Top 5 Gadgets to Help You Work From Home

Almost every aspect of our lives has been transformed in recent months, but for most of us it has been business as usual when it comes to our professional responsibilities. However this has involved quite a few important changes to our usual working strategies.

For office staff, remote working is now the new normal. This transition has put employers under pressure to create a suitable working space from their home, while trying to juggle managing home life at the same time. This has prompted many of us to seek new software, devices and organisational skills that will help to save time and boost our overall efficiency.

We are open to a whole new variety of solutions, so this can be a tricky task. Despite the overwhelming choice, there are a number of gadgets that are designed to provide huge personal productivity benefits. If you’re unsure where to start, in this article we will be discussing the top five gadgets to help you work from home.

A Smartwatch

Smartwatches have been a complete success on the consumer electronics market and are one of the most popular wearable technology accessories. Despite their sophisticated features, they often aren’t promoted to professional industries, though they offer many benefits for those in a work environment. 

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If you’re looking to improve your effectiveness while working at home, a smartwatch is the perfect asset and can be used for tracking activity and fitness, as well as help you order daily tasks (you can view specs of an offering from one of the most well-known brands of smartwatch to see just what these powerful little devices can do). Whether you need to manage your time better or keep up with work calls, smartwatches have got you covered!

With this handy digital device, you can take notes, communicate with colleagues and access important text files needed to prepare for your next work meeting or upcoming presentation. 

Research has found that prominent distraction for many workers is, predictably, their smartphones. Whether it is checking out news from around the world, connecting with our loved ones or staying up to date with social media, it is easy for our minds to get engrossed with the never-ending features. Although modern smartwatches offer similar functions, they are designed to avoid the risk of distractions by reducing overall screen time and helping to maintain a good workflow.

Sleep Trackers

A recent study by Mattress Online revealed that out of 1,130 Brits working from home, a shocking 73% admit their sleep is worse while working from home. It found their main reasons were lack of routine, pandemic worries, stress from balancing work, home and family life, as well as being less active. 

Getting enough quality sleep helps your brain to function well throughout the day and allows us to wake up with more energy. A consistent sleep routine offers many benefits for both our physical and mental health. From increasing our concentration levels, regulating our mood to boosting productivity. 

Looking to improve your sleep cycle? If the smartwatch caught your attention, then you’ll be able to enjoy a built-in sleep tracker which is a great step towards a healthier sleep schedule. 

The sleep tracking software records a variety of data from your sleep quality each night, including the time you”re asleep and awake, your time in deep sleep, your heart rate and periods when restless. These results are designed to help you to identify the weakest parts of your sleep pattern and where it needs improving. 

If a smartwatch isn’t your preference, there are plenty of other great alternatives available. For example, sleep monitors are another useful technology device which collects data on your movement, heart rate and breathing patterns during the night. 

They are essentially electronic pads which live underneath your mattress, featuring dynamic embedded sensors to help record key insights on your overall sleep health. Once morning arrives, it’ll provide you with a full analysis of how you slept and inform you as to whether any sleep apnea was detected.

Noise-Cancelling Headphones 

If your household has multiple people working in the same space, or if you have any children or dependent loved ones at home, it can be difficult to concentrate without distraction. Over time, this can prove a disaster for maintaining our work-life balance and structure – especially when making those all-important client calls. 

In this instance, it’s a good idea to consider noise-cancelling headphones which can allow you to focus your attention on the one task at hand, without interruption. 

Smart Speaker

Whilst working from home, you no longer have to settle with whatever someone has playing in the office, the choice of background music is yours! 

With a smart speaker, you can simply use your voice to control what you want to hear, keeping you focussed on your work. Smart speakers, such as the Amazon Alexa or Google Home, will also conveniently remind you about upcoming Zoom calls or to take a much needed break away from your computer.

A smart speaker is more than just a music player, they are AI virtual assistants which can help you stay motivated and productive throughout the day, whilst making a positive impact on your work from home setting. From keeping track of your tasks for the day to ensuring projects are completed on time. 

What’s more, you can connect a smart speaker with other smart home elements, such as lights, TVs or heating. So you can juggle everyday household responsibilities without leaving your desk.  

A Quality Desk Lamp

While you may have picked out the perfect desk, chair and office accessories to get you into work mode, with the days getting shorter, there’s one more piece of the puzzle to slot into your home office space – a desk lamp.

An essential piece of lighting to save your eyes from strain as well as creating more ambience than your main room light, a desk lamp is a simple but effective accessory that comes in many forms to suit different spaces.

Choosing the right lighting for your space is a simple way to complement the style of your workstation and help you create an area where you feel most comfortable. Dim or generally dark lighting, this can cause our brain to produce more melatonin which leaves us feeling sleepy, so it’s a good idea to have a quality desk lamp quality which allows you to adjust the brightness levels. 

Building a professional space in our homes does take research and practice, however by investing in the most effective gadgets,  it can make all the difference to creating a more positive remote working experience and increasing your level of productivity. Not only does it support your profession, but also helps to maintain a successful working environment. To ensure that your investment is properly protected, why not consider quality gadget insurance?