Wondering why you’re not as productive at home as the office? It could all come down to your setting. Oftentimes, remote workers don’t have the right tools to create a healthy workspace at home. Since this third wave doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon, we’ve listed five WFH essentials to help you create a supportive, effective, productivity-boosting setup.
1. Ergonomic Chair
If you can only invest in one item for work, let it be an ergonomic chair. The right task chair will provide you with superior comfort and in turn allow you to focus better and work longer (and painlessly).
Last week, Pergo by CHANINTR launched their highly anticipated subscription program, Pergo Lite. For only ฿1,800 per month, users have the ability to rent Herman Miller’s iconic Aeron chair for as long as they want. The flexible subscription plan allows for cancellations and upgrades at any time—perfect for those looking for a temporary solution during WFH period or those not ready to commit to a big purchase just yet.
2. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Trying to get in the zone can be especially challenging when you live at home with family or have a noisy roommate. Instead of moving around the house to accommodate others, create the silence you need with a pair of quality noise-cancelling headphones. Mom’s watching K-drama in the living room? No problem. Grandma’s making a fuss in the kitchen? Can’t hear her.
3. Productivity Apps
It can be hard to manage all your deadlines or remember every little task when you’re not at the office, constantly surrounded by people working on the same projects. Productivity apps can be of great assistance if you find yourself slowly slipping. From the App Store to Google’s Chrome extensions, there are thousands of productivity apps out there for exploration.
To get you started, one of our favorites is Trello, an easy-to-use app that help with simple to-do lists and project management. Users simply create a card and fill in their priorities and deadlines (if you want to be fancy, you can add checklists and attach files, pictures and hyperlinks as well). The cards can be organized in whichever way works best for you: by progress, projects, deadline or sense of urgency. Trello also works with a number of other third-party services like OneDrive, Slack, Salesforce and Evernote for seamless integration.
4. Tech Support
Most of the time, without you realizing, your body compensates for your bad setup—a chair too high or a table too low, for instance—by hunching, straining or craning, leading to bad posture and chronic pain. Tech accessories (laptop/tablet stand, monitor arm, wireless keyboard and mouse) allow you to work in the most optimal position, making them an essential on our list. However, if you really don’t want to spend money on any of the following, at least stack some books under your laptop to raise the height of the screen up to your eye level. It makes a world of a difference.
5. Storage and Organization
Many times, storage and organization accessories don’t seem like necessary purchases. Sure, your table is looking a little cluttered, but do you really need a paper tray or stationery box? Think of these desk accessories as a luxury. You can live without them, but once you have them, you’ll also realize that it makes working a much more pleasant experience. It’s also been proven that a neat table allows people to focus better on the task at hand and spend more time doing work—and less getting distracted or looking around for misplaced objects.
Writer: Uracha Chaiyapinunt (@urachac)
After graduating from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism, Uracha Chaiyapinunt moved home and started working full-time at one of Thailand’s leading luxury furniture retailers. Her time in Asia and America has instilled in her a love for road trips, national parks, unique travel experiences and the Dodgers. She has been featured in Eater LA, Travel + Leisure Asia, Cape + Kantary Magazine and more. When not at her 9-to-6, you can find her googling conspiracy theories late into the night.
