For many of us, working from home will continue to be a reality for the foreseeable future. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite items that improve our work-from-home life and create a healthier work-from-home environment no matter your space.
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Upgrade Your Furniture
Working from the kitchen table is fine for a few days, but takes a toll over time. We finally bought a flexible sit-to-stand desk five months into the pandemic and an ergonomic chair, and our back has been thanking us since. We recommend upgrading your office environment with these items:
FEZIBO Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk with Drawer
This desk moves up and down on a sturdy, steel frame at the push of a button. You can preset your favorite heights into one of four buttons. It moves between 28 inches to 46 inches and has an under desk storage drawer.
Smugdesk Office Chair
This office chair is easy to assemble at home, has breathable mesh fabric and memory foam, and has an adjustable seat and headrest. For extra comfort, it’s got an added pillow for lumbar support, padded armrests, and a thick seat cushion.
Ergonomic Mouse & Keyboard
If your old happy hours with coworkers have turned into long back and forth chats on Teams or Slack, you’ll want to make sure your hands are protected from conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Try a few of these exercises at the beginning and end of your workday, and invest in an ergonomic mouse and ergonomic keyboard.
Take Advantage of Meditation Apps
Meditation has been a wonderful part of our wellness practices for more than ten years, and we are confident we aren’t the only ones that love it. Try a 30 day free trial on Aaptiv (we use it!) for access to hundreds of beginner-friendly meditations as short as a few minutes.
Protect Your Eyes
According to Harvard Health, staring at a screen for too long can cause dry eyes and eyestrain. Hi Waldo offers hydration drops and blue light blockers to improve the screen experience.
Hi Waldo Eye Hydration Drops
If dry eyes are your issue, Hi Waldo’s eye hydration drops may make your day feel like less of a grind.
According to Hi Waldo, their drops are:
Made with 100% natural active ingredients
Compatible with contact lenses
No harsh vasoconstrictors
Premium Swiss quality
Hi Waldo Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Blue light blockers are a low-cost way to improve the experience of sitting in front of a computer for 8+ hours each day - and they offer a fun, low-commitment way to play around with different styles!
According to Hi Waldo, “Our Blue Light Glasses have been specifically designed to block the highest frequency of harmful blue light meaning reduced risk of eye-strain, sleep disruption and screen-induced headaches.” What is blue light? Hi Waldo explains that “blue light is one of the shortest high-energy wavelengths in the light spectrum (next to UV light). While it can help boost attention as we wake for the day, too much blue light exposure from the hours that we spend staring at screens, phones, computers, and TVs, can have negative impacts on our health.”
Hi Waldo offers the following benefits of their blue light blockers:
Block 100% of blue light up to 410nm to reduce headaches, digital eye strain and improve sleep
Provide 100% protection against UV-A and UV-B rays
Adjustable acetate frames, made from renewable resources and biodegradable materials
Anti glare, anti-reflective and scratch resistant lens
Complimentary case and cloth
Available in a range of stylish frames and colors
Check out Hi Waldo’s collection of blue light blocking glasses.
Looking for lower cost blue light blockers? Check out the blue light blockers below that cost less than $25.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration was always important, and your bathroom is probably closer than ever. Take advantage of the time at home to up your hydration game. According to the Mayo Clinic, you need 11.5 (women) to 15.5 (men) cups of fluid per day.
Maybe you need a massive water bottle that reminds you how much water to drink throughout the day. Maybe you need a stainless steel bottle that keeps your water ice cold. Or maybe you need a french press teapot (we use this and love it) so you can sip on something calming during your most frustrating meetings.
Explore Productivity Apps
There are a million methods to stay focused, and luckily there are nearly that many productivity apps to help you stay on top of your daily tasks. These are two of the apps that we have tried and enjoyed:
ToDoIst
ToDoIst is very easy to use, and helps you see exactly what needs to be done today and this week based on the projects you’ve entered. You can tag owners and assign tasks to be recurring with just a few clicks. We love the simplicity of this app and it is our current favorite.
Trello
Trello has a nice visual design, sometimes described as a visual bulletin board. It is a great tool for collaboration and project management and is very easy to customize.
See what your insurance plan has to offer.
Most insurance plans have hidden insurance discounts on a variety of services that can make working from home easier.
The Cigna Healthy Rewards Program is available to Cigna customers covered under a medical, vision, or dental plan, and it includes:
25% discount to see a registered dietician
25% of Just Walk 10,000 Steps a Day
15% off lasik vision correction
25% off alternative medicine including acupuncture, chiropractor, and massage
40% off Gaiam yoga equipment
Up to 10% off Healthyroads Mind/Body Program
5% off drugstore.com
Up to 40% off ChooseHealthy.com
BCBS Illinois offers the following discounts:
Centered App - Offers meditation sessions, tracks your mood, and records your steps. Centered is available for most iPhones and the Apple Watch.
Blue365 - Offers discounts on tons of services from health-related companies including:
Have any other tips for working from home? Drop them in the comments below!