For many out there, working from home is the ultimate dream and fantasy. To be able to make the long commute from your bedroom, down the hallway into your office is a reality that many strive for and are having to live with during the coronavirus pandemic. When working from home though, people can have a tendency to slip into bad habits and allow themselves to get wrapped up in the initial thrill of home working and forget to set themselves up properly for success. With a few simple steps and a bit of forward-thinking, you can set your home office, and yourself, up for a productive and comfortable time working from home.
Schedule your workdays
When you begin to work from home, rather than continuing to work in an office or other traditional workplace, your schedule can quickly go straight out of the window. Not only can this lead to a messed up sleeping pattern and bad habits, but your work rate can take a serious nose dive and your output can suffer drastically. To this end, you must take defensive steps to prevent this from happening. Especially if you are working from home to provide care for young children or otherwise. Consider investing in an oversized whiteboard or large paper calendar. For many people, writing things down will help them stick to their schedule better.
Optimise your home office
If working from home is something that was sprung on you by surprise but is going to be a long term prospect, then consider buying a few new supplies to help with your home office. Start small and build it up into the office that is perfectly suited for your needs. For example, you can start with a whiteboard and a simple desk. Then move on to a better work chair and more storage. A good and comfy chair that is fit for purpose is worth its weight in gold. Especially if you plan on being sat in it for several hours at a time. If you don’t want a new chair then why not consider the newest craze that seems to be sweeping across the office; a height adjustable standing desk. Standing desks have been shown to help with long term posture improvement and prevent slouching as you are sitting in a chair to do so. Obviously you will be on your feet for quite some time so that is something you will have to consider if its right for you.
Get some exercise
When working from home people can start to get a bit lazy. Their schedule is thrown out the window and they start to lose track of all progress that they were making prior to that 3-meter commute. Once you have your schedule back in place and you are in the swing of things, you should be making every effort to install some exercise to your daily routine. Of course, you should have been doing this anyway but when working from home it is important that you are keeping yourself fit and healthy, especially when the temptation for snaking is just downstairs. Make a point fo getting 45-60 minutes of exercise 4-5 times a week. It will make life better in every possible way.
Get out and see people
Working from home can be a very lonely affair. One of the big things people enjoy about going into an actual workplace is the people. Working from home can seriously hinder your social interactions. And yes, the current coronavirus pandemic can make large gatherings difficult, ou should be making every effort to try and see people daily. It’s for your own sanity. It can get very lonely when you are the only person working from home for 8-10 hours every day. Make a point of going to a local cafe for breakfast or lunch. Or even take an extended lunch to go see a friend or family member a couple of times a week. Schedule human interaction into your day. You will really notice how quiet it becomes when you are the only one at home.
Conclusion
Working from home is a necessity for some and a luxury for others. But you should be making the effort, either way, to make life that much easier and more comfortable for you while you spend your time at home. If you do nothing else, invest in a good chair that is designed for long term use. Good lumbar support and long-term comfort are 2 of the most important things to invest in to help keep yourself comfy and your work consistent.