33 Things To Help Keep You Motivated When You’re Working From Home
Get ready to have a lot of coworkers ask "Where did you get that adorable planner??" over Zoom.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1. A pack of NeuroGum made with a blend of caffeine and nootropics, designed to give you energy five times faster than regular coffee — without jitters or sluggishness afterward. That 3 p.m. slump when you suddenly have the attention span of a goldfish just met its match.
Promising review: "I work from home and get easily distracted but this gum gives me the energy and focus that I need to get going. The caffeine is from natural green tea which I like. I get also get my daily dose of vitamin B-12." —Christine Nguyen
Get a nine-pack with six pieces of gum each from Amazon for $21 (available in Mint and Cinnamon).
You can read BuzzFeed Shopping editor Kayla Suazo's full review of NeuroGum for more deets!
2. A memory foam seat cushion for your tushy so effective at relieving pressure from your tailbone that you'll actually *want* to sit in your office chair.
Promising review: "I've purchased similar items in the past that visually looked like this but were stiff and rigid. This is amazing. Totally eased my back pain from my quarantined at home desk job. Highly recommend." —Bellarosa555
Get it from Amazon for $36.95.
3. An adorably encouraging daily planner you can fill out throughout the course of each day to keep yourself on track for all your calls, goals, and even your water intake — TBH, nothing compares to the serotonin boost of crossing something off a list.
4. Or for the ~big picture~ thinkers, a weekly notepad to remind you of what the top priorities for each day are, so you don't feel as overwhelmed (and tempted to procrastinate) while powering through them.
Promising review: "I carry a weekly planner in my bag for scheduling appointments, meetings, classes, etc. Then on Sunday night or Monday morning, I transfer everything from the planner to a sheet from this pad. It stays sitting on the counter in my kitchen where I can easily jot down errands, groceries, etc either in the extra space or on the back. At first this seemed like an unnecessary duplication of effort, so I was looking for a better solution, but I've realized over the past couple of weeks that this really works for me. It helps me get all my commitments for the week out of the planner and into my head so that I know what I've got on my plate." —Toledo
Get it from Amazon for $8 (available in 15 list styles).
5. Plus a set of eye-popping fine point pens designed for planners and journals, so you can — gasp — color code your tasks, putting a fun twist on them that makes it all the more motivating to stay focused 🌈.
Perhaps most importantly for anyone out there planning to go full Leslie Knope on these is that they're designed not to bleed through thin pages!
Promising review: "I bought these pens during quarantine, not expecting much, considering they are quite inexpensive. I've used well-known brand marker/pens in the past, and didn't want to pay much for markers I'd use for coloring. I was concerned about the tips bending or bleeding, but I was completely wrong and am very satisfied with this product! They do not bleed, and the tips are strong and thin. I use these pens for coloring, hand lettering, and note taking, and they're exactly what I was looking for! The only regret I have is that I did not order the larger pack with more colors!!" —Michael Fanizzi
Get a set of 18 from Amazon for $7.99 (clip the $1 off coupon on the product page for this price).
6. A mini fridge that may truly be the MVP of working from home, particularly if you're sharing a space with others and want to limit distracting trips to the kitchen — this has just enough space to stock your favorite snacks and seltzers for little pick-me-ups through the day.
You can charge this using an adapter in your car or a regular outlet, and if you unplug it and take it on the go, items will stay cold for several hours as long as you don't open the door.
Promising review: "I bought this refrigerator because I recently started working from home because of the COVID-19 quarantine. When I’m working during the day, I have to keep myself locked up in the spare bedroom so my toddler doesn’t realize I’m home. Otherwise, she would be trying to come see me all day. **Disclaimer: I don’t just lock my toddler out and leave her alone, there’s someone here taking care of her! Anyway, since I can’t really leave the bedroom, this fridge has been great to keep some drinks cold while I’m working. I put them in already cold and they hold the temperature as long as they are in the fridge." —Aratay
Get it from Amazon for $45.99+ (available in four colors).
7. A set of affordable, highly popular (seriously, these have over 80,000 popular reviews) wireless Bluetooth earbuds so you can block out distracting noise during the day. These are also super handy for ~walk and talkers~ — you can easily pace around the room during phone calls to stay energized and focused.
These come with a wireless charging case that provides up to 14 hours of charge (with the earbuds able to play for 4+ hours with each full charge). The earbuds are also sweatproof and waterproof so you can use them during workouts or runs, and have a built-in mic so you can chat on the phone. Psst — these are also a great option for going outside in a mask, since they don't have wires that'll get tangled in the mask straps.
Promising review: "The earbuds worked seamlessly and well out of the box. I use them while hiking the hills with my dogs and when working at my desk – I can still hear outside noises when needed for safety, but can listen to music without disturbing others. The earbuds are comfortable even during exercise, and they fit securely. Using the earbuds as a headset with my cellphone is easy as well. I do have to experiment with how they handle the Google assistant. The audio quality is at least stereo hi-fi, and the earbuds paired easily with both my phone and laptop. Wireless charging and having a large backup power source for the phone are terrific features." –Jawpar
Get it from Amazon $29.99 (available in five colors).
8. Or a splurge-worthy pair Bose QuietComfort Series II wireless headphones, known for being one of the most effective noise-cancelling *and* comfiest headphones on the market, making them perfect for all day, distraction-free wear.
This pairs effortlessly with Bluetooth, and is also Alexa-enabled — just ask for whatever you need, and she can answer you through the headphones!
Promising review: "Unbelievably happy with this product. I cannot live without out my Bose QC 35 II's (even considering a second one to keep at work). It is empowering to put these on and all the noise pollution just goes away. I bought them for home and hadn't planned on taking them to my large open floor office. I put them on and suddenly realized there was a very low and loud humm coming from the ceiling (air blowers I assume). Now gone. I sit there in my cubicle and feel sorry for everyone else because they don't have a pair of these. I tried other brands, but they were simply not properly engineered. Once you get the pairing "dialed in" it is seamless. I have a Mac and iPhone but bought the new model (with Google voice button). I use the button's alternate function of turning on/off noise cancellation — just for fun to remind me how great this product works. But remember.. this technology is not going to isolate voices — it is designed to remove motor noises (plane, furnace blower, road, engine, etc)." —Claveman
Get it from Amazon for $269 (available in three colors).
9. An adjustable, portable standing desk so you can break up the monotony of your day by standing for a bit and getting the blood flowing to your legs. Also a great solution if your desk is a little too low for comfort!
Promising review: "One of the best health investments of the year for me. This is so simple, yet so much thought must have went into designing it to make it stable, lightweight, ergonomic and sharp-looking. A terrific under-$40 investment. If you're considering one of those $400+ standing desks, I would highly advise to give this standing laptop desk a shot first. I feel great standing up a few hours a day while tasking away and working hard. Great invention!" —Ben Grablachoff
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in four colors).
10. A mug warmer that'll keep your coffee piping hot long after you brew it, because nothing shatters your attention span quite like going back to the microwave five times every morning.
Promising review: "I am currently working from home and I make tea at every hour of every day. I used to own a Mr. Coffee and had lost it during transition of moving so I HAD to get another one. I’m so glad that I did because now my tea stays warm throughout work. There is no adjustment to high and low but I prefer things simple. You just switch it on and it stays on. The plate gets pretty hot which makes my cup hot at the bottom. No issue for me because I don’t have children. I prefer warm tea over piping hot or freezing cold. This little device is my best friend and it’s great. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that loves a 'just right' cup of anything." —Cecy R.
Get it from Amazon for $10.99.
11. A Baby Yoda mousepad, because honestly, our work is only as good as our relationship with our coworkers. And with this lil' guy on your side, you'll never lose 😭.
Get it from Zazzle for $12.95.
Also, check out all of Zazzle's Baby Yoda products for more options featuring ~The Child~, including stickers, T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more.
12. A 42-page Rocketbook Fusion reusable notebook to keep you on task no matter *what* your organization style happens to be. This notebook includes lined and grid pages in addition to planner, calendar, and brainstorming pages, so it pretty much covers any of your WFH needs.
It works the same way all their products do — you can write on its pages the way you would a regular notebook, upload the page onto your devices, and wipe the notebook clean with water to use all over again.
Promising review: "Loving using less paper. Got this product when transitioning to work from home. I am a math teacher and was using a lot of paper to write notes and to do lists, show students how to do problems, etc. This is amazing. Thinking about getting a class set for next year." —Alecia Martin
Get it from Amazon for $37 (available in eight colors).
13. A low-impact under-the-desk elliptical for anyone who gets distracted by aches and pains from sitting in one position all day — this can help keep you loose.
It also comes with a digital display that tracks time, speed, and distance, as well as eight different modes of resistance, so you can tailor it exactly to your needs.
Promising review: "No assembly required! Took right out of the box and put it under my desk. Spend long hours on the computer and suffer from hip and leg pain. Use the exerciser on and off all day especially first think in the morning to loosen up joints. Felt the different in just a couple of days. Just what I needed." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $128.
14. Or a compact, TikTok-famous rolling desk bike pretty much guaranteed to keep even the most restless among us on task. Sorry @ your actual desk.
This compact, rolling desk bike is also height adjustable so you can get your perfect fit with the tray, and has "whisper quiet" pedaling, eight resistance levels, and a way to track your mileage, rpm, and other stats.
Promising review: "Have had this product about a week now. Absolutely love it, what a game-changer!! As a consultant who live in a typical consulting life, I pretty much sit in front a computer all day long. Even though I work remotely a lot, I barely leave my desk. After a while, you will start to suffer from all the common things as everyone else, back pain, neck pain, you know all those things. Those all get changed when I saw this product! To be honest, I didn't buy it right away because of the price of course. But I finally decided to make the purchase as a holiday gift to myself. And I am so glad I made this choice! It hasn't been long, but i been using it everyday. It was super easy to put together, easy to move around because of the wheels. You can totally work while using it. the best part is, YOU DON'T EVEN FEEL LIKE YOU'RE WORKING OUT. And somehow it helps you to concentrate better. There is no need to dedicate one hour for the gym, this could an anytime thing. When you are working, watching shows, even play games. I guess because of the working out, my sleep improves as well. Not mention the pains from back. All in all, this thing changed my life!!" —joshua0315
Get it from Amazon for $349.99.
Psst — you can watch the viral desk bike TikTok featuring it for more insight on how it works. It's been liked over 1.8 million times!
15. A set of Monkey Noodles, a quiet sensory toy that stretches, pulls, twirls, wraps, *and* squeezes, so you can keep your restless self on task during those endless Zoom calls that feel like you just aged six years in an hour.
16. A waterproof, stain-resistant faux marble granite adhesive you can use on an old desk to magic it into a sleeker, brand new version, so you'll actually look forward to working on it every day.
Promising review: "I took a chance and bought this originally as a 'Band-Aid fix' to re-finish a desk. I had looked in stores in the contact paper aisles, but all of them were just that ... paper. THIS item is actually a thin sheet of vinyl (?) with adhesive, and I ended up liking it so much I bought more and re-finished my kitchen countertop with it as well! Highly recommended if you want to change the look of your counters but you don't have the money for a full remodel just yet. It can be cleaned with dish soap and water just like a real countertop." —Ezra Boyd
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in four sizes).
17. A digital download of WFH-themed wall art to really establish it as a "working space" and put you in the right mindset when you sit down in the morning.
Kiki & Nim is a Texas-based Etsy shop established in 2015 that specializes in modern, mid-century, minimalist, and boho printables.
Promising review: "Perfect addition! It was the last thing I needed to ‘complete’ our room! I get so many compliments on it!" —Traci Skala
Get it as a digital download from Kiki & Nim on Etsy for $6.
18. A whole bunch of delicious snacks with some major "there's free food in the office kitchen!" vibes, in case you, like me, are primarily motivated by the promise of a crunchy snack.
Each box comes with an assorted pack of 40 snack bags, including chips, nuts, bars, and fruit snacks. (My faves are Pipcorn and those Veggie Straws in case anyone needed more snack opinions from a stranger in their life.)
Promising review: "Sent this care package to my adult son and daughter-in-law, so they could enjoy healthy snacks while working from home. They love it!" —Fredese Wheetly
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
19. An Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon's most popular Alexa-enabled device, because it comes equipped with a new "Work From Home" routine. You can personally tailor it to have Alexa remind you when to start your day, when to take breaks, when to eat, when to start making dinner, and — most importantly!! — when to log the heck off.
Also?? Sometimes you just need to have a coworker who tells you weird jokes and warns you when it's about to rain and is always up-to-date on the latest world news. This lil' Echo can help fill the coworker-shaped void in your WFH heart.
Similar to other Alexa-enabled devices, the Echo Show 5 responds to voice commands and can be synced with Audible, Amazon Music, Amazon Video, and other apps and programs like Spotify, iTunes, and NPR.
Promising review: "It's small and looks great. Great quality. And for such a low price, it does so much. And now during the stay at home days of the pandemic and working from home, it keeps me entertained all day!" —ADELA
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four colors).
20. Plus a set of always-handy smart plugs you can sync with your devices like Alexa and Google Home to turn things on and off without getting up to do it yourself — a godsend when you're the kind of person who can't get up to fix the AC without playing with the dog, then also making a snack, then also checking the mail ... (been there, procrastinated that).
You can also control the devices plugged into it via an app, which will turn items on and off no matter where you are. Plus, if you live in a big household, you can set up the app on multiple devices so everyone will be able to sync with them.
Promising review: "This smart plug is much easier setup than what my experience. Works well with Google Assistant. Especially right now working from home making us more lazy than before. I like this!" —Geno
Get a set of four from Amazon for $29.99.
21. A set of adjustable desk shelves to organize your professional knickknacks and make your WFH space feel put together, so you won't get anxious and distracted about clutter.
Promising review: "Working from home I needed something to organize my work essentials so I didn’t feel like my table was just a mess of stuff. This is better than I expected. It’s cute, it makes access to what I need easier and I’m able to have things organized. Even after I’m able to go back to the office I can see use for this for many things!" —Jennifer
Get them from Amazon for $25.99 (available in three colors).
22. Plus a chic, waterproof desk mat to tie your desk space together and make it feel more like there's a "place" for everything, so you're not moving stuff all over the desk during the day.
As an added bonus, all the colors are reversible, so you can change your desk vibe with the season.
Promising review: "It's a really beautiful desk pad. I love that the colors are reversible. Right now loving the purple for winter, but will switch to the pink side in the summer. Makes my work desk look more colorful and pretty! It feels like a good quality mat. The stitches surrounding the border are sewn on evenly and not cheap-looking. The feel is soft but durable. When I unrolled the mat, it flattened out easily and nicely without any creases or having to put heavy weights on the corners to flatten it out (unlike another similar desk pad brand that I bought for my home desk). As for function, I like that it also acts as a mouse pad for my mouse. Writing on paper with it underneath is not a problem, writing still feels smooth. Overall I love this beautiful mat." —Jessica
Get it from Amazon for $16.99 (available in six color combinations and two sizes).
23. A mini inflatable tube guy for your desk to cheer you on (or remind you to take a lil' dance break whenever you overwork yourself).
Promising review: "OMG! I love this guy! These things large and small will ALWAYS make me laugh. My husband bought the desk version for me and I can always count on it to make me laugh. My co-workers love it too. People just stop by to turn him on for a quick pick-me-up. I would recommend getting the AC plug since batteries can run down fast. I think we should create a community of fellow air-dancer-havers and post clips of our little guys dancing to our favorite songs. Anyone in?" —Mark
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
24. A personalized Atlas Coffee Club subscription to keep you well-stocked on your most essential work from home fuel: coffee. This will send you a surprise gourmet coffee from around the world every month, along with tasting notes, brewing instructions, and a postcard from the country it's from, so you'll have your caffeine needs taken care of *and* a little excitement to look forward to every few weeks.
You can also select your preferences in terms of how much coffee you want, how often you want to get it, your roast preference, and whether you want it ground or whole. A surprise every month! Wow, endorphins!! We love to feel 'em.
Get a personalized subscription from Atlas coffee starting at $9+.
25. Or a cold brew coffee maker so gloriously easy to use that all you have to do is stick your favorite ground coffee in the filter, seal the airtight lid on top, and pop it in the fridge overnight. Boom, four cups of cold brew to keep you energized through all...the meetings...that should have been emails.
Promising review: "With the indefinite work from home situation 2020 has put us in, I had a real craving for my Starbucks iced coffee especially as the weather has gotten warmer. Since I can't go out and get my expensive iced coffee, I decided to get this product to make it myself. Best decision ever. It's very easy to make smooth, delicious iced coffee overnight and have a perfect brew in the morning." —Shelby
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
26. A game of Work From Home bingo with a bunch of different cards to get you through the day — like yes, you may be tired, but has someone's child interrupted a Zoom call yet?? You must remain vigilant to win today's round.
Ephemeral Aesthetics is a California-based Etsy shop established in 2018 that specializes in fun printable games for kids and adults for all occasions, including holiday, event, and quarantine-themed ones.
Each instant download includes 10 different bingo cards, one blank bingo card, and a callout list, so you can either play it yourself *or* rope in a bunch of your coworkers on a Friday when you need a lil' something fun to get you through the last part of the week.
Get it from Ephemeral Aesthetics on Etsy for $7.99.
27. A productivity timer you can pretty much use as your designated babysitter — it can be set to any number of minutes within an hour, so you know when your designated "breaks" are, and can try to train yourself to get as much done as you can in those bursts before you let yourself be intentionally distracted.
A popular way of doing this would be to set the time for 50 minutes, so then you work work work for that stretch and then take the 10 minutes at the top of the hour for other tasks like checking Instagram or answering texts. Then you can restart the timer and do it again. If anything, it's just sometimes a reminder of what you can get done in a certain amount of time if you block distractions out, which will motivate you to *keep* working that way.
Promising review: "I’m a newly discovered ADHD adult and use this to keep myself moving along tasks through the day. Set goals, hurry, move on. I’m self employed and many days work from computer with headphones on. While the beeper on this is loud on the hi setting, it is no match for noise cancelling headphones. So I took it apart, soldered and drilled in a super bright LED bulb in the corner of the dial face. And now it is peeerfect." —Atkins
Get it from Amazon for $18.99 (available in six colors).
28. Or if you want to go all in, a copy of The Pomodoro Technique, written by the popular productivity system's creator. If you're unfamiliar, it basically shows you how to tackle tasks in 30-minute bursts (25-minute intervals, with 5-minute breaks in between) and how you can use that first step to improve not just your productivity, but overall quality of life.
Beyond helping with distractibility, the method aims to reduce anxiety, help with focus, make people more aware of their decision-making processes, increase motivation, and make both short- and long-term goals more manageable. The book highlights the five different stages it takes to help get to that point, all of which have roots in the 25 minutes on/5 minutes off principle.
Get it from Amazon for $19.95 or Bookshop (to support local bookstores) for $18.35.
29. A delightfully bendy desk lamp to make your desk area well-lit and inviting, so you'll actually *want* to set to work each day. Psst — this not only charges right up with a USB cord, but will also serve as a port to charge your phone. Behold this glorious intersection of style and function!
It also comes with three different brightness settings, so you can adjust it as the light in your space changes throughout the day.
Promising review: "Great little desk lamp. I needed something basic and affordable to add to my desk since I’m working from home. The lamp is bright and has three levels of light settings to access by pushing the on/off button. The USB port is convenient." —K. Otero
Get it from Amazon for $17.93 (available in four colors).
30. A Friends-themed 2021 desk calendar so you can get that sweet satisfaction of tearing off an old work day and starting a new one "fresh" — plus count down the days with people who will be ~there for youuuu~ even when your regular coworkers are far away.
Each calendar includes dates from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021, featuring iconic moments and quotes from every season of Friends.
Get it from Urban Outfitters for $16.
31. A selfie ring light for all your Zoom presentations, so for once you'll actually look *forward* to turning on your camera — this will trick your coworkers into thinking you live inside a beautifully-lit Instagram apartment instead of a snack dungeon.
You can either use this with your phone mounted just under the light for FaceTime, or if you're calling or filming from a laptop, you can set up the tripod or the light on your desk behind the screen. Boom, fancy lighting.
Promising review: "I’ve been having to work from home. During this time, I’m in front of my computer doing WebEx calls and Teams. Having to present and talk in front of 20-50+ people. This light is AWESOME! My team even asked what I did and then made their purchase right away!" —Anna Chouinard
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
32. A lightweight breakfast tray you can prop next to you on your bed for midday eating and holding devices, because you know what? Some of us get our best and most productive work done laying in bed, and more power to us for it.
33. A Work From Home-themed sticker sheet, because honestly, sometimes all we need as an extra dose of motivation is a cute sticker on our laptop to make us smile.
Rain + Jas is a California-based Etsy shop established in 2020 that specializes in cute stickers and handmade cards.
Get it from Rain + Jas on Etsy for $3.50.
Crushing your WFH to-do list in your pajamas like:
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.