Life at the office can take both a physical and emotional toll on your health.
For one, a desk job likely sees you sitting in a chair for hours upon hours on end—while also staring at a computer screen for the entire day. As you can imagine, this isn’t very healthy for your body.
But office life can also affect your happiness. There’s a certain monotony to the daily routine of a desk job. There can also be lots of stress, which also wears down your body a little bit at a time.
Thankfully, there are a few great items on the market that can make your office gig drastically better! Some of these gadgets are useful office devices that aim to improve your physical health, while others are gadgets that are simply meant to keep you sane
Here are 6 great office gadgets you can use at your desk job:
1. A Good Chair
On first thought, this might sound silly because it’s so obvious. But if you’re working long hours at a desk, a good office chair is an absolute necessity. Not having a quality office chair can lead to back and neck pain—and can also make your butt sore!
You could easily spend hundreds of dollars on an office chair that has great ergonomic support. For a better-valued chair, try this black mesh task chair by Flash Furniture. It has a super-comfy mesh cushion and a flexible back that’s designed to keep you sitting in a healthy posture.
2. Posture Trainer
You can still suffer from an unhealthy posture even if you have an ergonomic chair. When you’re sitting at a desk for long hours, it’s all-too-easy to start slouching. Think about getting either a posture trainer or a posture brace.
You have a couple different options to choose from. The GO Posture Trainer from Upright is a small device that you can attach to your upper back via harmless adhesives. Whenever you slouch, the device will give a slight vibration to remind you to correct your posture.
There are also a number of good posture braces that you get. A posture brace straps around your upper back and keeps it firm. It’s very light and can be worn underneath clothing!
3. Standing Desk
The standing desk is one of the hottest new office trends. A standing desk allows you to work while you’re standing up. Simple, right? Whenever you’re starting to get aches and pains from sitting too long, you can simply pull the desk into its standing position and work on your feet. It’s perfect for both a professional office and a home office.
Consider getting a convertible standing desk; it might take a nice chunk out of your wallet, but you’ll be able to quickly and seamlessly switch from sitting to standing mode. You can also fit a convertible model on any existing desk in your office.
4. Blue Light-Blocking Glasses
Desk jobs can damage your eyesight. Electronic devices—like your computer screen and cell phone screen—emit a blue light that can strain your eyes, especially after you’ve been staring at the screen for a long time.
Blue light-blocking glasses are glasses that block this type of harmful light and reduce the amount of stress on your eyes. If your computer screen frequently causes eye strain or headaches, then consider getting yourself a pair of these glasses.
5. Desk Decor
Work is always more enjoyable when you’ve got a personalized workspace! Decorate your desk and it’s bound to feel a little bit more like home, which should make you more comfortable, happy, and productive in the long run.
The possibilities are endless: quirky gadgets, pretty desk organizers, nerdy trinkets, or perhaps a small plant! ThinkGeek offers a fun selection of desk decor that is sure to personalize and enliven your desktop.
6. Stress Balls and Dammit Dolls
Sometimes, no amount of desk decor or ergonomic office furniture can keep the stress at bay. Have a good ol’ fashioned stress ball on hand to squeeze away your worries and frustrations so they won’t tighten your body with manic energy. A stress ball is a classic stress-relieving tool that is still a simple and effective way to maintain control over your negative emotions while you’re at work.
But what if you get REALLY angry? The last thing you’d want to do is yell, throw a fit, or be mean to your co-workers. And you definitely wouldn’t want to throw something at the wall… unless it was soft and harmless.
If you have a high-stress desk job, consider getting a Dammit Doll. A Dammit Doll is a hilarious new item that’ll help you exert your aggression in a safe, healthy, and humorous way. It’s a plush little figure whose main goal in life is to be hurled at the wall whenever you’re in the mood to throw something. It’s soft, so it won’t cause a loud noise or damage the wall in any way. You can find a variety of different figures on the website!
If you’re going to spruce up your office workspace with new gadgets, make sure you get things that will boost your physical health and happiness! It’s important to have ergonomic office furniture and tools, but it’s just as important to make your desk feel homey so that, hopefully, work won’t feel so much like work.