Apart from having (unofficial) degrees in sourdough baking and dalgona coffee brewing, most of us are also experts at working from home by now. And while your home set-up might already be equipped with the essentials like an ergonomic chair, a standing desk, and proper lighting, I can think of a couple of add-ons you could do with to give yourself just a tiny little boost on a Wednesday afternoon. Here are 10 less common gadgets & accessories that could help improve your WFH life just a tad bit more.
1. Candle warmer
This entry comes entirely fuelled by my personal unhealthy hankering for candles and an unparalleled dedication to making my room-turned-workspace smell good. Never underestimate the power of a good scent on productivity I say, and it might not be an exaggeration for me to claim that my candle warmer is the best thing I’ve purchased this year.
I know what’s on your mind — why don’t I just burn my candles like a normal person? Before my discovery of candle warmers, I shared the exact same sentiment, but I’ve since quite literally seen the light. For one, candle warmers are much safer because there’s no naked flame, and it’s true that your candle lasts for longer because the oils evaporate at a much slower rate as compared to burning. So you can view it as an investment, at the very least.
Purchase a candle warmer here.
2. Blue light sunscreen
Most are already woke about the harmful effects of blue light on the eyes, but how many of us have stopped to ponder the detriments it could do to our skin? It wasn’t until about a last year when I started wearing sunscreen out (after enduring many rounds of chiding from both my friends and colleagues), but like you, I always assumed that staying home would render us invulnerable to the perils of UV rays.
And if I had to listen to the constant nagging of friends to slather my sunscreen on, you do too. It is said that prolonged exposure to blue light can result in cell shrinkage and even death, and it doesn’t take a dermatologist to understand that this altogether speeds up the ageing process. As it is, we’ve already been robbed of two years of our life no thanks to Ms ‘Rona, so we’re going to have to preserve whatever morsels of youth we still have with blue light sunscreen.
Purchase a bottle of blue light sunscreen here.
3. Posture corrector
I’m sure you’re familiar with this meme that calls us out a little bit more accurately than we’d like. And while most of us have the posture of prawns, lobsters, and other shellfish, we’ll no longer have to be slaves to them with the help of posture correctors.
Early iterations of this product see a brace-like structure placed against the backing of your seat to prop you up as you work, but as surely as pokémons evolve, technology for accessories do too. Now, there exists a wearable corrector that acts like a harness or guard for your back, so you know that you’ll be practicing excellent posture everywhere you go — even in the washroom.
Purchase a posture corrector here.
4. Wearable aircon
Speaking of things that are now wearable, trying to one-up this wearable air conditioner is going to be a tough feat. This comes as a perfect alternative to actually turning on your air conditioner, so it’s altogether easier on both your wallet and the environment. Or, you know, if you’re like me and have just procrastinated getting your air conditioner fixed other priorities that come first.
This portable air conditioner is draped around your neck, and basically cools your body from top down. I’ve actually had a friend purchase this, and she vouches for it as a happy customer until this very day. The best part is that you can also stay breezy even when you’re doing chores, cleaning, and other menial tasks that are much less of a bore when you’re a few degrees cooler.
Purchase a wearable air conditioner here.
5. Keyboard cleaning gel
While many have poured in a good amount of dough and time on assembling their mechanical keyboards, what’s often slept on is the importance of maintenance that goes into these gadgets. The only thing better than an ergonomic keyboard that lights up and clicks as you please is one that does all that, and is clean as a whistle so that you know you’ll always be getting the best typing experience.
Much like the sticky slime that used to be all the rage just a while back, this keyboard cleaning gel has a similar consistency but is used to clean hard-to-reach areas like the nooks and crannies of your keyboard spaces. They’re also great for getting into the recesses of printers, windows, calculators, and most everyday items in your work area.
Purchase some keyboard cleaning gel here.
6. Webcam cover
We don’t often think about the possibility of a third party accessing our webcams even when we’re not on video calls and when we’ve turned off our cameras. While it isn’t for certain that privacy breaches are actively carried out, it’s always better to err on the side of caution with this webcam cover, especially in the data-heavy reality that we now live in.
Control what others see with a simple swipe, and to quote Maleficent, one can never be too careful.
Purchase a webcam cover here.
7. Magnetic desk organiser
This one goes out to anyone who’s ever thought, “I really need everything at my fingertips, but I also want them to be neat”. The magnetic desk organiser helps you keep track of where your essentials are by maximising your vertical space instead.
You can basically snap all your desk accessories, or as I like to call them, desk-ccessories, in place, and they’ll all come together like a gravity-defying flat-lay. And the best part is that if you decide to keep it in storage for whatever reason, the organiser folds up like a sheet of paper, measuring only 3mm in thickness.
Purchase a desk organiser here.
8. Ergonomic mouse
I know — at first this ergonomic mouse looks like something straight out of Aliens vs Predator, but believe me when I say that it’s designed to keep scrolling pleasure at a maximum, especially when you’re looking through this many reports in a day.
It supposedly has scrolling that’s precise enough to stop on a pixel, and quick enough to scroll 1,000 lines per second. Furthermore, if the noisy clicking of your own mouse is enough to drive you up the wall, you can take comfort in knowing that this iteration takes the idiom — quiet as a church mouse — to a literal level.
Purchase an ergonomic mouse here.
9. Cable management box
The longer we spend at our desks with messy wires running along the sides, the more we realise that no, we indeed can’t live like this. Cable management, I say, is the answer to keeping a clear desk and clear head — there can, after all, only be one thing that’s messy in this household.
You’d be surprised at how much might just one unassuming contraption can yield. It’s time to wave your clutter goodbye, and to have all your cables right where you need them.
Purchase a cable management box here.
10. Mini fridge
Okay so I know this last one’s a little dramatic, but hear me out. Circuit Breaker truly taught me that there’s no greater test of patience than sharing an already overstuffed fridge with other family members — the result is either having nowhere to slot your cold brew coffees, or losing your frozen IKEA meatballs forever to the abyss.
Of course only if absolutely necessary and if your budget allows for it, having a mini fridge right by your work space will make you wonder why this wasn’t a thing in the very first place. Now, you can officially keep your stash of ice cream, bubble tea, and beauty masks all to yourself without running the risk of your siblings taking off with them.
Purchase a mini fridge here.
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Why do we call them toppings if they sink to the bottom?