After months of staying at home, you have probably realised that you’re missing some essentials that you didn’t know you needed until all the shops closed. We certainly have! From foldable laptop tables to hair-cutting scissors, here are eight things we didn’t know we needed until the circuit breaker.
A foldable laptop table
One of the biggest consequences of working from home? Neck pain. While setting up a permanent home office can go a long way in making your work more comfortable, those who are working from home only temporarily might not want to invest in a desk and chair. That’s where a foldable laptop table comes in handy. It’s a great short-term solution that allows you to work comfortably from almost anywhere. Foldable laptop tables are available from most online retailers, including Lazada and Shopee.
A yoga mat
While you might not be able to do your favourite sport anymore, there’s nothing stopping you from getting some exercise at home. If you’ve been doing HIIT since the circuit breaker started but don’t have a proper yoga mat on hand, you might have resorted to placing folded towels on the floor instead. Not a bad solution if we may say so ourselves, but not quite the same as a yoga mat! Thankfully, you can still get one online from places like Decathlon.
Image courtesy of Meter Square
A convection oven
It’s a fact that a lot of people don’t like cooking and have resorted to ordering takeout throughout the circuit breaker. However, takeout doesn’t have to be your only option! A convection oven can be a life-changer in this situation, making it easy to prepare frozen and even instant meals in your own kitchen. They might not be as delicious as your favourite takeout, but they do provide a bit of a change. If you’re looking for a sturdy convection oven to invest in, Panasonic offers a variety of options.
A coffee machine
What’s a day at the (home) office without a good cup of coffee? Many of us wish we had equipped our homes with coffee machines before getting stuck inside, looking at Nespresso machines in particular. For those who can’t start the day productively without coffee, a coffee machine can come in especially handy when working from home, where motivation tends to be lower.
Image courtesy of Nespresso
An office chair
While a foldable laptop table is a good short-term solution to reduce neck pain and other aches, an ergonomic office chair is an even better investment if you want a more permanent set-up. A good office chair, such as one by Herman Miller, can lend support to aching legs, hips and back and can even ease chronic pain. If you’re working from home indefinitely, an ergonomic office chair is a must-have.
A Chromecast device
Streaming your favourite Netflix show for the whole household can be frustrating when you have to awkwardly mirror your phone screen. With Chromecast, you can easily show videos from Netflix, YouTube and other major apps on the TV without worrying about lagging and other connection problems. All you need is a TV with an HDMI port and the Chromecast device itself, which you can get from the Google store.
Image courtesy of Mesh Werk Studio
A pair of hair-cutting scissors
Who would have thought that cutting hair would be an international concern during a pandemic? While most people have chosen to wait until they can visit a professional stylist, many have resorted to cutting their own hair or asking family members to give them a hand. This might lead to mixed results (and potential family quarrels), but nonetheless hair-cutting scissors are good to have around. You might even discover a new talent! If you don’t have one lying around, you can get a good pair of hair-cutting scissors and other hair styling equipment from Hair Station.
A corkscrew
You just finished a long day working from home. You’re looking forward to throwing yourself on the couch with a glass of wine and a movie. Then you realise you can’t open the wine bottle! We’ve all been there, buying wine and forgetting that we need a corkscrew to get to the actual drink. There are a few creative ways of getting the bottle open without a corkscrew, but before you end up hurting yourself with a makeshift invention, we recommend getting hold of the real thing. Thankfully, you can still buy a corkscrew online from places like Robinsons.
Featured image courtesy of KDOT
