COVID-19 Quarantine: End of days or unnecessary mass panic? Whatever your impression of the novel coronavirus bringing the world to a standstill, there’s no denying: it’s a really big deal.
We tend to fall somewhere in the middle of these two schools of thought. We’ll take all the precautions recommended by the officials who know this stuff better than we do, we’re also taking a hard stand against the Great Toilet Paper Race of 2020.
Thousands of companies across the world, including uShip, have implemented work-from-home requirements for the foreseeable future. So, how do you stay productive – and sane – when your kitchen table is suddenly doubling as your desk and your kid’s classroom?
How to work from home during COVID-19
For starters, get equipped! There’s no telling how long work-from-home policies will be in place, so there’s never been a better time to invest in some home office staples that’ll make working from home a breeze.
While social distancing guidelines beg us to avoid marching into a big-box store to shop for items ourselves, delivery is our best bet. For now, the logistics industry is largely still functioning as normal, so it’s a good idea to use it to your advantage.
When it’s time to ship big stuff – stuff like a treadmill desk or mondo-sized monitor – you can also use uShip to your advantage. Get competing shipping quotes with just a few clicks, then book and pay securely, and you’ll be on your way to a home office haven in no time.
For inspiration, we’ve gathered some ideas to help you create a workspace you’ll be proud to show off during those awkward video conferences.
1. Treadmill desk
Not having to go into the office means you might end up taking a grand total of 200 steps during an entire day. While that could be fun for about three days, you’ll probably want to take steps to ensure your legs don’t turn to noodles. One great way to do this is by taking actual steps throughout the workday. Research shows treadmill desks come with lots of benefits, including a potential increase in short-term memory and attention, as well as a decrease in risk for chronic illness. So, perhaps in a roundabout way, isolating yourself from COVID-19 exposure may make you healthier twofold.
If you’re not quite ready to invest in a treadmill desk, you can always craft your own, like this hamster wheel treadmill desk that’s totally unintrusive and normal.
2. Standing desk
If you’re not ready to commit to walking all day at work (or feeling guilty for not walking all day at work when you just bought that damn treadmill desk), a standing desk is a great option.
Many standing desk models are adjustable, meaning you can sit or stand, and switch it up as often as you like. Standing desks are gaining popularity for their many surprising health benefits including reducing the risk of shoulder and back pain. Better yet, you get to look super trendy with your new desk as you continuously ask yourself “isn’t the entire point of a desk that you can sit?”
3. An office chair you’ll actually like
Once the shine of foolishly attempting to stand all day has worn off, you’ll want to be able to sit back and relax in a high-quality office chair. Options abound; whether you want classic style or stately grandeur, it’s your home office, so deck it out as audaciously as you like.
4. A Serious Monitor
Yes, you definitely need a monitor this big to be an effective employee. Definitely not to perfectly arrange your COVID-19 doomsday prepping spreadsheet, expense reports and news updates in a perfect “at-a-glance” format.
In seriousness, if you’re used to working on multiple screens in the office, adjusting to a single monitor can be difficult. Consider adding a monitor, oversized or otherwise, to ease the transition.
If you can’t decide whether to buy an over-the-top monitor or an over-the-top chair, why not combine the two with the ultimate computer chair? Sure, it looks ridiculous, but it’s inside your home where no one can see how much you adore it.
Just imagine spending the day tinkering away in this puppy, wearing your favorite jammies and fully leaning into your new status as a digital nomad. (Kind of.)
5. A Deep Freezer
Maybe it’s not a traditional “office supply,” but if we’re self-quarantining, we should probably keep some basic survival supplies on hand. Of course, you can fill your new freezer with whatever you like, we won’t judge. Whether it’s 50 gallons of Rocky Road or 5 years worth of self-packed nutritiously-balanced rations, it’s an undeniably versatile appliance.
6. An underground bunker
If you want to fully commit, you can always just relocate your office to an underground bunker in your backyard. Climate-controlled, forgivingly silent, and as far removed from crowds as you can go without leaving home, this is the ultimate COVID-19 workspace.
While there’s nothing suggesting a bunker would have any benefits whatsoever in the pandemic, it would at the very least be a really fun excuse for weak wifi during meetings.
Need to ship home office furniture, or other household goods affordably?
