You are a busy professional looking to boost your career with online education. For those looking to maintain employment while earning advanced credentials, online education is much more affordable and accessible than traditional school.

However, some students find it more difficult to focus and maintain motivation to complete their online courses. Indeed, taking business management courses online is an excellent way to improve your knowledge and skills that qualify you for the next level of your career. Here are a few accessories you might add to your home office to make yourself more effective during your online education experience.

A Balance Board or Walking Pad

Humans did not evolve for the sedentary lifestyles we lead today. Studies have found that many people benefit from simple, repetitive movements during periods of work and concentration. Tools like balance boards or walking pads engage muscles without demanding undue attention; as a result, they can reduce stress and improve focus, leading to greater study success. Plus, you can get a boost to your physical health as you gain skills and knowledge to boost your career.

An Ergonomic Seat Cushion

When you do sit down, you need to be certain that your seating is fully supporting your body and not contributing to any stress your body may be feeling during your study session. If a high-quality ergonomic chair is out of your budget, you can invest instead in a seat cushion to place in your existing office seating. Such a cushion should keep your musculoskeletal system in line and help you maintain a consistent temperature for perfect focus.

A Footrest

You should strive to keep your knees at 90 degrees while seated at your study desk — but if your legs are too long or too short for your chair, you will likely find this difficult. An under-desk footrest can make it easier to achieve comfort in your ankles, knees and hips while you study.

A Smart Notebook

You might learn best by writing your notes by hand, but there are benefits to having your notes in a digital medium. Fortunately, there is a compromise: a smart notebook. With the feel of writing on regular paper, this notebook is infinitely reusable, saving paper, and the notes you take can easily be uploaded into the cloud to search, reorganize and review at your leisure.

Tech Glasses

Most digital devices emit a type of blue light that seems to be particularly hard on the human body. Though research on blue light is ongoing, most people recognize eye fatigue and headaches that accompany device use as a symptom of excessive exposure to blue light. You can protect your eyes and brain with blue light–blocking tech glasses. Some of the best tech glasses are essentially indistinguishable from regular glasses, and they come with a variety of fashionable frames.

A Task Lamp

Like many working professionals, you will likely be completing your online coursework in the evenings, when you have free time to focus on your studies. After the sun sets, you need some form of illumination on your study materials, and a task lamp is ideal for reducing eye strain associated with too much light in your environment. There are plenty of options for modern desk lamps that provide task lighting, and you should try to use warm-toned bulbs that do not interfere with your circadian rhythm.

A Temperature-control Mug or Mug Warmer

Many professionals settle down to study with a warm mug of coffee to keep them alert — and then get so invested in their course that their coffee goes cold, necessitating another trip to the kitchen. To prevent undue interruptions to your studies, you can invest in a temperature-control mug or a mug warmer — both gadgets that will maintain the temperature of your drink for as long as you need to improve your knowledge and skills.

An Insulated Water Bottle

As important as hot coffee is cold water. Hydration is essential for peak cognitive function, so you should have a large water bottle available to sip for the entire duration of your study session. An insulated cup or water bottle will help your beverage stay cool, encouraging you to keep drinking.

A Small Desk Plant

Studying can get lonely, especially when you can only connect to your classmates over the internet. You might consider moving your pet’s bed closer to your desk, so you can occasionally interact with your furry friend as you engage with your online course. Then again, if a pet is too significant a distraction, you might decorate your home desk with a small desk plant, which you can watch grow and thrive as you gain the credentials you need to succeed in your career.

Going to school can be difficult, but it does not need to be uncomfortable. With a few key additions to your home office, you can improve your engagement with your online courses, thereby boosting your ultimate career success.

Taylor Gilbert is the admin and freelance writer at How About Tech since 2020. He primarily writes Tech articles, How-to guides and Entertainment as well.