On Busy Days, Get Some Stress Relief With These Tech Toys for Grown Ups From a Lego rendition of Van Gogh's "Starry Night," to a robotic mower that cuts the grass for you.
By Mario Armstong Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the May 2023 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
1. Gogh to your happy place
You work too much. I mean, look at you — you're reading an article about work right now! Unplugging can be helpful, which is why you may find Lego Ideas The Starry Night [$170; lego.com] a meditative delight. Reconnect with the Legos you loved as a kid, but now with a grown-up twist. And when you're done, you can display it behind you for all your stressed-out coworkers to enjoy on Zoom calls (which probably could have been emails).
Related: 5 Science-Based Tips for Reducing Work-Related Stress
2. A dock that declutters
Tidy up your desk while reducing neck strain. The 11-port Anker 675 USB-C Docking Station [$250; anker.com] is a 21.26-by-8.66-inch stand that elevates a monitor by about 3.5 inches, with connections built into one leg to handle USB-C, USB-A, SD cards, and an audio jack. Underneath is a cable management system to plug in less frequently used ports, like HDMI and video connections to a laptop. The shelf has a wireless charging pad for a phone. When your day is done, just push your keyboard and mouse underneath. All clear!
3. Personal storage solution
Is Google constantly reminding you that you're encroaching upon your free 15GB of storage? Western Digital's WD My Book [from $100; westerndigital.com] will save you. From 4TB to an unimaginable 22TB, this sleek, rectangular drive is easy to set up, has all the room to store content and documents from a laptop and phone, and is password-protected while allowing for easy drag-and-drop to a connected laptop. Go ahead, just try to fill 22 terabytes of data.
Related: How Technology Can Help You Cross Health (and a Few Other Things) Off Your List
4. Look alive!
As any influencer knows, an external light source helps you look camera-ready — but most desk lamps won't do. The Lenovo Go Desk Station [$330; lenovo.com] is different — and it even comes with a camera itself. The lamp's adjustable arm can shine three different color temperatures in any direction, and aiming it at yourself will even out your complexion. Cast with its 4K webcam, which also auto-tracks, so you put your best face forward. The base even multitasks with a few USB-C and USB-A ports, and a flip-out, 15-watt wireless charging pad for your phone.
5. Your new turf tamer
Own a yard? People spend an average of 21 hours per month mowing them — often during prime weekend time. Reclaim Sundays (to catch up on work, or not!) by employing the Worx Landroid Vision [from $2,000; worx.com]. Unlike other robotic mowers, which first require you to bury a boundary wire, the Landroid has a camera to see where it's going. That helps it avoid obstacles and stay out of the planting bed. The bot runs on a rechargeable battery, makes almost no noise, and can mow at night, so you wake to a fresh carpet of grass — that you can proudly tell the neighborhood kids to keep off.
