A pair of noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones so you can actually focus on your work instead of being distracted by loud roommates, noisy construction, and other annoying sounds invading your frazzled airspace.
BuzzFeed Reviews
Our wireless headphone testers for BuzzFeed Reviews say these are surprisingly comfortable for extended wear — which is great, because they boast 13 hours of playback time.
Promising review: “I waited over a month to write this review, because I thought there was no way these headphones could actually be this good for the price. But I use them all day every day and I have never been more impressed with headphones under under $50. I have sensitive ears with headphones and am super picky, but these are so comfortable I can sleep in them. Noise reduction is great when something is playing. Overall definitely worth the buy, highly recommend.” —Whitney O’Neil
Get them from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in eight colors).
3.
And a double-sided sign so your roommate knows not to come bursting into your room when you’re super busy or in the middle of an important Zoom meeting.
Amazon
Promising review: “This is a nice-sized, not a gigantic sign. I got for my son’s dorm room. He is in a ‘suite’ so he has a private room but shares a common area with three others. With this, if he is in study- or sleep-mode he has a nice way to say bugger off.” —HeRB
Promising review: “After reading other reviews on weighted blankets, I decided to go with Luna. (I have bought two now, one as a gift) I love that the material is organic cotton, and the beads are not made of plastic. The material is cotton so it is light but strong. I have used this blanket for three or so months now. Having battled insomnia, restless legs, joint pain, and muscle pain, I had read that a weighted blanket could help. Honestly, I hardly have sleepless nights now. The blanket isn’t too heavy but just heavy enough. I did get the 15-pound technically too heavy for my weight according to studies, but I love my blanket!! Before I had this blanket there were many nights I was awake until 3 a.m. due to insomnia and pain. Now, usually within a half hour of winding down, I am asleep! It calms my restless legs and really lessens muscle and joint pain! Blanket is sturdy, holding up well. Totally worth the money.” —sunshine
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in 15 sizes and 24 colors).
5.
A hot air brush that’ll simplify your morning hair routine without sacrificing results.
“Admittedly, I personally use this hot air brush and I cannot stop yapping about it! I have long, thick hair with a 3B curl pattern, and it takes me almost two hours to straighten it all. Plus, I wasn’t a fan of the heat damage left behind by my go-to straightener. I bought this brush and was super impressed with how quickly it dried and straightened my wet hair (40 minutes, but who’s counting?). It left my hair feeling suuuuper soft and silky, and even gave it EXTRA volume and a bit of a curl at the end. My hair also looks healthier overall — no more dry, crispy-looking ends! Sometimes, I even use this brush in the morning on already-dry hair for a quick touch-up before I head out for the day.” —Jasmin Suknanan, BuzzFeed Staff
Get it from Amazon for $41.88+ (available in five colors).
“Admittedly, I personally use this hot air brush and I cannot stop yapping about it! I have long, thick hair with a 3B curl pattern, and it takes me almost two hours to straighten it all. Plus, I wasn’t a fan of the heat damage left behind by my go-to straightener. I bought this brush and was super impressed with how quickly it dried and straightened my wet hair (40 minutes, but who’s counting?). It left my hair feeling suuuuper soft and silky, and even gave it EXTRA volume and a bit of a curl at the end. My hair also looks healthier overall — no more dry, crispy-looking ends! Sometimes, I even use this brush in the morning on already-dry hair for a quick touch-up before I head out for the day.” —Jasmin Suknanan, BuzzFeed Staff
Get it from Amazon for $41.88+ (available in five colors).
6.
A set of squishy eggs for reducing stress in a healthier way and preventing nervous habits like biting your nails and picking your cuticles. They can also help prevent joint pain and carpal tunnel if your hands are basically glued to a mouse and keyboard every day.
They even come in three resistance levels so you can build grip strength!
Promising review: “I work at a desk about 11–12 hours a day with TONS of typing. Since using these, I’ve noticed less pain and strain in my wrists and hands, and they are also a great stress reliever. I’ve gotten people at my office hooked. I think they’re totally worth the price.” —Petite Loeb
Get a set of three from Amazon for $10.99+ (available in three sizes).
7.
A car dip clip that’ll hold your sauces, so you can squeeze in a meal more easily while on the road if it’s the only time you have to grab a bite.
Promising review: “Very useful! I love that the cup is removable so if you have one of those giant Chick-fil-A ketchup cups, it can sit within the holder without the added cup, but a smaller sauce like from Wendy’s can sit inside the additional cup so it won’t fall through.” —catherine
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $10.45 (available in three colors).
8.
A habit-tracking calendar that uses fun illustrations and prompts to help you organize your goals and keep track of your habits, so you can break the bad ones and start/maintain good ones that’ll keep you productive and feeling less like a ball of stress.
Amazon
Each month has a theme to inspire you to make even more productivity goals! Basically you just write something you’d like to achieve (be better about laundry) and mark each day that you accomplished it. Plus, it’s year-less so you can jump in whenever.
Promising review: “Tracking time is something people always talk about, but rarely do. Time is to much of an ambiguous concept that feels like a multi-head hydra. I don’t know about other folks but I am visual. I need to see a physical representation. Habits are hard to start and harder to break. I like that this calendar can be customized and placed on your desk to ‘gently’ remind you about your goals. All in all, it’s a great habit calendar that keeps you on track.” —LEJ
Promising review: “I work in front of a screen all day and had recently been getting headaches due to blue-light exposure. You can clearly see the change of color when you put these on, and they’ve made a world of difference for me. And you can’t beat the price! I highly recommend!!” —kwatson
Get them from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in 14 colors).
Promising review: “I work in front of a screen all day and had recently been getting headaches due to blue-light exposure. You can clearly see the change of color when you put these on, and they’ve made a world of difference for me. And you can’t beat the price! I highly recommend!!” —kwatson
Get them from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in 14 colors).
A robot vacuum that’ll actually do an efficient job, so you can take “vacuum the house” off of your jam-packed to-do list.
Amazon
This robo-vac has an infrared-sensor for evading obstacles and drop-sensing tech to avoid falls. It also automatically recharges so it’s always ready to clean. It comes with a remote control (two AAA batteries included), charging base, AC power adapter, cleaning tool, an extra set of high-performance filters, four side brushes, and five cable ties. It can clean continuously for up to 100 minutes.
Promising review: “We are very pleased with our Eufy who we named Sneaky Pete because he is very quiet and can sneak up on you. We run him twice a day and are always surprised how much grime and pet hair he picks up. The instructions are simple and clear. Cleaning is super easy. He travels under beds and couches where we would not normally be able to reach with the traditional vacuum. After comparing all of the leading robo-vacs, we chose the Eufy because it was rated as high as expensive ones and was less than half of the cost. We chose well. Like all robo-vacs, Pete will become confused on an area that is black due to the anti-fall safety feature. Like a black patch of a rug. But, we don’t hold that against him. Our dog is totally indifferent to Pete which is another pleasant surprise. We are very happy with our Eufy.” —Dahna Brinkley
Get it from Amazon for $149.99 (available in two colors).
11.
A white noise machine to drown out any distracting noises with a soothing sound that can help you focus and even sleep better so your body and mind are prepared for the busy day ahead.
Amazon
It has ten fan sounds and ten ambient noise variations, including white noise, pink noise and brown noise.
Promising review: “If you are wanting to drown out noise in any environment, this is your solution. I’m sensitive to noise and highly misplaced working in a noisy office. This device has numerous combinations between sound types and volume. I was able to find the perfect mix to drown out the loud people in my office. I’m now able to focus and be much more productive and happier at work.” —MB
Get it from Amazon for $35.84+ (available in four colors and in two styles).
12.
A pack of mushroom coffee mix reviewers say gives them the same energy boost as regular coffee, minus the jitters and caffeine headaches that only add to your anxiety levels.
One BuzzFeeder described the taste as a “tea-coffee hybrid” and that the mushroom presence is very faint. And! He said this makes him “feel clear-headed, chilled, yet stimulated.” Sounds a lot better than my coffee-induced crashes.
Promising review: “I have no idea if there will legitimately be any real benefits to ingesting these ‘super-‘mushrooms in my coffee, but what I do know is this: They taste good, and they leave me less jittery than regular coffee. That could be just the result of drinking slightly less coffee in my coffee, but either way, it satisfies my craving for coffee and it tastes good.” —Kate O’Neill
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $11.84+ (available in three flavors).
A handy device that keeps track of whether or not the dog has been fed, in case the days are starting to blur together and you can barely even remember if you fed yourself today.
Promising review: “Awesome product! There are four of us that were working together to feed the dogs. It simplified everything because I no longer have to text to see if anyone had fed them every morning. Now I just to see if it’s green and if not, I feed them and indicate it. We all love it so much!” —Toni Deegan
Get it from Amazon for $8.90+ (available in two colors).
14.
A mini elliptical or bike pedaler so you can get a workout in even while you’re stuck at your desk.
Get the elliptical from Amazon for $349 (available in three colors) or get the pedaler from Amazon for $39.99.
15.
A morally supportive mousepad weekly planner to lift your spirits and help you organize your thoughts when you’re feeling swamped.
Amazon
It’s broken down into sections so you can organize their level of importance, from “do or die” (call your mom, lol) to “oughta do” (clean out your fridge, gross).
Promising review: “I’m always jotting notes and doodling when on the phone and having this mousepad prevents me from having a million notebooks on my desk. It inspires me and keeps me organized. It’s definitely a favorite!” —Nicy0611
Get it from Amazon for $9.50+ (available in four styles).
16.
A migraine stick you’ll be glad you have when that surprise stress headache shows up to ruin your day.
BuzzFeed / Katy Herman
How it works: The formula is made up of peppermint, spearmint, coconut and lavender essential oils to cool and soothe the area, helping to take the edge off an incoming headache.
Promising review: “After reading an article on BuzzFeed that touted this product, I bought one for my boyfriend who suffers from awful, frequent headaches. It WORKS. Not only does he swear by it, he has purchased them for his Mom and several friends. FANTASTIC.” —SarahElizabeth
A rapid egg cooker that’ll take care of breakfast for the week so you don’t have to. This impressive lil’ device can make hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, and scrambled eggs in just minutes, which should simplify your morning routine!
Amazon
Promising review: “This is the second one I’ve bought (first one I gave to my daughter, works great) and they did a wonderful thing with an upgrade. The first ones that came out, when eggs were ready, this tiny thing sounded off with short bursts of what sounds like a fire truck horn; everyone in the house hated this feature. The UPGRADE is a happy surprise; it plays the cutest little song with pleasant CHIMES 🙂 I heard it go off from another room and thought it was my phone. So now it is perfect. It is quick and easy to make eggs in the morning while I’m getting ready for work. It takes maybe two minutes to add water, spray, and crack eggs into the little pan, turn on, and walk away. Clean up is a matter of washing the little pan. I like it because it doesn’t take up much room on my counter and it’s easy to use.” —Cris in Houston
Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in five colors).
18.
A deep sleep pillow spray made with lavender, vetiver, and chamomile that can help you relax and fall asleep faster, especially if you tend to toss and turn for hours while replaying the worst moments of your day.
An automatic dog and cat feeder that links to iPhones, Androids, and Alexa so you can easily feed your pet whether you’re miles and miles away or just busy in the next room.
Promising review: “Great for busy people!!! And potty training! We love to take care of our pets. Sometimes we have to leave early or stay late for work. This device allows us the flexibility to do what we need and make sure that our dogs are fed. I love the fact that they have a routine and it never changes. It’s also great for potty training, because they’re fed at the same time and you’ll be able to predict when they need to go out!” —Rick Granzow
A set of self-tying shoelaces to turn your fave pair of sneaks into slip-ons so you can get out the door faster.
Amazon
Hello, these have over 11,000 5-star reviews. That’s a lot of happy feet!
Promising review: “In 10 years, this is only my second review. These have blown me away to the point that I had to share an unexpected benefit. After getting a new pair of boots, I was having issues with the ease of getting my feet in/out without drastically adjusting the entire boot’s lace tension each time. The Lock Laces looked like they could save me some time, if not saving time to adjust the tension, at least saving time on tying. Well the results are better than I imagined. I can easily squeeze my feet in/out when needed, and I never have to adjust the tightness. The Lock Laces are stretchy enough to both hold my feet snugly, AND have enough stretch to allow my feet out when I try to get them off. Another added benefit is that they make walking and simply wearing my boots more comfortable.” —John C
Get them from Amazon for $7.99 (available in 12 colors).
Did I mention it changes between seven colors and has auto shut-off? This aromatherapy essential oils set ($9.99 on Amazon) has six oils: lemongrass (for calmness and clarity), peppermint (for concentration and clear thinking), orange (for optimism and peace), lavender (for alertness), eucalyptus (for optimism and concentration), and tea tree (for mental strength and calmness).
Promising review: “This is the perfect little humidifier. I love the lights and the mist settings. It’s simple to fill up and rinse out if need be. I have it at my desk to alleviate the dryness from our way-too-stuffy, way-too-hot-and-dry office. My face used to get so dry, my skin would start itching and burning by the end of the day! The lighting helps create a really nice and soothing workspace (those harsh office lights are a killer on your eyes!) It almost looks like a spa! I’m recommending it to everyone on my team so they get one too!” —MsAnonymous
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four colors).
22.
A magnetic meal planning pad so you’ll have one less decision to make every day. It also includes a detachable shopping list so you can avoid having to make an extra trip to the store to pick up that one ingredient you forgot you needed.
Amazon
Promising review: “I love this meal planner and shopping list! In my house, it was constantly ‘what do you want to eat,’ ‘what do we have,’ blah blah, etc. Now, I can lay out the week’s meals and get my shopping list prepared so I make sure I don’t miss anything at the grocery store. The magnet on the back is strong and holds it to the fridge perfectly, even with the door opening and closing constantly. The perforation is good and doesn’t stray off into the paper like some cheaper papers do. Will be buying again when my current one gets low.” —Haley
A manual food chopper that’s here to simplify the meal prepping you don’t reaaaaally have time for. Now you won’t have to drag out the cutting board and chop your veggies one by one every time. Just toss ’em in this device and pull the cord!
Amazon
Promising review: “This is an absolutely wonderful product and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like to spend time chopping their veggies. I was awestruck by how powerful and simple the device is. It has very sharp blades. It is very easy to pull the handle all the way. I thought it might be tiring to keep pulling the handle but it wasn’t. It was surprisingly very easy. I used it to chop up onions and tomatoes. This is a small device. I would say you could easily chop up one small/medium-sized onion with it or half of a large-sized onion at a time. It takes about five to six pulls and 30 seconds to get absolutely finely chopped onions. You can make a puree/salsa of the tomatoes. Obviously, you can’t chop the tomatoes, which is understandable. The product is also very easy to wash. All in all, I loved this device and will be using it very often! 🙂 I think it’s a must-buy for people who want to cut their veggies efficiently.” —Lavanya
Get it from Amazon for $15.30+ (available in two colors).
24.
Or a hands-free pot stirrer because spending a half hour stirring a pot of soup doesn’t sound like the best use of your time when you could just let this magic device take over.
Promising review: “I enjoy soups and puddings but hate to stand at the stove for 30 minutes or whatever making sure the milk doesn’t burn. The StirMATE solved my problem. I would recommend this item to everyone who cooks; what a great help in the kitchen.” —Mary Jarvis
A pair of dusting slippers so you can turn your frantic pacing into cleaning!
Amazon
Promising review: “This is my second pair of slippers. I use them at home on my laminate flooring. They help to keep the floors clean, work great for quick spot cleaning, and are durable if you wash them frequently. They are also quiet, which was my main motivator. Plus you can do the ‘Risky Business’ slide.” —DanielDJr.
Get them from Amazon for $16.51 (available in sizes 6–9).
Promising review: “I’ve had this ring for about two weeks now and just had to write a review. I’ve had the nervous/bored habit of picking at my fingers since I was a kid. I can’t remember the last time I’ve not had at least one nail bed torn up and bloody. For people with similar habits, I can’t recommend this ring enough. It’s a great, nondistracting way to redirect fidgety behaviors. I’ve worn it every day since receiving it and for the first time in years I have intact nail beds! Every time I catch myself starting to pick at a dry patch of skin or uneven cuticle on my finger, I rotate the ring a few times and the impulse disappears.” —KGL
Get it from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in sizes 5–10 and eight colors).
27.
An eyeliner wing stamp to replace drawing them by hand if you’re looking for something to make your morning routine go a little faster.
Promising review: “I really like the eyeliner and the stamp. The stamp is easy to use. The eyeliner goes on smooth with minimal effort or pressure. Both eyeliner and stamp are smudge-proof and don’t run or smear during the day. I’m very happy with the product. I would recommend your product to others.” —April Wood
Get it from Amazon for $11.97 (available in two sizes).
Promising review: “I really like the eyeliner and the stamp. The stamp is easy to use. The eyeliner goes on smooth with minimal effort or pressure. Both eyeliner and stamp are smudge-proof and don’t run or smear during the day. I’m very happy with the product. I would recommend your product to others.” —April Wood
Get it from Amazon for $11.97 (available in two sizes).
28.
An automatic litter box that’ll do the dirty work for you, and is designed to sift out clumps so that your cat won’t leave a fun trail of litter all over your house for you to clean up at the end of a long day.
Amazon
Promising review: “The crystals work so well, I didn’t think they were using the box, I thought they were just going in and out. I had to witness them using it to believe it. No smell at all!! I will be buying another down the road.” –Gloria Silvers
A microwave pasta maker – it’ll actually give you perfect, al dente pasta in minutes with no mess or sticking to prove that dinner doesn’t have to be a time consuming hassle to be delicious.
Amazon
Promising review: “I love pasta, but I hate *making* pasta. Too many pots, pans, strainer, cleanup, etc. Forget it. And after a long day at work when I am craving pasta, all I want to do is eat right away. This pasta cooker cooked pasta better than I have ever cooked pasta in my life. I am Italian, so as you can imagine I have eaten (and made myself) a LOT of pasta. This product is a game changer. It was extremely easy to use, cooked quickly, and it came out PERFECTLY. Not over cooked, a little al dente, but not firm. Perfection. Now I have no excuse not to cook pasta for myself (and my husband) practically every day. BUY THIS. It will change your life.” —Hope Lanza
Promising review: “I love pasta, but I hate *making* pasta. Too many pots, pans, strainer, cleanup, etc. Forget it. And after a long day at work when I am craving pasta, all I want to do is eat right away. This pasta cooker cooked pasta better than I have ever cooked pasta in my life. I am Italian, so as you can imagine I have eaten (and made myself) a LOT of pasta. This product is a game changer. It was extremely easy to use, cooked quickly, and it came out PERFECTLY. Not over cooked, a little al dente, but not firm. Perfection. Now I have no excuse not to cook pasta for myself (and my husband) practically every day. BUY THIS. It will change your life.” —Hope Lanza
And finally, a set of bath bombs to help wash away your worries with a calming bath after a long, stressful day.
Amazon
Promising review: “I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE BATH BOMBS!!!! I think they are fun in terms of the packaging, the names, the colors and the little ‘extras’ mixed in the bombs. I personally feel they are just the right size and love the colors. The first time around I was concerned about the color part but no worries — doesn’t stain the tub. They are very moisturizing for the long tough New York winter we are experiencing this year; my skin tends to be dry but using these bath bombs on a regular basis has helped to keep my skin nice and soft. And the number of bath bombs in the set along with the price is just right!” —Pamela
