Are you working from home? We put together some tips to help you form healthy habits around your work space at home.
– Stick with a routine
Because we are working from home, it is so tempting to roll out of bed onto the couch and start checking emails. Try and stay away from this.
Rather set an alarm for the same time every day, do some exercise or meditation, have your breakfast and then begin with your day. Get dressed, no not a suit and a tie, but treat it as any other day at the office except for the office.
Remember to schedule your breaks and meal times đ Weâve created an exemplary daily routine so you can structure your day easier.
– Have a dedicated work space and setup
Itâs very hard to not just work from your bed right? Science says that to help your brain to establish work times and a routine, it is important that you work from a dedicated space in your house. So, go create this dedicated desk in a nook of your house or put a room seperator to create your âoffice spaceâ. Ideally, you donât have any distractions around, which means not working on the couch in front of the tv or making sure the kids or pets are in another room.
Working from home also means youâll have to fight off distractions of other things youâll be tempted to do around the house. Like when you go into your living room to check on the kids and the next thing you know youâre Marie Kondoâing your entire house. If you are a person who gets easily distracted, you should be the one setting yourself firm boundaries and times to work.
In regards to the set-up:
- Remember to position your desk and chair to protect your spine while you work.
- Your chin facing forward and a straight back, which means your shoulders will stay square and donât round forward.
- Or if you can, ditch the chair completely and work from a standing desk, the best!
The Wall Street Journal has a great simple clip with the key rules for us. But most importantly, do whatever makes you more productive.
– Set goals
Itâs a good idea to plan your week to feel in control. On a Sunday evening write out a daily and weekly to-do list. This will help you feel that you are accomplishing your tasks and everything that needs to be done. Stay realistic here, 3-max 6 tasks a day are usually enough to keep you busy depending on how uninterrupted you can work.
– Get up and move a little
Sometimes we get into the groove of things and time flies and youâve been sitting for hours at your desk. Donât forget, it is very important that you establish regular breaks when you work. If you donât have a smart watch telling you to âmoveâ, set an alarm for every hour to make sure you move a little and stretch. Ideas could be:
- Go and fill your water glass or bottle.
- Try and do some active upper- and lower back stretches as you are most likely sitting in front of a laptop.
- Go for a walk around the house to get the blood flow again.
- And lastly, remember to not eat in front of your desk.
Itâs important to start with healthy habits at home.
– Check in often
Working from home, means you are a bit more isolated. But also for your mental health it is important to check in with family, friends and colleagues. Send a text or voice message if you donât want to talk with them directly, but see how they are. It doesnât need to be work related, but contact with people makes us feel good and important. No virtual connection will ever replace face to face conversations but mentally it is still stimulating us.
– Know when to log off
Shut down and log off at the normal time that you leave the office. The same way that you establish regular work schedules, itâs important to know when to stop. Even though you are available now 24/7 it doesnât mean you have to work 24/7.
We hope this helps you. Take care of yourself!
