The most underrated WFH accessory: An anti-fatigue mat
One of the best things I’ve gotten myself is the Omnidesk adjustable standing desk. But along with the standing desk, I fell that everyone might be missing an important accessory along with the desk. Let me introduce you to the most underrated WFH accessory: The anti-fatigue mat!
What’s an anti-fatigue mat?
The anti-fatigue mat has been around for a long time. I first knew of its existence when I visited my family in Vancouver. They had this mat in their kitchen and I was quite amazed by how comfortable it was to stand on it while working around the kitchen. I soon discover that these type of mat is really common in North America and my family there were amused that I was so blown away by this simple piece of foam. It really is not a common thing to find in Malaysia and Singapore where I had lived. So what do I do? I dedicated quite a fair amount of luggage space ship back two of these mats measuring 50.8cm x 106.7cm x 1.9cm (20″ x 40″ x 3/4″). As you can tell, it did take up quite a lot of space!
Using the anti-fatigue mat for “office” work
My two anti-fatigue mat had been in my kitchen for many years of use. When COVID-19 hit, forcing most of us to work from home. I eventually got myself a standing desk. I also took one one of the anti-fatigue mat from my kitchen into my home office.
If you are wondering if a kitchen mat would fit into an office, fret not. Your feet will thank you for getting it at your standing desk.
As you can see from the photo, my mat that measures at about 106cm at its long side feels just nice for my desk that measures about 1.52m (5 feet). There’s enough space for me to shuffle around without stepping off the mat.
Where to buy one here in Singapore?!
In North America, this can be easily found at a Costco, Walmart and Home Depot. However, an anti-fatigue mat is not a common feature in Asian kitchens. Therefore, it’s not easy to find it your typical supermarkets or hypermarkets. So here’s where you might be able to find this here in Singapore.
Firstly, specialised ergonomic furniture stores does carry them. You can get this one at Omnidesk, where I got my standing desk, for about SG$79. Ergoworks, another popular ergonomic furniture provider, sells a bunch of different options.
Amazon.com is also a good place to search for anti-fatigue mats. The ones listed at Amazon.com (the US store) generally costs between USD$30-$40, depending on the size and brands. But when shipping is included, it will come up to about SG$70 as well. The other option for is to look for them at Amazon.sg and if you are a prime member, shipping is free for any purchases above SG$60 for international products.
Finally, you can also find some of these mats in e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shope. However, they are also roughly about the same price as the ones listed on Amazon.
Your feet will thank you
So there you go. If you have a standing desk, whether its in your home or your office, get an anti-fatigue mat. Look at it this way, even if you eventually think you don’t need one, you can still use it at the kitchen. But trust me. this will be a common feature at your desk.
If this post has been useful, support me by buying me a latte or two 🙂
