With work-from-home (WFH) cementing itself as a reality in 2022 and beyond, it’s vital that you get your WFH setup looking optimal to suit your needs best. A good WFH office can make the difference between loving your new flexible lifestyle and detesting it.
The last thing you want is to be itching to move back into the office full-time!
Ideal for dedicated office spaces to dining room tables - there are gadgets aplenty to make your WFH office more compatible, efficient and comfortable for you. Here are the 5 top home office gadgets to use in 2022.
Noise-cancelling Headphones
WFH environments are rarely the most conducive for long periods of hyper-focused work, and therefore a pair of noise-cancelling headphones is a must. Studies show that sound influences how we think, and what may seem like innocuous noises around us impair our brain’s ability to remember and process information.
If you find yourself regularly making calls while working from home, then these headphones will help you hear everything a lot more clearly. This will result in fewer situations where there is toing and froing over details.
Moreover, if you’re working in a busy environment, you won’t need to step aside or reschedule as the headphones do all the work of blocking background noise. This will give you the chance to put your complete attention on that important meeting.
Reducing background noise also improves your health over a long period due to the stress reduction it offers. Constant, loud noises can result in health issues associated with noise exposure. Not only can this damage your ears, but it may also increase the risk of getting cardiovascular disease and cause sleep disorders.
Ergonomic Office Chair
Some of us are guilty of pulling up any old chair and then wondering why our backs are cramping up and in pain. If this sounds like you, then ergonomic office chairs are the answer that you’re looking for.
Ergonomic chairs, such as the BS1B by Flexispot, provide both luxurious comforts as well as a plethora of health benefits.
The BS1B, and some other ergonomic chairs, offer posture support. Traditional chairs (or whatever makeshift chair you’re using when working from home) can put unnecessary strain on our spines, leading to bad posture and increasing the chance of back injuries over time.
Ergonomic chairs assist you in adjusting the alignment of your height at your workstation, allowing you to remain in a healthier sitting posture.
They also offer a great deal of support for your lower back. This particular area of your body is often the most common complaint for workers. Luckily, ergonomic chairs feature a back support rest. Take the BS1B, for example - it has lumbar support to help against seat fatigue and can help you out significantly in this area.
Desk Exercise
Do you ever worry about missing out on exercise whilst you’re stuck at the desk working? Gadgets, such as the Cubii Pro, could be the answer. The Cubii Pro is a cool new gadget that syncs up with your Apple Health Kit, allowing you to track your at-desk workouts, set up goals, and track your progress.
The Cubii Pro allows you to improve your sitting posture by encouraging leg movements whilst you’re sitting down. By activating your muscles and rotating the position of your joints regularly, you can improve blood circulation in your lower legs and help complement your day-to-day work outs.
You’re sitting at your desk for a minimum few hours a day - using the Cubii Pro is an excellent way to get some easy exercise in!
Plants
Greenery is an essential part of a positive and healthy work space. You might have noticed that your office has made an effort to bring in more and more house plants, so why should your WFH area be any different?
Plants have shown that they can help reduce psychological and physiological stress issues related to the workplace. Their presence can also contribute to a quieter work environment - the benefits of which we have discussed previously in this article - as their leaves help absorb excess noise.
Furthermore, a study by Human Spaces in 2015 found that work environments incorporating plants into their workspaces reported a 15% higher health score and a 6% higher productivity rate. It seems a no-brainer for you to bring houseplants into your WFH space.
Lastly, green plants can help clean your home air as they act as a natural air filter. Indoor air environments can often become stale and polluted with unpleasant toxins. This can result in dirty air, which can increase our chance of sickness and stress. An interesting statistic proved that offices with plants reported a 30% reduction in sickness!
LED desk lamp
Correctly lighting your work environment is essential if you intend to work for prolonged periods. Certain light levels are more conducive to concentration, some for relaxation, and others for creative thinking. An LED desk lamp allows you to rotate through different mood lighting settings and match your office tasks to your lighting environment.
LED lighting is also far more pleasant on the eyes and can assist in reducing eye strain from staring at screens all day long.
Final Thoughts
It seems apparent that these 5 gadgets are brilliant additions to any home office, and should definitely be considered to improve the quality and ambience of your work-from-home experience.