17 Easy Life Upgrades That Will Immediately Make You Less Stressed At Work

Ask Me About My Dog Desk Plate, $14.99, TheGifteryCompany

Unless you're in a quite formal office, most people probably don't have name plates. Change things up a bit with this 'Ask Me About My Dog' desk plate. People won't have any choice but to chat with you about your pet before stressing you out further. Win/win. (Cat version here.)

Gold Engraved Pencil Set, $6.14, PurpleTreeDesignsUK

A perfect reminder that you're too fabulous to get stressed over needless things. These pencils are the perfect addition to any desk.

Eugene Glasses, from $95, Warby Parker

When I've been sitting at my desk for what feels like a million hours, the only thing that will bring relief is taking out my contacts... which I can't do, because I won't be able to see. (This was the case before I worked at home, but you get the gist.) Keep an extra pair of glasses at your desk & you'll be able to swap out your gross dailies as soon as you can feel them sticking to the top of your lids. Your optometrist will thank you.

Rose Gold Stapler with Staples, $16.85, ASAMIJapan

I try to remain environmentally conscious and only print documents when I need to, but if I worked in an office with a lot of paper, I'd be all over this. It just screams luxury.

Scotch Dog Tape Dispenser with Scotch Magic Tape, $14.50, Amazon

I squealed aloud when I saw this tape dispenser. It makes mundane office tasks so much more fun.

Life Cycle of Golden Scorpion in Lucite, $28, geoevo

Depending on your interests, you may be freaked out by this paperweight, but I think it's pretty awesome. It'll also subtly let your coworkers know you aren't someone to be messed with.

Yes, the sad desk lunch is a fact of the modern human condition that we may never be able to escape. But you can make your lunch al desko a little bit less sad by keeping your fave condiments handy. Save packets of soy sauce, fire sauce, mayo, whatever floats your boat, or splurge on a full size bottle of sriracha to keep at your desk (because you can't trust the office fridge). Hey, your office is as cold as a fridge anyway, right?

Happy Calendar 2018, $14.99, AndreeaIllustration

This happy thoughts calendar gives you a way to keep track of all your appointments while reminding you to be cheerful at the same time.

Funky Egg Splat Ball Squishy Toys, $13.99, Amazon

I'm uninterested in most stress balls, but these are next level. They're marketed as children's toys, but the description says they can also be used as stress balls.

I don't have to tell you how good water is for you: Those eight cups a day can help clear your skin, make you feel more full, and generally improve your life in too many ways to count. Get a big bottle to keep at your desk and drink from it throughout the day; you'll have to get up to refill it and to pee, making sure you'll get those steps in, too.

Luxury Soft Faux Sheepskin Chair, $18.89, Amazon

Any product that has luxury in the name already has my interest, especially if it's under $20. Turn your office chair into a plush place to hang. Bonus: It doubles as a rug, and will keep you from freezing over when your office has yet to turn on the heat.

Desk Lamp with 3-Level Dimmer, $12.99, Amazon

If you're fortunate enough to work in an office with natural light, you may not have use for this. But for those who are in windowless spaces, a desk lamp will brighten up your desk and make it easier to work.

Alarms may be your worst enemy when you wake up, but they can be your best friend during the day. Set an alarm to remind yourself to get up and walk around. Set an alarm for a block of time to devote to one single project (and not, you know, emails). Set another alarm for quittin' time to make sure you get out of there right when you're supposed to, and not 15 minutes later so you can just finish up this one last thing. More life.

Business Card Holder, $26.00, CraftsmanStoneworks

If you don't have business cards, you'll immediately order a batch after seeing this holder. Option 2: Stick business cards from your networking meetings in it. Who cares! Marble just screams "life upgrade," and the price tag makes it affordable.

OK, so there are a lot of reasons to bring your lunch from home. Less food waste, less money waste, and you don't have to spend time agonizing over what to eat. (Or worse — being relegated to sad cafeteria lunch.) But friends, there is a solution. MealPal is a meal service that connects you with food vendors in a ton of different cities — for really, really cheap. Depending on your city, you'll end up paying around $6 a meal — a little more if you want fewer meals or dinner, a little less if you want more meals and just lunch. They connect you with over 1000 local restaurants you can pick up your food from — another way to get those steps in!

A5 Personalised Notebook, $16.27, PartridgeandBell

The next time you're pulled into a meeting, you can bring a fashionable notebook that's personalized to fit your style. I'd probably get my name on the front because I'm #basic, but you could go for your favorite quote or even an inside joke.

If you use G Suite (aka, the Google suite of products) for your work email, and you (like me) are prone to sending emails at ungodly hours, stop the cycle and get Boomerang. Boomerang is an email extension that lets you delay messages that you may have drafted when you couldn't sleep at 3 a.m., so that you don't get a reputation for sending emails in the dead of night (and don't cause your colleagues undue stress). Taking a few hours after work to catch up on emails is unavoidable from time to time, but don't drag your coworkers down with you.

Now, doesn't it seem easy to upgrade your life? Some of these also make perfect stocking stuffers for the people in your life, especially those who don't like spending money on themselves. Even if you aren't currently stressed at work, better safe than sorry, right? That's what I'm telling myself as I fill up my Amazon and Etsy carts.