Struggle Focusing at Work? These 5 Tech Products Can Put You in a 'Flow State.' Workflow is about more than what happens at your desk

By Mario Armstong Edited by Frances Dodds

This story appears in the November 2023 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »

Focusing isn't easy, especially around the holidays when there are so many distractions. But sometimes the best way to get into a groove is to go ahead and combine work and pleasure. Here are 5 carefully selected products (and tech-adjacent products) that will keep you in the zone and loving it.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Renpho

1. Play footsie at work.

Wouldn't it be nice to escape the desk and go get a massage? When that's not possible, you can bring the massage to you. The podlike Renpho Shiatsu Foot Massager Premium [$200; renpho.com] fits underneath your desk. Just slip your feet in (up to a men's size 12) and it employs a series of rollers and pads to squeeze, scrape, and knead for up to 30 minutes a session — with three levels of intensity, plus air pressure and the option to add heat. That's relaxation you can easily work into lunch hour.


Image Credit: Courtesy of Anker

2. Personal, portable power plant.

A small charger is sufficient if a smartphone is all you travel with. If not, the Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank [$130; anker.com] is a nearly 5-inch-tall brick that, at just over a pound, is still portable, but with enough juice to run a laptop with a USB-C port while simultaneously charging a phone or tablet. With each charge, you can fully revive a dead MacBook Air or recharge a newer iPhone more than three times — all with a real-time display of how much power is left.

Related: These Tech Products Will Help You Work Faster When You're on the Move


Image Credit: Courtesy of Moment

3. Smartphone sidekicks.

Smartphone cameras are good — but if you want great photos, you'll need to add a lens. The Moment T-Series line of lenses [$120 to $150; shopmoment.com] keeps pace with your needs, so that you can go from a 58-millimeter telephoto lens (for landscapes) to a 10x macro (for fine detail). To attach lenses to your phone, you'll need Moment's proprietary phone case (about $40). After that, the tech takes care of itself — seamlessly upgrading any photo you take.


Image Credit: Courtesy of Ticktime

4. Roll the dice on your time.

Need a better way to manage your time? You may have heard of the Pomodoro method, which slices work sessions into roughly 25-minute chunks. The Ticktime 2 Pomodoro Timer [$50; ticktime.store] can manage the timing for you — but it also has five other presets from three to 30 minutes, to help pace you during a range of tasks. Just roll the hexagon on any side to pick a preset time and get to work. It's more intuitive and faster than setting an alarm.

Related: 6 Tech Products That Make It Easy to Create Content On the Go


Image Credit: Courtesy of Matador

5. Covert carabiner.

Carabiners might just be little pieces of metal, but they're also a seasoned traveler's best friend — allowing you to clip headphones, a water bottle, or any other necessity to the outside of your carry-on bag. But while convenient, carabiners are not usually secure. The nearly 4-inch-tall, TSA-approved Matador BetaLock [$30; matadorequipment.com] fixes that with a keyed lock that's discreetly built into the aluminum body, making sure your gear stays yours.

Mario Armstong

Motivator. BIZ Experiences. Contributor, 'NBC TODAY Show.' Emmy Award-Winning Host, 'Never Settle Show'

You’ve probably seen Mario Armstrong on TV as an Emmy Award-winning talk show host and digital lifestyle expert or as a regular contributor on NBC’s TODAY show, CNN and NPR. Or maybe on Inside Edition, Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey or Rachael Ray. Soon, you’ll be seeing Armstrong as the host of the Never Settle Show, the world’s first crowd-produced, livestreamed talk show with live participation from the in-studio and online audience. Whew. When he’s not playing host, contributor and expert, he’s living a balanced life, playing husband and father, devouring sushi, meditating, adding to his metal lunchbox collection and taking his “sneaker head” status to borderline obsessive levels. (Seriously, you wouldn’t believe this guy’s closet.)

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