerably reduce stress, and you might as well get something alive that can provide you with some oxygen.
If taking care of the plant itself is out of the question, then you can always grab some fake plants so your workspace doesn’t look too industrial or corporate. You can even talk to plants if you like, the plant won’t judge you, though your cat or roommate might.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.