In the post-Thanksgiving haze, there’s likely nothing you want to do aside from relaxing, whether you do that by watching sports, spending time outside, or lounging around the house.
Decreasing the time spent on accomplishing mundane, repetitive, and time-consuming but necessary tasks in life gives you the opportunity to focus more on doing what you love. A semi-automated life, one that you’re still fully in control of but that requires little to no actual effort from you, is the ultimate luxury.
These are a few items that can simultaneously optimize your productivity and your downtime, both of which are much-needed as Thanksgiving comes to a close and we approach the holidays.
It doesn't get much easier than one-touch cooking. Instant Pot's 8-quart space-saving, stainless steel 7-in-1 appliance takes all the guesswork out of food prep. The appliance monitors pressure and temperature, and it adjusts the heating intensity as well as the cooking duration so you always get a perfect dish...without even trying.
Ecovacs DEEBOT N79S Robotic Vacuum
Ever have one of those days when you're not sure if you want to re-watch Season 2 of The Office or vacuum the entire house? With a robotic vacuum, you'll never have to feel bad about neglecting your house chores again. You can kick it on the couch while your new robot butler cleans around you.
Effortless productivity means never lifting a single finger to accomplish your tasks. With an Echo, you can be in complete control of your entertainment needs, creature comforts, and home security. All you have to do is ask, and whatever task you need to be accomplished, whether it's shopping online, turning up the volume of your favorite song, or locking the front door, Alexa is there to do it for you.
iFetch Mini Automatic Ball Launcher Dog Toy
Of course, it's fun to throw the ball for your pup... the first 20 or 30 times. After that, it becomes a chore. And the slobber you get on your hands from throwing that ball can be a little less than pleasant. Instead, get your dog their own automatic ball thrower and let them fetch till they’re as exhausted as you are.
Being smart with your energy usage doesn't always mean being lazy. It just means conserving your energy for when you want to use it. To make sure the life of luxury isn't making you too soft, a Fitbit will keep track of your vitals and let you know how restful your sleep truly is. Plus, it can be a gentle reminder to get up and move around so you achieve the perfect balance in your life.
Jumbo Dry Erase Laminated Wall Calendar
The true purpose of making an extensive list of things to do is not so you can do them all yourself, but so you can delegate. With this huge laminated wall calendar, you'll have plenty of room to write down who needs to take out the trash, do the dishes, get groceries, and more. Now, you can be super productive without even lifting a finger... just a dry erase marker.
Anker Powerline+ II Lightning Cable (10ft)
When your smartphone is about to run out of charge, you plug it in. Unfortunately, in most cases, that means you must find a piece of the floor within about three feet of the outlet where you can wedge yourself in to keep doing what you’re doing. With 10 feet of charging cable, you aren’t limited. You can plug in your smartphone, or any other device, and continue scrolling through your social media feeds while you are stretched out and cozy.
Another labor-intensive food is the banana. It's not bad enough that you have to struggle with the peel, but after opening, you've got this log of food that has to be sliced into bite-sized pieces before dropping it into your cereal or adding it to your ice cream. However, a banana slicer lets you quickly slice that banana into fine slivers. Gadgets are the lazy person’s best friend.
Flameless Votive Candles With Remote Control
The gentle flicker of candles is meditative. They help soothe and relax, and they are as important as music when setting a mood. The problem is, you need to get up, find a lighter, and light each candle. Imagine instead of being able to turn on your candles, set the desired level of light, and put them on a timer to shut off in case you fall asleep — all at the push of a button.
PetSafe Bolt Interactive Laser Cat Toy
With the same relentless intensity that drives dogs to chase balls, cats hunt little red laser dots. This ingenious device can be manually operated until you begin to feel that fatigue set in. After that happens, switch over to the automatic mode and have more fun than scrolling through cat videos on YouTube — because none of them are really as cute or funny as your cat anyway.
Fasta Pasta Microwave Pasta Cooker
With Fasta Pasta's microwave pasta cooker, you can prepare your favorite dinner easily and in one container that’s dishwasher safe. No-fuss, no muss, no effort. In fact, you can be relaxing on the couch, catching up on your latest Netflix binge instead of struggling with the spaghetti.
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
