By now just about everyone has either worked from home, or is still working from home. While the benefits of working from home can be great, it is not without some drawbacks. Even if you are fortunate enough to have secured your own office space for working from home you can still be faced with distractions and interruptions from others in your household. It can be particularly inconvenient if you are in the middle of an important call or just in the zone. There is a new gadget currently in funding that aims to put a stop to that for you. The gadget is called the BusyBox, and it is here to help with your working from home (or even in the office) needs.
BusyBox is a simple, but effective concept. Have a sign that signals to others that you are busy. The message is further emphasized by lighting up to let others know that you are occupied, much like an “On Air” sign at a radio station. Depending on which model you want it is more robust than just a light up busy sign. There is a digital version which has an LCD screen that you can use for custom messages and emoji’s. Then there is a standard model with pre-printed slide in signs that use LED lighting to illuminate with the color and brightness of your choosing. Both options are connected and controlled via an app for your mobile device. They do have a button that you can purchase that you could place on your desk to toggle the box as well. The boxes are also rechargeable and come with two different style covers, charging cables, and a wall mount.
While to some it may seem silly to need a sign, to others it may sound like the perfect solution. If you were able to mount on your door, or even in another room of the house where people would be able to visibly see if you are busy it can prevent a lot of interruptions. Especially now with more and more people using video conferencing and other things where headphones may be used you don’t always know if someone is in a live video call where you might accidentally walk by or be calling for someone. As mentioned before it could still be useful in an office setting for the same reasons. Everyone is probably all too familiar with having someone walk up to them and start talking not realizing you are on a call or focused on something.
Right now the BusyBox is estimated to start shipping in December 2020. There are still early bird options available on their funding page. The Digital version is going for $179 , the Standard for $69 and the Button for $25. It is a creative idea and will be interesting to see how it is adopted. They have surpassed their funding goals and are getting ready for production. Would you use one of these? Tell us what you think.
