Six months after surviving the pandemic and working from home hasn’t made my baskets any less weird, but as I settle into what everyone calls the ‘new normal’ I break some of my rules. purchase and go above and beyond – Investing in what will really make the day a little more bearable. Here are the things I bought that I would recommend.
Owala FreeSip Water Bottle, $ 21.99 +
My cupboard full of bottles of S’well from various networking events would tell you that I no longer need bottles of water. But after using Owala FreeSip for only a week, I never look back. There’s just something about this water bottle that makes hydration so easy: I consistently drink more water than ever before. The built-in straw stays in place better than other bottles I’ve tried and the water stays cold for over 24 hours. I plan to buy a lot of them as Christmas gifts later this year.
Purple + Gravity Weighted Blanket, $ 299
I have struggled with insomnia all of my adult life, going through stages where it will be difficult to fall asleep for months. After suffering from extreme sleep deficit for several consecutive pandemic months, I decided to give in to the weighted blanket craze and spent hours researching which one was right for me. Yes, this is one of the more expensive weighted blankets on the market. But it’s also the only one I’ve found made for two people, distributing 35 pounds of weight over the 90 ″ x 90 ″ blanket, so my partner and I are now using it as a quilt. I don’t find it to be too hot, even on New York’s hottest summer nights, and it’s not too heavy and I find it hard to squeeze in for some air, like critics have complained with other weighted blankets. I won’t say it completely cured my insomnia, but it made enough of a dent to keep it going.
Mind Reader desktop organizer, $ 24.99
In the first few months of my working home life, I vowed not to buy anything that wouldn’t be useful after I got back to the office. Since we probably won’t be back in the office until 2021, I still have four months left, at least, and I’m throwing the rules out the window. My workspace (a very small table) had notebooks, pens, sticky notes, bills to pay, and work schedules strewn about. Work and life collided in such a way that it was impossible to stay organized and watching the clutter while I was watching TV on the couch made me more stressed. I really like that this desktop organizer has five separate areas for sorting things out, so I can track work and personal papers separately and feel a little more in control during an out of control situation.
JollyPatch Mosquito Repellent Stickers, $ 26.99
I must love a good impulse Instagram ad buy. Mosquitoes love to bite me and unfortunately I don’t think it’s because I’m so nice, like my dad has told me all my life. I’m willing to try anything to avoid those pesky and itchy bites, so I thought these emoji themed stickers were worth a try. I don’t have any scientific proof of their effectiveness, but I haven’t been attacked by any bugs while wearing them, so that’s enough for me to stick with the program. And the best part is that my 20 month old best friend really likes to stick six or more at a time – for extra protection I’m sure – so I’ll have to place another order soon.
Fitbit Versa 2, $ 199.95
When my Fitbit Charge 3 died after several good years, I felt at a crossroads: I could stick with a basic activity tracker or I could upgrade to one. Apple Watch. After hours of researching, reading reviews online, and asking anyone who would listen to their opinion, I realized that I had no reason to buy an Apple Watch. I was starting to lean towards Apple just because I have their other products. But in this case, I had deleted the notifications from my Charge 3 in an attempt to be less, well, notified. It just doesn’t make sense to buy a product designed to keep you more connected. I decided to switch to a nicer Fitbit product, and I’m really happy with the Versa 2. It’s the perfect between the two: it does all the basic activity tracking stuff, but it also has integrated applications, like Amazon Alexa, so I can easily start a timer when I’m in the kitchen. My only qualms are that it’s a bit of a pain to change bands, so you should pick one that you really like. I went with a Amazon $ 11 Gold Bracelet to make it a little prettier.
High risk: stories of pregnancy, childbirth and the unexpected, $ 26.95
I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to read a book about all the things that can go wrong during pregnancy and childbirth when I haven’t done those things yet, but this book by Dr Chavi Eve Karkowsky , a mother-fetal doctor in New York City, was not at all scary. Yes, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, but Karkowsky puts everything in context and shows the full picture of the medical experience of expectant parents – good and bad. There have been a multitude of books in recent years critically exploring the experience of health care for women, and Karkowsky’s perspective is one of the best I have read so far. I accelerated this; I could barely put it down as she told the stories of real patients.
Vida masks, $ 36 for a pack of 4
I never planned on having opinions on face masks, but here we are. Before receiving this recommendation from a colleague, I bought masks on an ad hoc basis Etsy vendors and various stores, but I couldn’t find one that suited me perfectly. Vida masks have adjustable earrings and a metal nose to ensure a snug fit, and they have a pocket for a filter, which you can easily add to your order for $ 12 for five filters. I’m not a big fan of the black outline on some of the color options, but there is enough variety to make me happy.
Eero router, $ 99
I was tired of making important Zoom calls and listening to my partner complain about lag while playing video games. I researched WiFi extenders, called a few places, called our internet provider, and finally succumbed to an Instagram ad for Eero, a mesh networking company now owned by Amazon. I liked that their system could be plugged into what we already had, and that we could add to it over time, which meant it didn’t require a huge investment to start with. Customer service was fantastic: I sent a question over the weekend but when I had follow-up questions I called their support number and a kind, patient man explained to me what ‘he recommended for my specific setup. It was delivered quickly and I was able to set it up in under 15 minutes. All of our devices easily reconnect to the internet and we have seen a dramatic decrease in the issues we were having.
More to read absolutely lifestyle blanket of Fortune:
- A new place for the WFH: Las Vegas
- How? ‘Or’ What decline a wedding invitation during the coronavirus pandemic
- Artisanal distillers have lost over $ 700 million in sales because of the pandemic
- A guide to giving gifts for postponed and reduced marriages
- Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic on the launch of One sparkling water infused with hemp Mark