u/slavetotheworld

I spent all winter debugging my stuffy apartment. thought my Levoit purifier was broken because it wasn't fixing that heavy stale feeling. Purifiers just filter what's already in the room, they don't bring outside air in to dilute CO2.

got a CO2 monitor and my bedroom reading easily broke 2000 ppm overnight. A Harvard study shows cognitive function drops 15% when CO2 goes from 550 to 1000 ppm. by 2500 ppm your decision making drops by 50%. You aren't just tired from working, the room is literally suffocating you.

the standard fix is an ERV system. but those cost $1,000 to $3,000+ and require drilling massive holes in exterior walls. If you rent, the property manager will instantly deny that request.

Which is why we started building a quiet affordable Fresh Air System for renters. we made a 2-in-1 fresh air and purification setup: it pulls outdoor air in to drop CO2, but filters it for PM2.5 and allergens before it enters. our implementation is called Cozeware FreshFlow, its a window insert so you don't lose your security deposit. Still tweaking the auto CO2 sensor so it can handle wildfire season smoke.

we all know the commute is awful. Losing two hours of unpaid time every day is bad enough. but we are on week two of our mandatory three-day RTO, and the thing that is actually breaking my spirit isn't even the drive. It's the physical sensory overload. Since 2020 I had total control over my physical baseline (which I definitely took for granted). I kept the house at the exact temperature I wanted, it was quiet when I needed to focus, and I basically lived in socks or slippers. my body got so adjusted to a daily routine that wasn't actively hostile. Going back feels like a physical assault. The overhead fluorescent lights give me a headache by noon and the AC is always blasting at meat locker temperatures. I have to hear every single throat clear and forced laugh from the hot desks around me. Then there is the clothes. i pulled out my old business casual pants and shirts, and the collars feel like cardboard. But the worst part is the shoes. Before remote work I wore the same leather business casual shoes every single day and literally didn't even notice them. Tuesday I had to walk from the far parking garage, stand around for a 30 minute 'quick sync' on that cheap thin carpet over concrete, and then walk three blocks for an overpriced sandwich. By 3 PM my heels were slipping, my toes felt crushed, and my feet were just radiating heat. it was like wearing wooden planks.

I dont think we got weak. I think WFH was just a physical detox. We finally learned what it feels like when our bodies aren't punished for corporate norms, and we just cant un-feel it now. I guess I'm not the only one, because half the office is altering their wardrobe just to survive. I noticed a guy in my pod wearing these vuzugu hybrid shoes today, basically a dress shoe with a sneaker bottom. I used to think that whole category was kind of a goofy tech gimmick, but honestly... I completely get it now. I haven't caved to buying weird internet shoes yet, but apparently my old leather ones were only 'comfortable' because I hadn’t actually worn them for a full day since 2020. I came home today, kicked those stupid shoes into the closet, and have just been sitting on my couch in silence for the last hour. I'm too physically drained to even make dinner. rto is exhausting.

I've been working from home for over 1 years, and my setup hasn't changed much during that time. Lately I've been thinking about upgrading a few things to make my workspace more comfortable and productive. Right now I'm considering:

• A better ergonomic chair A higher-quality webcam for client meetings (probably the Logitech C920/C920x) 
• A decent pair of desktop speakers since I usually have R&B playing while I work (I've been eyeing Audioengine) 
• A mechanical keyboard with RGB lighting because I've recently gotten back into FPS games after work (Swarm75 looks really fun)

 

The one thing I'm most unsure about is lighting. I use a dual-monitor setup and switch to an iMac pretty often, so I spend most of my day looking at screens. Recently I've started wondering if my room lighting might be contributing to my eye fatigue more than the monitors themselves.I've noticed that a lot of people seem to be moving away from traditional desk lamps and using indirect or upward-facing lighting instead. For anyone who has upgraded their lighting recently, did it make a noticeable difference? I'd love to hear what worked for you, especially if lighting was one of the best upgrades you made. I probably won’t buy everything all at once, but upgrading my lighting is a top priority.

i bought an ipl device thinking the hard part would be the pain. wrong. the hard part is remembering the thing even exists after week 2. i am not a 12-step body care person. if a routine requires a whole sunday night ritual, it’s already over. it will just sit in a drawer next to the random gua sha i used twice. i had to make this stupidly simple or i was going to quit. i don't do a whole setup anymore. i just plug it in, sit on my bed, put on a youtube video, and try not to turn it into A Thing. mine is a cheap ulike i got on sale, mostly because it has that built-in cooling edge and i knew if it felt too hot or spicy on sensitive areas, my lazy ass would never touch it again. i don't even use the manual flash button because that takes too much finger effort lol. i just leave it on glide mode and drag it up my legs in messy rows. i’m definately missing patches, but whatever, close enough. the schedule is where i’m struggling. the booklet says you’re supposed to do it multiple times a week at first, but i keep forgetting unless i set literal phone alarms. i'm currently on week 5 and finally noticed my legs don’t get that next-day prickly sandpaper feeling as fast. for the people who actually use these things long-term: do you guys actually follow the official schedule perfectly, or are you all just winging it like me? because my brain can only handle random touch-ups.

I've been going to the gym for a month now and I'm getting stronger in different workouts. I honestly don't know what I'm doing but I'm having fun. I want to get big but I don't think just having fun would cut it.