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      in lifestyle and culture

      Game-Changing Office Essentials That Make Working 10x Better

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      As long as you have a computer, a surface to set that computer, and some sort of seat, you’ve got yourself a functional workspace. But for a workspace that is actually comfortable for 8+ hours a day and helps you be your most productive self, you’re going to need a bit more than the bare minimum. As someone who spent the first several months of my new WFH lifestyle working from a combination of my couch and dining table, I know this all too well. Take it from me, these office essentials are truly game-changers to make work more convenient, productive, and—dare I say—enjoyable:

      1. A desk that works as hard as you do
      A desk can be so much more than simply a place to set your laptop. If you’re considering an upgrade from your basic big-box store desk, I can assure you that investing in a high-quality, fully-equipped desk will be so worth it. We’re partial to the desks from Branch Furniture (we’ve even got them in The Everygirl’s Chicago office!) because of the stain-resistant work surface and sleek design. Opt for the built-in charging ports or spring for the standing desk to make your workspace even more comfortable and convenient.

      Branch Furniture
      Office Desk
      The MDF top makes this desk resistant to impact and stains, so you don’t have to worry about that coffee spill ruining the surface. The steel frame provides extra sturdiness, while the flared legs make it a stylish addition to your work setup. Customize it with in-desk power and a variety of finishes to make it your own.

      Branch Furniture
      Standing Desk
      This standing desk lets you find and save the perfect height so you can seamlessly switch between sitting and standing. The stable foundation prevents wobbling, and the low-decibel motors ensure it rises smoothly and quietly.

      2. A laptop stand to encourage better posture
      Unsurprisingly, sitting hunched over your laptop all day isn’t great for your neck and shoulders. If you work primarily on a laptop, save your spine with a stand that boosts your screen to the proper height. This simple tweak will encourage you to sit up straight and hopefully leave you less achy after the work day is done. 

      3. A seat cushion that can make any chair comfortable
      An ergonomic chair is truly the best way to make your workstation as comfortable and posture-friendly as possible, but if you’re still on the hunt for the right one or saving up for the inevitable splurge, a supportive seat cushion is the next best thing. Look for one made from memory foam that can conform to your body, and add in a lumbar cushion as well if you need some extra support.

      4. Headphones that will block out any distractions
      Whether you work full-time from home or regularly commute to an office, noise-canceling headphones are absolutely office essentials. Especially if you’re dealing with noisy roommates or an environment that’s full of distractions, being able to block out sound can help you stay focused and limit interruptions. If you frequently take work calls, choose headphones with a built-in microphone so you don’t have to take them off.

      5. A coffee mug warmer that keeps your cup at the perfect temp
      I’m the person who makes a cup of coffee, takes one sip approximately every 20 minutes, and inevitably has to reheat it at least three times before I finish it. If you have a similar tendency to forget about your coffee until it’s cold, a mug warmer is about to be your new favorite desk essential. Choose a self-heating cup that keeps contents at the ideal temperature or go for a warming plate that works with your favorite mug.

      The Single Purchase That Made Me Actually Want To Sit At My Desk All Day

      This post is sponsored by Branch but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board. More

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      in health and weelbeing

      8 Hacks That Will Help You Stop Throwing Away Uneaten Produce Every Week

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      We’ve all been there: You load up a cart full of fresh fruits, veggies, and greens with high hopes of a healthy, salad-filled week ahead. But then you needed to treat yourself with takeout after a rough day at work. Or you spotted that bag of Trader Joe’s pasta stashed in your freezer and all memory of vegetables left your brain. All too soon, your once-crisp, fresh produce is now brown, limp, and oozing some sort of strange liquid.
      If this feels a little too familiar, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure, part of the problem comes down to meal planning, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Luckily, there are tons of tricks out there that can help keep your produce fresher for longer. If you’re sick of throwing out fruits and veggies week after week, here are the produce hacks you need to know:

      1. Wait to wash your produce until you’re ready to eat it.
      I know you’ve seen those fridge-stocking videos of people unpacking their groceries, washing all the produce, and carefully arranging it in aesthetically pleasing containers. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: all that produce is going to go bad so fast. That’s because pre-washing your produce adds excess moisture that could make it spoil faster. Plus, you’ll likely want to rinse it again before eating it anyway to wash off any fridge germs, so you might as well save some water and skip the pre-rinse. 

      2. Store your produce properly. 
      If you come home from the grocery store and immediately toss everything in the fridge, you might be doing it wrong. Some fruits and veggies need to stay chilled while others are best kept at room temperature, and it’s important to know the difference. Tomatoes, for example, will go bad fast if you store them in the refrigerator. In general, fruits that ripen over time (like bananas, melons, avocadoes, and peaches) are good on the counter until they’re ripe—then they should go in the fridge. 

      3. Use your fridge drawers correctly.
      Most refrigerators have what are called crisper drawers—usually one for fruits and another for veggies. They’re separate because vegetables tend to prefer high humidity, while most fruits do best in low humidity. These drawers are typically marked accordingly, but if not, make sure the drawer you store your veggies in is closed tightly. You can keep your fruit drawer slightly ajar to lower the humidity inside.

      4. Put a paper towel in with your greens.
      If you’re tired of taking your spinach on its weekly trip from the fridge to the garbage can, this produce hack is for you. The next time you buy a plastic container of greens, open the lid and place a few paper towels on top. (If you buy bagged greens, empty them out into a separate container, then add the paper towels.) Put the lid back on, flip the container upside-down, and store it like that in the fridge. The paper towels will absorb moisture and help keep the greens fresh. Bonus tip: You can also use paper towels to keep your fresh berries from going mushy too soon!

      5. Freeze fresh herbs in oil.
      Herbs are a great way to add flavor and freshness to your meals, but it always seems impossible to use them all up before they go bad. Instead of waiting for that extra basil to inevitably perish in your fridge, freeze it in oil so you can use it later. All you have to do is chop up your herbs, spoon them into an ice cube tray, top with olive oil, and pop into the freezer. Later on, you can use your frozen herb cubes to flavor sauces, soups, pasta dishes, and more.

      6. Cover banana stems with foil.
      Bananas can go from green to brown and mushy in a matter of days. If you’re not looking to whip up some banana bread, you can keep your bananas fresher by covering the stem with a small piece of aluminum foil. This trick works because of a little thing called ethylene—AKA the gas that fruits emit as they ripen. By keeping it contained, you can slow down the ripening process. If your bananas still went brown faster than you wanted, peel, slice, and freeze them—you can use them for smoothies!

      7. Revive wilted produce with cold water.
      Got some produce that has gone all limp and wilted? You don’t have to throw it away just yet. Since most veggies and greens are porous, you can revive them by soaking them in water. Submerge your wilted produce in a container filled with ice water and place it in the fridge. In about 30 minutes, it should be perky again! For produce with stalks or stems (like broccoli, asparagus, celery, and herbs), treat them like a bouquet of flowers. Trim the ends and stand them up in a container of cold water so they can absorb moisture from the bottom up.

      8. Store mushrooms in paper bags.
      Mushrooms tend to turn slimy and unappetizing real quick, and the plastic-wrapped container they’re packaged in is often the culprit. Instead of tossing that container straight into your crisper drawer, empty the mushrooms into a paper bag first. The paper bag will absorb moisture, keeping your mushrooms at the right humidity level and slime-free. 

      Why a “Capsule Pantry” Is the Budget-Friendly Solution You Need if You Hate Meal Planning More

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      in lifestyle and culture

      Work Smarter Not Harder: 4 Productivity Hacks I Can’t Live Without

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      There are many things I’m good at in life—making a mean rendition of Gigi Hadid’s vodka pasta, knowing every single word of Taylor Swift’s latest album, housing 15 pizza rolls in one sitting, and being self-aware (to name a few). But if there’s one thing that’s never been my strong suit, it’s staying on track. Because of this humbling truth—and the fact that I’m a “yes” person who has way too many things on her plate at once—I have an arsenal of productivity hacks to help me stay focused every work day.
      Among buzzing notifications, erratically-placed meetings, and the sound of the 1-800-EMPIRE theme song playing in my head at all times, I’ve tried a lot of systems over the past few years in an effort to get things done. Here are the four productivity hacks I lean on every day to keep me from absolutely losing my marbles:

      1. Managing my task list with Evernote
      I like to categorize my life into two eras: B.E. (before Evernote) and A.E. (after Evernote). I first downloaded Evernote earlier this year because I was desperate to find a system to help me stay on task in all areas of my life. At the time, I had three jobs: a nurse in an emergency department, a Branded Content Editor here at The Everygirl, and a Z-list content creator on TikTok, which took up more time than I’d like to admit. I was struggling to meet deadlines and to have any sort of grasp on my life.
      I had heard of Evernote in the context of note-taking, but once I discovered all that Evernote actually has to offer, I was sold. Now, I use Evernote to house all of the things that I need to remember. It allows me to tackle any project with my notes, tasks, and schedule all in one place. It’s the to-do list of my dreams. With Evernote, I assign tasks inside my notes with due dates, flags, and reminders, so nothing falls through the cracks. While I’m working, I use the desktop version to seamlessly integrate it with my workday. When I’m out and about, I use the mobile version, so I always have my finger on the pulse of my obligations. If you’re looking for a management system to help you to make sense of your schedule, look no further. Evernote has your back.

      Evernote Corporation
      Evernote – Notes Organizer
      Whether you want to get organized, keep your personal life on track, or boost workplace productivity, Evernote has a plan for you! Click to sign up today!

      2. Entering Focus mode on my iPhone
      I’m usually not a huge fan of iPhone updates, mostly because I can’t keep up with their frequency and because I’m a creature of habit. But, I’ve never put my foot in my mouth as quickly as I did when iOS 15 introduced Focus mode. Before then, I never hopped on to the Do Not Disturb train because I was bound to my notifications. I felt like if I missed one, my world would collapse.
      Now, I use Focus to set up different permissions for apps, contacts, and more. I have separate tasks for when I’m at work, when I’m exercising, and when I’m looking to wind down at home. This way, I can control who has access to me and when. I can minimize the constant notifications that steal my attention, allowing me to enter a more productive flow during work hours.

      3. Utilize the 3-2-1 productivity rule
      I found out about the 3-2-1 productivity rule, where I find out about most things in life. TikTok, I love your work. When it came across my For You Page, I about lost my mind. It’s so simple and has truly changed the game for me. Essentially, the 3-2-1 productivity rule is a prioritization method to help bring clarity and guidance to your day.
      First, I start with the three most important things I must achieve during a given day. For me today, that is writing this draft, prepping for and interviewing a potential candidate, and scheduling a new campaign. Based on my meetings and daily schedule, I then prioritize which of those is the most pressing to complete. I follow this with which task needs to happen second and then third. Next, I write down two extra tasks—typically lower priority and less taxing—that I’d like to complete if I have time. After that, I write down one task to reward myself or to help me unwind at the end of the day. Writing this down on paper before I jump into my tasks helps me keep my schedule realistic. It helps me to see the big picture instead of getting bogged down by those extra tasks that are less pressing.

      Source: Social Squares

      4. Monotask in accordance with my energy levels
      Getting a bird’s eye view of my schedule, controlling my notifications, and approaching my work day with a plan finally made monotasking feasible for me. I used to be the biggest task-switching offender of all time, which burned a lot of energy and made entering a workflow near impossible.
      Another thing about me? I’m not a morning person. Despite full nights of sleep and multiple cups of coffee, I’m pretty sluggish until later afternoon, when I finally hit the ground running and enter my most productive hours. For me, this means that I batch my meetings during the morning. (Engaging in conversation keeps my sluggish brain awake.) I plan my most important tasks between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. And I reserve the last hour of my day for those lower-importance, extra tasks like reviewing my calendar for the next day, catching up on emails, and responding to Slack messages. Finding a way to monotask with my energy levels has helped me tap in when I’m most productive.

      The Surprising Trait That May Be Affecting Your Productivity

      This post is sponsored by Evernote, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board. More