How to set up a smart home office

Are you working from home? What’s your set-up like? Do you have piles of books and notes scattered across the kitchen table or are you working uncomfortably from the couch? If there’s one thing the global pandemic rapidly altered, it was how we went to work. We no longer sat in traffic to get to the office; instead our transit was from the bedroom to a makeshift desk in the lounge. What has this done to our posture? Our productivity? Our social interactions? Sure, it’s nice not to be involved in office politics or gossip at the biscuit station, but working remotely isn’t for everyone. If you don’t have a dedicated office space at your home that’s free from distractions, the idealised work-from-home life can be masked with challenges. Here, we test out a few office items that make working from home one of enjoyment and success.

Hydrogen Health Water Bottle

Everyone needs a fancy water filter, bottle or jug sitting pretty on their desk at work. Why? Water is vital. At a molecular level our bodies consist of 99 per cent water. Water is responsible for the healthy function of DNA, enzyme reactions and numerous metabolic functions. It makes sense that our water needs to be good quality and clean and we are lucky to have this in Australia. However, the talented team at Hydrogen Health have gone one step further to transform water, creating H2O that has been infused with hydrogen and is said to be six times more hydrating than regular tap water. Using complex and impressive technology, the Hydrogen Health Water Bottle takes just three minutes to turn normal water into hydrogen-rich, alkaline, mineralised and filtered water. Simply fill the bottle, press On and watch the neon colours and bubbles work their magic! Sit back, sip and enjoy the hydration station.

ErgoFlip

Ensuring your home office is equipped with a sturdy and ergonomically designed office chair is crucial. Not only is a good chair important for your posture, comfort and support; it can also help with your motivation and productivity. For the past few months, I’ve been working on the ErgoFlip. A first of its kind, the ErgoFlip offers two seats in one. Say what? On first glance, the ErgoFlip looks like a well-designed, standard office chair. But, with a simple flip, the upholstered cushion part of the chair turns into an active cushion, similar to a fit ball. Offering gentle lateral and rotation movements, the active cushion relieves spine load and increases core strength due to its instability and inflated surface. In the afternoons, I swap over my chair bases and begin rotating and circling my hips. At the end of a long day or work, I have noticed that my lower back doesn’t feel as tight or stagnant. Getting an extra rotation into the spine and a gentle core workout has done wonders for my productivity, too. So, if you’re working from a dining room chair or the couch, it’s time to give that a flick and choose to support your spine with ErgoFlip.

Ausclimate Dehumidifier

There’s nothing worse than working in a stuffy and damp office. As I live and work in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, we get heavy rainfall, which means loads of moisture in the air and mould on the walls. Thankfully, there is a solution: the Ausclimate NWT Medium 20L Dehumidifier. During the sticky months, I simply run my dehumidifier and it makes breathing (and cleaning) a dream. Ausclimate, a family-owned Australian company, have filled a void in the marketplace by providing reliable dehumidifiers and air purifiers at a reasonable price. The dehumidifier is fully electronic, easy to operate and suited for rooms measuring up to 30m2. Providing up to a huge 20 litres of moisture extraction each day, the machine is quiet and effective — I hardly know it’s running. With sturdy wheels and handles, it’s easy to manoeuvre around my office space or into the bedrooms when things are getting damp. The best thing about the dehumidifier? It looks slick. I’s not bulky or intrusive and perfectly blends into the space.

BLUblox light-blocking glasses

Are your eyes sore or tired after a big day staring at the computer? In today’s digitalised world, problems with digital eyestrain have started to increase. Symptoms can be anywhere from fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision or headaches and often occur after prolonged use of computers, mobile phones or other digital devices. While there are many factors that lead to digital eyestrain, blue light seems to be the biggest culprit. Blue light is the high-energy visible light that is found in large quantities in digital devices, televisions, house lights, appliances and street lights. Excessive blue light exposure after sunset can disrupt your circadian rhythms and sleep. To reduce blue light exposure, BLUblox have designed some very sleek blue light-blocking glasses like the Clarke Computer Glasses. Cleverly created to filter harmful artificial blue light, these stylish frames come with clear anti-glare lenses, which means less digital eye strain. At night when I’m curled up on the couch with a show, I rock my Melissa Sleep+ glasses. Best worn post-sunset until bedtime, these glasses block 100 per cent of all blue and green light. They promote the production of melatonin when worn two to three hours before bed, fit comfortably on my face and allow for a soothing sleep. What I love the most is that the blush pink frames and bright orange lenses make me feel like Bono or Elton John — and who doesn’t want that vision before bed!