Underscored editors’ favorite work from home products

(CNN) —  

Over the past year our spending habits have changed — a lot.

Rather than subsisting off of free office coffee, we’ve finally upgraded our at-home coffee machines to be spectacular. Now without a proper office chair, we’ve decided to actually invest in an at-home desk chair that we adore. These sorts of purchases are what has made working from home for the past year bearable and, dare we say it, even pleasant.

Whether it’s an actually cute desk lamp, a lumbar pillow that’s saved our backs or even a bidet, these are the truly life-changing WFH staples that we’ve found over the past year — and now can’t live without.

I didn’t want to clutter up my apartment with a hulking, not-so-aesthetic office chair. But when a few weeks of sitting in a dining chair hunched over a laptop had my back in twisted knots, I knew I had to do something. I found this lumbar support pillow and — for less than $30 — figured I’d give it a whirl. A full day after clipping this to my dining chair (and finally sitting in an ergonomically correct position) my upper back was no longer on fire. No clutter plus better posture equals a win-win in my book. — Scott Simone, deputy editor

After more than 10 years of faithful service, I finally had to say goodbye to my beloved Bonavita Connoisseur this year. My first instinct was to simply buy another one. But if I was being honest with myself, its 8-cup capacity was not meeting my needs, especially in WFH Covid times. So I decided it was time to welcome the beautiful Technivorm Moccamaster into my home. It consistently produces a quality, rich brew from whatever my Trade subscription has just sent me, gets the water temp up to the requisite 200 degrees (I measured on the first day), looks sharp as hell on my counter (I went with the silver) and the extra two cups in capacity has improved my life. Yeah, I dished out an extra $150 compared to the Bonavita. But I did the math on what I’m saving on Starbucks runs from office-life days and decided spending a few extra bucks on my happiness was more than justified. — Mike Bruno, editorial director

One of my most annoying habits is that after I take a few sips of my morning coffee, I then completely forget until a few hours later when I go back to take a sip and it’s cold as ice. But ever since I got an Ember mug a few months ago, that problem has been solved. It’s temperature-controlled, so your coffee or tea can sit steaming hot for hours until you remember it again; I can literally never go back to a normal mug again. — Rachel Lubitz, lifestyle editor

I recently tried the Rocketbook Panda Planner to organize my WFH schedule. Unlike regular paper planners, the Rocketbook features reusable pages and comes with a dry erase pen and cloth “eraser” so you can use it over and over. You can easily convert your pages into a digital format before you erase it, and although I’m a stickler for layouts, I found the Rocketbook’s to be simple, aesthetically pleasing and big enough to fit in all my agenda items. I’m confident people like me who are working from home right now and looking to stick to a better schedule will get a lot of use from this planner, and even those who have never used a planner will find it easy to use and helpful. — Dan Toy, copy editor

Back in the land of B.C. (before Covid) my monitor in the office was covered with little reminders on sticky notes to help keep me organized throughout the day. I didn’t realize how much I relied on my little neon lifesavers until I started working from home and all my notes were gone. One stressful day and an Amazon Prime purchase later, my sticky notes are back and so is my sense of sanity. — Delaney Strunk, programming editor

I know I wasn’t the only person who was completely shocked at how quickly you can go through toilet paper when you start working from home. Suddenly, your one (or more if you’re lucky) bathroom is all you’ve got, and constantly buying toilet paper gets real old fast. The best solution? A Tushy bidet. Not only does it make you feel fancy as hell, but it seriously reduces how much toilet paper you have to use, making it the most life-changing purchase of the past year for me. Trust me, you won’t be able to go back. — Rachel Lubitz, lifestyle editor

One of my favorite products that has helped my WFH experience immensely is this ergonomic mouse from Logitech. Its vertical shape takes some time to get used to, but using it over my laptop’s trackpad has made a huge difference. While the mouse’s shape is definitely weird, it feels super comfortable, and now my hand never feels tired or strained after hours of work. — Kai Burkhardt, editorial coordinator

Smart speakers are useful gadgets to have whether you’re working from home or not, but over the last few months I’ve become especially appreciative of my Sonos One Smart Speaker with Alexa built in. I personally think it sounds better than an Echo or Dot, and I literally use it all day long to listen to podcasts and music while I get work done. — Chelsea Stone, commerce editor

I’m not sure how I was ever functioning without this super-affordable pair of blue-light-blocking glasses. I’ve found that when I wear them, I get fewer headaches after staring at a screen all day. I also love the design of the leopard pair, so much so that I’ll wear them outside of the house as an accessory. — Kiana Murden, associate lifestyle editor

Working at a desk all day has never been for me. Co-workers always joke that I “divorce my desk” as soon as it’s assigned to me in the office, which is why I have a lap desk. Whether I’m working from home or in the office, I can make my workspace functional wherever I happen to sit or stand. This lap desk is my favorite because it has a traction pad so my laptop doesn’t move, and a convenient drawer for my charging cords. — Katelyn Gendron, SEO manager

Are you sick of hearing me talk about how much I love this water bottle yet? I started with the smaller model at the beginning of the pandemic, but I recently upgraded to this 64-ounce size and I have ZERO regrets. I don’t force myself to finish it or drink a lot, but having a full bottle near me all day just means I’m significantly more hydrated by the end of the day. I’m a big fan. — Hayley Saltzman, head of social media

A desk lamp is a must when you’re working from home, so why not opt for one that’s a little funky. This lamp that I recently purchased from Urban Outfitters is a treat for my eyes, and it casts a warmer, more soothing glow than your traditional desk lamp. — Chelsea Stone, commerce editor

The close proximity to my kitchen has made me even more dependent on caffeine since I started working from home, and with this AeroPress Go I can make a cup of delicious coffee in just a few minutes whenever I need an energy boost. The flavors always come out bold, but my favorite part about the AeroPress is how easy it is to clean. You can pop the coffee grounds into the trash and rinse it in seconds so you can make as many cups of coffee as you need. — Kai Burkhardt, editorial coordinator

Because time has essentially lost all meaning, keeping track of what day of the week it is has proven to be a challenge. Enter: my giant calendar. I love that the day squares are big enough to actually fit an entire phrase, and the little to-do list section in the bottom right corner is super useful for keeping track of monthly goals. — Delaney Strunk, programming editor

Quarantine has turned me into such a bralette girl. Nowadays I’d opt for a scoop neck number like this one instead of an actual bra or a T-shirt without question. It’s also the perfect layering piece to quickly dress up, down or pack on some additional warmth if it gets too cold in my apartment. — Kiana Murden, associate lifestyle editor

This gadget is incredibly random, but I’ve found myself using it every day throughout the workday. It’s a basic little stand, but it’s a great way to keep my phone in front of me throughout the workday. I’ve been FaceTiming with friends and family a lot more during the pandemic, and this holder also makes it easy to FaceTime without having to hold my phone. As a social editor who is constantly making videos/content on my phone, I couldn’t live without this stand during the workday! — Hayley Saltzman, head of social media

My apartment is seriously lacking in the outlet department, especially now that I’m charging two laptops, a printer, a phone, a smart watch and various other gadgets throughout the day. This Kasa power strip doesn’t just provide plugs; it’s also smart, so I can turn it on and off using my voice with Alexa. — Chelsea Stone, commerce editor

I spent months testing office chairs, and there’s a reason the Steelcase Series 1 was our favorite pick. After using this chair every day for nearly a year, I can confidently say that it’s an excellent home office chair. It’s supportive without being too bulky, incredibly easy to adjust and truly better than some of the more expensive chairs I tested. — Hayley Saltzman, head of social media

A healthy smoothie without the dreaded cleanup? Yes, please. I’ve been loving my BlendJet One Portable Blender to make my morning smoothie quickly, quietly and without the mess. It even charges with a USB cable so I can take it with me on the go too. — Kiana Murden, associate lifestyle editor

Finding a work-life balance is more important than ever when working from home. Now instead of just closing my laptop at the end of the day — because, let’s be honest, it’s tempting to reopen it to just take care of one quick thing — I physically put it away into this delightfully wavy Puffy Laptop Sleeve from Baggu. The pattern just makes me happy, and the routine has become a nice way to mark the end of the workday. — Chelsea Stone, commerce editor

I’m the type of person who simply must write out a daily to-do list in a notebook in order to stay on track. I purchased a pack of colorful gel pens months ago, and they make crossing items off my daily to-do list a true delight! It’s the little things. — Hayley Saltzman, head of social media

Somehow with working at home, I find it even less convenient to go grocery shopping. Getting meal kits delivered right to my door each week has been a dream with Hello Fresh, my current favorite meal delivery service for its great meal selection and serving sizes. — Kiana Murden, associate lifestyle editor

There’s so much to love about this Ergonomic Desk Chair from DTC furniture brand Branch. Not only was it incredibly easy to put together (I did it myself, no tools required), but it’s also comfortable enough to sit in all day, and comes in a gray-and-white colorway that looks nothing like your average desk chair — and happens to match my apartment decor to a T. — Chelsea Stone, commerce editor