Whether you work from home, hot desk from one department to another or occupy a regular space in a cube farm, there are plenty of high-tech ways to help you stay healthy, creative and productive every day. Keep reading for tips on how to improve your productivity.

Laptop power banks

Regardless of the size of the company, laptops have become the preferred workhorse machines across a wide range of industries. This is partly due to the price gap between laptops and desktops continuing to shrink and the fact that they make it easier for workers to move around rather than staying fixed in one spot all the time.

The concept, known as activity-based working, is especially popular in tech companies and the idea is that employees can move from space to space depending on what work they need to do. If they need quiet time to focus on a particular project, they can head to a library or coffee shop; if they need to make phone calls or hold a meeting, there are designated spaces for those activities too.

Constantly having to plug a laptop each time you pick a new spot not only creates potential hazards due to trailing wires but also means you have to carry your charging cable wherever you go. Power banks for mobile phones have been around for some time, but the first models designed for laptops are now coming on the market and provide a quick and easy way of keeping your laptop fully charged wherever you are for hours at a time. The Orico SC28 Mobile Power Bank, for example, can keep a 13-inch laptop alive for up to 5 hours and comes with a range of adaptors that enable you to use it with virtually any machine.

Additional laptop monitors

The one disadvantage that most laptops have over their desk-based counterparts is the limited size of their screens. Going from the convenience of a 27-inch display that enables you to have multiple documents or web pages displayed side by side to a 13-inch laptop that requires you to scroll down constantly to see all the available information is a small price to pay for most.

There are times, however, when having multiple displays can be of huge benefit, and the Packed Pixels displays from Dovetail Technology do just that. You can add two of the slimline monitors – around the size of iPads – to each side of your laptop enabling you to have three separate images on display at any one time. The additional screens can be switched from portrait to landscape mode making them all the more versatile.

Noise cancelling wireless headphones

To foster a spirit of collaboration, most modern officers are doing away with walls of cubicles of any kind and instead encourage people from all different divisions to work in an open space. It’s a way of fostering teamwork and is said to boost productivity as there is rarely any need to send emails or use other communication platforms because the people you need to talk to are right there in front of you.

However, during the times when you need a bit of peace and quiet but still need to be in the room, or perhaps if you’re making a conference call or involved in a video meeting, this kind of environment is far from ideal. A great solution is to provide every employee with high-quality headphones that can be worn to cancel out outside noise but also allow the wearer to speak or hear calls and videos.

For long-term wear, models that cover the entire ears are usually best. Putting them on also provides an instant visual signal to co-workers that you are not to be disturbed at that particular moment.

Exercise at your desk

The dangers of sitting down for too long are well documented, but when you’re working against a deadline or fully immersed in a project and everything is starting to flow, it can be difficult to drag yourself away from your desk for breaks.

Treadmill desks are one way of dealing with the problem, but unless you’re working in a private office or from home, they are impracticably large and don’t take away the need for a traditional desk as you can’t spend your whole day on the move without ending up physically exhausted.

Hugely popular in both Scandinavia and Germany, an increasing number of companies in the U.S. are offering their workers desks which rise and fall automatically as they get up or sit down. They have become the fastest growing office perk around, but they don’t suit everyone.

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, one company has found a way to let you get all the exercise you need without ever leaving your desk. The Cubii is billed as the world’s first under-desk elliptical trainer and is designed to let you pedal away discreetly while you work. The machine is quiet enough so you won’t be a nuisance in the office and low enough to ensure you don’t continually bang your knees against the bottom of your desk.

Old school tools

No matter how high-tech your office becomes, there will still be times when you need some old-fashioned tools to carry out some basic maintenance and tasks such as repairing a chair, adjusting a desk drawer or hanging a framed motivational poster on the wall. A hammer, cordless drill, tape measure, and spirit level, along with sets of screws, nails, duct tape and a tub of spackle should enable you to deal with all but the most serious emergencies.

The best tools in the world are no use to anyone if you can’t find them, so once you have acquired the right items, you’ll need somewhere to store them. If you’re looking for something solid and secure that keeps your tools in pristine condition, the best metal toolboxes will do a far better job than some of their plastic equivalents.

A metal toolbox will be strong enough to be kept in the corner of a closet and have other items stacked on top of it to help save space, ensuring your office always remains as efficient as possible.