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Corey Gaskin-November 1, 2021 at 3:45 PM UTC

Recently, I really like ergonomics. Since the pandemic—after a series of injuries due to bad postures, bad habits, and general lack of physical awareness—the importance of a comfortable work space has become obvious. Sometimes, painfully.

In addition to the ergonomic design of office settings, some desk accessories can also make life easier and more organized. Therefore, as the gift-giving season approaches, Ars has put together some tested office accessories to make daily work more comfortable and reduce anxiety.

If you are just creating your own home office for the first time or are looking for some excellent alternatives/upgrades, in the meantime, be sure to check out our ultimate home office setup guide.

Ars Technica may receive sales compensation from the link on this post through an affiliate program.

Wrist rests are so common in home offices that they are often integrated into the design of the keyboard tray. If you are dealing with a setting that does not yet have such adjustments, you will be satisfied with the ergonomic improvement of the wrist rest.

A good wrist rest provides cushioning support to help reduce awkward and often uneven hand positions during typing and mouse operation. The material on the Gimars wrist rest makes them stand out. The combination of memory foam and gel gives your wrist a "floating in the air" feeling, and the Lycra fabric cover is soft and breathable. Gimars successfully combined memory foam and gel with excellent results, seemingly in perfect proportions, both soft and supportive.

The combination of softness, support and perspiration makes the Gimars wrist rest a winner. Other rests may be too soft, too hard, or have weird shapes. Some even have a strange chemical smell. This one falls perfectly in the Goldilocks zone: perfect size, no strange smell. In addition, Gimars offers wrist rests in a variety of colors to match your style.

Owning a giant mouse pad like Razer Gigantus V2 will bring a certain sense of freedom. No longer have to worry about the mouse sliding out of the designated area; instead, most of your desk has become a mouse pad, allowing you to flick and slide freely. Gigantus V2 also has the benefit of keeping the mouse and keyboard at the wrist level.

In addition to Gigantus, there are many other mammoth mouse pads. But we like Razer's surface because it provides a smooth and just enough surface in various sizes, and it stays in good condition over several months of use. You will clean it from time to time, but by default, Gigantus is not very sensitive to debris and dust. If you plan to use it for games, its surface allows various mice to move quickly and accurately without hindering you. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Business Editor

"Where do I put my feet?" This is a problem that I have been working hard to solve throughout the working day. The problem is not with my feet, but with my legs. They are restless; they are cramping; they shouldn't be sitting for so long. In addition to frequent breaks, there are countless solutions to this problem, from bicycle tables to standing desks, exercise boards, and so on. They are both great options for integrating some much-needed sports.

But how to improve sitting comfort? This is where a good pedal comes in.

Our three options achieve comfort in different ways. Two of our suggestions are traditional ground footrests, and the third is a foot hammock. You may find that these three are helpful for your setup, but I personally decided to use one of each type-one for the ground and one for the air. When used in combination, they provide me with recliner-like flexibility, allowing me to stretch back comfortably or sit upright.

Yes, the name does make it sound silly, but Foot Hammock of Uplift Desk has a clever idea. No need to find a box, stool or another chair to kick your feet, you can simply stick it on the bottom of almost all wooden tables. The hammock has an eye plate for installation and requires some drilling, but if you have an Uplift V2 standing desk, then you have built-in anchor plates. Hang up the hammock and voila! Now you can stand up like a big man at work.

ErgoFoam's footrest under the table is the choice I find myself returning to the ground time and time again. The reason is simple: it is soft, it moves easily with my feet, and it feels good in shape under my arch. This is just a comfortable place to put your feet. The Cleveland Clinic recommends that, in addition to other techniques to prevent back pain, the height of the knee should be the same as or slightly higher than the hip when sitting. The footrest has two fixed heights, normal and high, but there are also adjustable options that I recommend. Any one of the three should be able to support your leg to the recommended height. Choosing the adjustable version is basically to buy both at the same time, because it is just a normal height foot pedal with a detachable Velcro platform to make it reach a "high" height.

You can choose velvet or mesh covering. Either one can be zippered and machine washed, but fortunately, I can easily remove dirt or pet hair from the velvet cover.

Our option on the second floor is the Humanscale FM300 foot pedal with exercise function. It is very suitable for home office or office, you don't need to worry about its wooden platform being dirty or need to be cleaned. I also like the mobile components of the platform. The entire structure is strong, and the wooden platform rolls on a set of four wheels placed on the track. The track of the track is triangular, allowing you to press the board toward or away from you. This action is the same as stepping on the foot pedal, except that the structure will move with you, pointing your toes down or up in the final position. It is fixed at almost every point in the middle-there are no notches to hold it in place-because the friction is enough to support it. You can also adjust the height of the pedals by about one inch (2.5 cm).

FM300 is not the most comfortable choice. However, if you prefer something sturdy under your feet and at the same time add a certain sense of movement, then it is a good choice.

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