15 Recent Discoveries That Have Made Working From Home Easier For Me Over The Last 8 Months
With everything happening in the world, there is still a lot of uncertainty going around. But everyone needs to take care of their home and overall living situation, even if you are not working from home. Here are 15 recent discoveries of mine — all of which immediately available for ordering through Amazon and/or other websites, which have made my work-from-home existence easier in some form.
We everyday humans were not meant to sit all day. In fact, our bodies were designed to move, and chances are that your workspace, classroom and/or home environment do not let you do that. FluidStance to the rescue, as its purpose is to set the world in motion, starting with our category-creating decks. This award-winning company makes balance boards like The Level, The Slope (a personal desktop whiteboard) and the Fillup (a personal water tower), aiming to create one’s ultimate work station. In turn, Fluidstance ought to help you to inject some health and wellness into your workspace.
The latest innovative I had tried from FluidStance is The Wall. Perfect for notes, timelines, brainstorming and sketches alike, both sides of The Wall have a premium dry erase finish for twice the whiteboard space. This larger, desktop whiteboard surface helps you keep better track of work or school activities so you’re more organized and can be more productive. In a shared environment, The Wall is large enough to act as a privacy screen when you are working hard and need to focus and can be a visual barrier at your desk, whether at home or in a formal office space. It is portable, easily moved from tabletop to tabletop as needed, and is perfect for storing your pen and other desk accessories.
Earlier this year, I wrote about LumiCharge’s LED Lamp which has a universal phone charger and extra USB port. Extending its versatility with illuminating delight, this innovative LED desk lamp aids nighttime reading, studying and general work with three different hues and multiple levels of brightness from energy-efficient low-heat LED bulbs. Meanwhile, its patented universal cell phone dock works for iPhone or Android users. Additional features include a calendar display that shows time, date, day of the week and temperature and motion sensor that lights up the buttons so you can turn the light on in the pitch dark.
Newer to the market, the LumiCharge LD is an all-in-one lamp that is affordably-priced, eye-friendly and has a Bluetooth Speaker and a phone charger (2 smartphones at a time). Its compact size takes up little room on any desk at home, office, dorm or kitchen counter. The LumiCharge II LED Lamp’s 2.0 version offers 3 different hues and different levels of brightness and directional lighting, in addition to a built-in-motion sensor that turn on when you enter a dark room and an anti-bacterial surface-important in today’s environment. Thus, smart multi-functional devices which look great and are easy to use.
Amazon Handmade’s Holiday Gift Guide
I recently had the pleasure of attending Amazon Handmade’s Handmade For The Holidays event. In turn, I learned that Amazon Handmade launched curated gift guides from guest editors including TV personality Lauren Conrad and a handful of digital influencers (e.g. Dabito, WhoWhatWear’s Hillary Kerr, Gabe & Anna Liesemeyer, Rachel Pitzel, Sabrina Tan, Catherine & Bryan Williamson). Among the workshops that I had the pleasure of attending were Bottle Brush Bling with Michelle Rutta-Wahe of Your Heart’s Content, Candle Making & ‘Cozy Night In’ Holiday Gifts with Sejal Parag of KarmaLit, and Hand Felted Flowers with Yihyun Lim of Delica. Simply put, Amazon Handmade has something for everyone when it comes to making your home working situation more comfortable and/or productive.
GO BIG energy + wellness shots
GO BIG is reportedly the first clean-label, natural energy shot in the U.S. Crafted with just 5 recognizable ingredients, GO BIG’s hero seed is Guarana, a nootropic plant native to the Brazilian Amazon that indigenous tribes have used for centuries for its incredible effects on energy and focus. With the added benefits of superfruits and apple cider vinegar, GO BIG combines the best parts of an energy drink with a wellness shot to make an exponentially better-for-you daily booster. GO BIG energy + wellness shots feature 200mg of caffeine with as little as 20 calories, yet are also non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, paleo-friendly and keto-friendly. The drink is now available in 3 refreshing flavors: Raspberry Pomegranate, Acai Blueberry and Blood Orange Ginger.
Cariloha makes lightweight and breathable apparel for men and women that is made of viscose from bamboo, featuring moisture wicking technology to stay fresh all day. Designed with bamboo fabric that is naturally 3 degrees cooler than any other non-bamboo fabric, each piece of clothing is odor and allergy-resistant, making it perfect for any activity and keeping you feeling fresh longer. This machine-washable apparel can be cleaned repeatedly without sacrificing color, shape or softness, as inclusive of the brand’s tops, bottoms, socks, sleepwear, underwear and Bamboo Fit activewear.
Cariloha also makes bamboo-based bath goods. Its bath towels start at $24, features naturally moisture-wicking properties that naturally repels odors and allergens. They are available in a variety of colors including blush, stone, onyx and white. Its bath robes, as suitable for both men and women, are designed with 2 pockets and a tie allowing free-mobility and extra comfort in any relaxing activity. All of these products are available via Cariloha.com and Amazon.com.
COVID-19 continues to dominate the headlines, obviously. In turn, people are constantly talking about social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment, while millions of people are still wearing masks every day. Clyraguard is a hospital-grade, FDA-registered disinfectant spray for PPE. It has been tested and proven effective to completely inactivate COVID-19 per a published study at a government-affiliated lab in Texas. As part of the FDA regulatory processes, the formulation has been rigorously-tested and proven to provide extremely high 99.999% antimicrobial efficacy against virus, bacteria and fungi. In a nutshell, it is hospital-grade quality, safe on the skin AND available to the everyday consumer.
Lula’s Garden is a succulent gifting company. Its eco-friendly succulent gardens arrive potted in a self-sustaining gift box that is uniquely designed to serve as a planter. As plants have been proven to enhance overall wellness, this makes for a unique and eco-friendly gift for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds. If ordering in time for the 2020 holiday season, your succulent can arrive with a beautiful blue bow or Happy Hanukkah sleeve. Pricing starts at $29.
Rawlogy has been featured in New York Magazine and Backpacker Magazine, and was awarded “Best Recovery Tool of 2020” by Outside Magazine. It is a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise, and is in the process of becoming a Certified B Corporation. Rawlogy’s massage balls and rollers truly offer a premium self-massage experience for all body types and activity levels. Hikers, runners, cyclists, skiers, new Moms, sitting workers, standing workers, healthcare professionals, handymen, seamstresses, and so many others have said how Rawlogy has helped restore their mobility.
Sitting for long periods of time no matter where you are causes sore, tired and tense muscles. In turn, Rawlogy makes e-cool-logically cork stress balls that are easy to throw in your bag, but ready to give you a self-massage experience anywhere. Ultralight, eco-friendly, ethically produced and travel ready, these cork massage balls are available via both www.rawlogy.com and Amazon.
Outdoor Fellow began as a candle hobby for founder Patrick Jones. A candle enthusiast, he would pick up candles anywhere and everywhere he went. His enthusiasm turned into a hobby where he started making his own scented candles inspired by the places he and his boyfriend traveled over the years — from backpacking in the Adirondacks to scuba diving in Bonaire. Each candle evokes the scents of those magical places and bring back the memories of each trip. Its No.1 Fireplace and Clove candle, priced at $36.00, ought to create a warm, welcoming fireside atmosphere with the perfect blend of smoke and spice. Great products aside, Outdoor Fellow donates 5 percent of sales towards The Trust For Public Land in an effort to help keep public lands available for public use.
Generous is a movement to multiply good in the world. The people behind the Generous brand believe every human being deserves an opportunity to thrive. That is why it invests 100 percent of its profits from coffee and apparel into life-changing partner organizations that create jobs, feed children, improve education, and empower communities to eliminate poverty. In other words, it is your generosity that makes all of this happen.
Positively-featured by the Today Show, People, Us Weekly and UNICEF alike, Generous Coffee is also renowned for the taste of its coffee itself. In the words of Scott DuBois in a review posted on the Generous website: “My coworker and I have been trying the top 25 coffee roasters in America. Generous Coffee is not on any list, but it is by far the best tasting coffee we’ve had bar none! Better than Blue Bottle, Joe, George Howell, Verve, Cuvée, Intelligencia, Stumptown etc. We just LOVE this coffee, so thank you Generous Coffee for being amazing!”
Quest Nutrition is committed to making consumers’ cravings work for them, not against them. With high-quality, delicious, functional foods with no nutritional compromise, Quest helps active, health-conscious people achieve their goals. Among the Quest products available across all 50 states and in over 90 countries world-wide is the newly-launched Quest Peanut Butter Cups. The sweet treat pairs the classic flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter with the macros Quest is known for.
Each serving of 2 Peanut Butter Cups has less than 1 gram of sugar, 11 grams of protein and only 1 gram of net carbs. Quest Peanut Butter Cups are available in 2-count packs for $2.49, 4-count packs for $7.99 and 12-count packs for $24.99. Available now at Target, Walmart, Amazon, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, Hy-Vee, Wegmans, Speedway, Giant Eagle, Questnutrition.com and most specialty health stores.
Soapbox Shampoo Bar, Hair Mask & Hair Serum
Soapbox is a company whose mission is to empower customers to change the world through everyday, quality purchases. Soapbox will join this year’s Giving Tuesday movement by doubling its donations of soap that will reach vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world. The company is also offering 15 percent off all items purchased through its website (www.soapboxsoaps.com) with the code GIVE2020. And that sort of charity is nothing new for Soapgbox, as since it was founded in 2010, Soapbox donates a bar of soap to someone in need for every bar sold; thanks to its customers, Soapbox will donate 10 million bars of soap in 2020 alone. Great products made by great people, to say the least.
HydraPak has been designing and producing flexible performance hydration systems since 2001. Per its website, its mission is to relentlessly create better hydration solutions for performance-driven people. In turn, its products are designed with a performance-driven mind-set, as boiled down to the essence of functional performance.
Its best-selling Stash 1-liter sized water bottle provided compressible, on-the-go hydration. Essential equipment for every adventurer, the 1-liter Stash is large enough to handle all-day hydration, expanding for use and crushing back down for maximum pack space. Compact, flexible and 50 percent lighter than a hard bottle, it personifies construction with purpose.
Vic Lee’s Vic Lee’s Corona Diary 2020
With beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and typography, Vic Lee’s Corona Diary vividly captures what it was like to live through this unprecedented (still-going) period. Listening to daily news stories, experiencing different ways of living and working as well as adapting to new and necessary social controls, renowned London artist, illustrator and storyteller Vic Lee documented the first 6 months of the pandemic in real time within this book. An epilogue spread touches on the events of July, August and September 2020.
Thus, in reading Vic Lee’s book, you can reflect on and process the unforgettable events of the pandemic through an intimate account in images and lettering of the initial news from a place called Wuhan, Italy’s first cases then state of emergency, its spread across the world and the WHO’s declaration of a global pandemic, the lockdown and toilet paper shortages, the economic fallout, the unfathomable numbers of people dead, the immense gratitude to those on the frontline of the health services, the reactions and decisions made by leaders that would affect us all, the anxiety and isolation — all the twists and turns, of course.
Landmark Vineyards 2018 Overlook Chardonnay
As saying goes: “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” In turn, on a tough working day, sometimes some fine wine can help the work day go by a bit easier. The 2018 Overlook Chardonnay from Landmark Vineyards was crafted from 42 separate blocks of grapes sourced from premium Sonoma County vineyards. Working closely with grower partners throughout the growing season in such prestigious appellations such as the Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Carneros and the Russian River Valley gives winemaker Greg Stach the high-quality fruit this bottling deserves. yet another great offering from Landmark Vineyards.
TweetAbout the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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