The Best Smart Home Office Accessories to Boost Productivity

Remember the start of the pandemic in March 2020? As lockdowns were put in place to help flatten the curve, there was a lot of uncertainty about how successful the work from home movement would be—more than a quarter of professional positions are expected to be remote by the end of 2022, and that number is nearly certain to increase in the coming years. So, if you’re currently reading this from your home office, we suggest getting comfy, because remote work is here to stay. Fear not though, because the smart home market is expected to grow to $53.45 billion dollars in 2022, meaning that there will be plenty of gadgets available to help you optimize your office workflow. Here are our top picks to help you streamline your work-from-home set up and make all-day Zoom meetings a bit more tolerable:

*Schedule coffee to greet you every morning. (Courtesy of* *Atomi*)

Smart coffeemaker

If you’re having one of those mornings where you’re fumbling around for your coffee maker, eyes bleary, wishing you could have a few extra minutes in bed, a smart coffee maker that automatically makes your morning cuppa sounds like quite the catch. The Atomi Smart Wi-Fi Coffeemaker works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can get your coffee brewing with a simple voice command. You can also set daily and weekly schedules so your machine will automatically start making your bean water at, say, every Monday at 7:00 am. The Atomi smart app lets you control the strength of your brew so you can make sure your beverage is just how you want it. Plus, it also gets some bonus eco-friendly points as it has a washable filter, meaning you get to cut down on waste and not have to worry about running out of filters.

*Happiness in a cup. (Courtesy of* *Ember*)

Smart mug

Speaking of coffee, there is nothing worse than forgetting about your cup and then having to drink a lukewarm beverage that tastes like sadness. With the Ember Smart Mug, however, you can ensure your coffee (or tea!) stays piping hot thanks to its built-in battery which ensures that your drink stays at your ideal temperature for 80 minutes, or longer if you keep it on its charging plate. This feature makes the Ember Smart Mug more versatile than other mug warming options because your mug isn’t confined to its charging plate, so you can move around with it and keep your cup toasty and warm. Plus, with the Ember app, you can easily monitor and control your beverage temperature to ensure it stays at the exact degree that you prefer it.

Standing desk

The work-from-home lifestyle has confined many of us to one room, in the same position at our desks all day. The health effects of sitting all the time have been well documented, though to be clear, standing all day isn’t ideal either. The solution? Upgrade to a standing desk that gives you the best of both worlds like the Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk. That way, you can alternate between sitting and standing with a press of a button.

Smartwatch

If you’re looking to cut back on phone usage during the day, a smartwatch can help streamline phone functions and prevent notification checks that accidentally turn into 15-minute scrolls through Instagram. If you’re an Apple user, you can’t get any better than the Apple Watch Series 7. It has a large display that’s easy on the eyes, and it comes with a variety of apps to help maximize productivity including reminders, voice memos, audiobooks, and more. It also tracks health data like sleep time and quality to ensure that you’re getting enough rest which is key when you have a busy workday ahead. Not an Apple fan? The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is perfect for Android users who want to look at their phone less and get all important notifications right from the wrist.

Air purifier

The best work environment is a clean one, both in terms of clutter and air quality. Air purifiers are a great way to freshen up your office space and reduce the presence of pollen, mold, pollutants, smoke, and, yes, viruses that can lead to health issues and impact your work performance. A smart air purifier like the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07 allows you to control and monitor the air quality from an app or with a voice command to your smart speaker. It also automatically turns on when it senses contaminants in the air, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn it on.

*Boost mood and productivity with smart lighting. (Courtesy of* *Philips Hue*)

Smart lights

Good lighting is essential in setting the ambiance of your workspace and can positively impact on your mood and productivity. Philips Hue offers a wide variety of smart lighting products ranging from practical bulbs to elegant pendants that can help you control your work environment with minimal effort. You can use a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa or Apple Homekit to turn on, turn off, and adjust your lights, or you can fiddle with the brightness of your lights with the Philips Hue app. Certain lights such as the Bloom Table Lamp allow you to choose between a white or color ambiance, meaning that you can play around with funky lighting colors to add some pizzazz to your home office.

*When a speaker doubles as a personal assistant. (Courtesy of* *Sonos*)

Smart speakers

Smart speakers are the ultimate multitaskers, which is super convenient when you’re busy on the job and can’t be bothered to go unlock your door or turn on your porch lights. Instead, you can just give your smart speaker a voice command, and they’ll take care of it for you. You can also play music, set timers, check your email—the list goes on. Amazon, Apple, and Google all have highly rated smart speakers that allow you to automate your home’s functions without having to lift a finger. If you aren’t quite loyal to one particular tech company, the Sonos One is a great choice due to its impressive sound quality and its versatility. It’s compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and gives you the option to use the well-designed Sonos app to control your audio from your smartphone if that’s your preference.

Smart products help to make a wide variety of daily tasks more efficient, which in turn makes working from home easier and more enjoyable. By allowing you to control different facets of your office space, ranging from your lights to the precise temperature of your coffee, these smart gadgets can help ease up on work-related stress and allow you to focus on the most important tasks at hand.