Must have items for creative parents who work from home with bad backs
Creating a work life balance doesn’t just mean prioritizing your time, it also means prioritizing your body and implementing little things to make your life easier!
When your home becomes your work space, it’s important to make it your own. Decorate it how you want, do what speaks to you &, make sure you’re taking care of your physical body.
Here are our top 7 items that we absolutely LOVE & have made our work from home life so much more enjoyable.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
This post contains affiliate links, which at no cost to you, may pay us a small commission if you purchase any of these products
Topo Comfort Mat by Ergodriven
This is hands down one of the best purchases to date.
We both have scoliosis have have struggled with back pain for years. We’ve both had jobs where we were on out feet a lot at the expense of our backs. It’s not practical to wear Dr. Scholls around the house but you can still support your back, even barefoot.
This mat is called the ‘play gym for your feet’ and that’s the perfect way to describe it.
I’m constantly moving around on this thing which, is a great alternative to just sitting around and locking up your joints. You can really dig the arch of your foot into this thing to get some tight knots out!
It’s supportive, improves movement and mobility, and is super anti-fatigue! I always leave my standing desk feeling energized and without back pain.
Longevity is always the goal and, this mat is a great place to start.
Learn more about the Topo Comfort Play Gym
Gorilla Grip Comfort Mat
We do the majority of work out of our garage which is a cement floor, not so fun.
Once again, not optimal for your back or your body in general. As much as we love the Topo mat, it’s only for one person. The Gorilla Grip is great because it accommodates us both and it’s the perfect length!
This thing is great because it is super thick. Do not waste your time on thin / cheap mats.
NOT ALL MATS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Though ours is a bit dirty, there have been no issues with it in the 6 months that it has been with us. The green color is fun & adds even more character to our little home.
I suggest getting the longest version you can afford. Do not piece together a couple small ones, it will be annoying. Buy one large one and just bite the bullet!
If you cheap out on foot support, you’ll feel it. Literally.
Guy’s we cannot stress this enough! You need to take things like this serious. Standing on concrete while wearing sandals all day will eventually catch up to you.
Learn more about the Gorilla Grip Comfort Mat
Lifx Light Strips
Maybe we’re divas, but mood lighting is called mood lighting for a reason!
Lighting is often overlooked, but can make or break the look & feel of a room. A cold, dark, space can be turned warm with just a simple candle.
Though this strip is a bit pricey, there are good reasons for that. Just like floor mats, not all light strips are created equal.
You can go buy a cheap RGB light strip at Walmart for like $6 and it will work fine. Problem is, it is just RGB. What that means is you can have Red, Green & Blue, plus the colors they combine to make. That is it.
That actually isn’t really the biggest issue with the cheap ones.
The main reason people buy Philips Hue & Lifx lights is because the strips can show multiple colors at once.
Remember how we just talked about the cheap strips being only RGB? Say you wanna have red show up behind your computer…
- Cheap strip – Red all the way throughout the entire strip, no color variation
- Lifx / Philips Hue – Multiple colors in different temperatures = more mood!
Pretty much it just looks way cooler. Yes it is worth the extra money
With the Lifx strip, you have millions of color options.
Though it may seem useless, it really isn’t for anyone that will use it for creative purposes. We use ours for photography & video studio type work, so being able to really fine tune light is really helpful.
Sure around the house, they are awesome to look at, but use them as a creative tool!
Stick them on a piece of wood or metal & use them for some creative photography!
Being able to add color to a scene can dramatically change the image. This example is a bit dramatic, but you see how just changing the light from red to blue makes a drastic change.
These lights are an awesome way to both make your house look awesome, but also to upgrade you photo & video work!
Learn more about the Lifx Strips here
We have found these to be a bit more durable that other desk mats we’ve used in the past. Not much to say about them honestly, they just do their job which is what you want!
These are made of a PU leather material which, protects the surface of your desk from scratches, spills, heat and scuffs. These have great grip and our favorite part, they’re double sided so you. basically get two colored mats!
Our son loves to bang things on the table so these act as great sound dampening as well!
The size is great and over all makes our desk area look much more put together and for only $20, you really can’t beat it.
Learn more about the Knodel desk mats here
This chair is the daddy of all daddies and this is coming from two people with scoliosis.
Usually, sitting down is an awful experience that leaves us feeling stiff and sore, which is why we love standing desks. We mostly did standing desks till we came across the Herman Miller Aeron chair.
The Herman Miller Aeron chair provides excellent lumbar support and adjusts to fit the spines lumbar curve, which is going to prevent that stiff sore feeling after sitting for a long period of time.
The Aeron chair has what’s called a Kinemat tilt which allows the chair to move with your body while the pivot points align with your hips, ankles and knees for a more natural recline. There is nothing more comfy than this thing.
But that isn’t my favorite part, not even close!
My favorite thing about the Herman Miller Aeron chair & why I think it is worth every penny is for the actual cushion system, or lack there of.
I have spent the past few years working at a computer with mostly awful office chairs. Getting a “real” chair changed my life. Having lower back pain really sucks, there were times where I had issues standing up (im only 28) because of how messed up my back is 🙁
The thing about this chair that is so amazing is that there are NO pressure points. You literally just kinda float, which feels incredible for someone who mainly has lower back / tail bone pain.
It feels like a trampoline, but less bouncy, that is about the closest way I could describe it. Sitting on a traditional foam cushion for hours kills me, I just have alot of pain when sitting on any surface other that incredibly supportive ones.
If you have a nice memory foam mattress and know what the “floating on a cloud” feeling is, that is about the same as this chair. Pure joy.
Not to mention, it’s absolutely fabulous to look at!
This chair is pricey, but what’s more expensive is the care you’ll have to receive for not taking care of your back in order to save a few bucks.
Trust us, this chair is absolutely worth it and so is the health of your spine. We haven’t used any other expensive chairs, so do your research as there are many on the market. But please, don’t use a crappy chair!
If you check out our free course, maybe you can figure out how to get one of these for free like we did!
Learn more about the Herman Miller Aeron chair
We can not rave enough about the convenience of this chair!
As a work from home parent, you’re also tending to your kids all day. We have tried high chairs, bouncers, walkers and everything in-between. We’ve hated them all, so did Oliver.
Bending over again and again isn’t ideal either, which was our experience with all the products I listed above. Then we came across the Chicco kids chair. Oh my goodness, game changer.
This chair can pretty much attach to more desk tops, tables, and kitchen counters. Not only is a great alternative to a high chair, it’s light, portable, and keeps your kid eye level with you which, is a win win for you and baby.
It’s great too because you’re not having to constantly bend over which once again, is great for spinal longevity. This chair has a large seating area which allows Oliver to move about instead of being strapped in tightly which, he loves.
It’s a great way to be productive while also spending time with your little.
Learn more about the Chicco kids chair
There is power in writing things down. We used to get so frustrated because we went about our day with no plan and, we weren’t on the same page.
We bought this notebook to help keep us organized and, it made a huge difference with our communication and productivity.
It’s great to have a notepad you can carry around with you throughout the day to keep you organized. When you have a plan, things just run more smoothly!
We’ve used this as a key tool for communication as well. Morning check in’s before the day starts are vital, for your relationships and your business.
Learn more about the daily notepad here
Honey Can Do portable laptop desktop
Unless you like your lap super hot, then we highly recommend this portable laptop desk.
It’s a great size, fits comfortably in your lap and keeps the heat off you! It brings your laptop to more of a natural position, making it easier to have better posture while you work.
I like to move around throughout the house when I work. Sometimes it at the desk, other times the toilet, but then at night I like to chill on the couch.
On the bottom of the desk there is a small cushion which again is great from keeping the heat away from you, but also making it way more comfy to actually use!
Working on a laptop for long periods of time sucks if it actually is sitting on your lap. I don’t know about you, but something about having heat next to my man parts for that long scares me
This thing is super cheap, like less than $30. If you watch anything on your laptop or work from it, you should be using one of these!
My plan is to sticker bomb mine, the white paint sucks and gets scratched easy. Probably can make a better diy version of this if you have some basic shop tools.
Learn more about the Honey Can do laptop desk here
Wanna see our entire studio setup?
We built this DIY budget Vlog studio setup for under $150, though it isn’t perfect, it is a damn good start!
Thats our list!
Please let us know in the comments below what your favorite items are!
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