Today more than ever, many of us are at the office once we wake up and roll out of bed. Many Americans work from home and the number is predicted to rise. However, working from home isn’t as easy and comfortable as it sounds. It can also take a toll on your health with the abundant sitting and easy access to all the snacks in your kitchen that your office mates have eaten or touched. Also, the lack of social interaction and temptation to work in one position, like in bed or on the couch.
There are many ways to stay healthy while working at home, however. You can beat the monotonous work day and stay on top of your game. If your job is always working remotely and you are searching for a new home, when you search homes for sale in Toronto, make sure you have a separate room to work out of, or at least a separate space.
If there is a space that is designated solely for work so your bed or couch is limited to sleep and relaxation only. If you bring work materials into your relaxing areas it can affect your ability to get work off your mind. The opposite can happen as well. If you work from your couch, it can occupy your mind with other obligations other than work.
Make sure you invest in a good chair to sit and work at your desk. It will help keep you properly aligned and avoid back aches and sore joints. If you don’t want to sit, you can invest in a standing desk to give your back and neck a break . If you are sitting, you should make sure you get up every hour and either walk outside if it is nice out or just take a nice walk around the house.
You should set a timer on your phone or computer to make sure you don’t get stuck in your seat. You can even set up a nice yoga mat and give yourself a stretch. If you don’t want to walk around the block, maybe just open a window or go on your porch to grab some fresh air.
As you set your timer, make sure you set a time to workout as well. This will improve your mood if you do it before work and will stay off your mind if you already get it done before work.
When working from home you should set a schedule and stick to it because it can be tempting to wake up later than usual or work at odd hours. However, if you stick to a schedule it will benefit your mental health and the quality of your work. Try to set your schedule as if you were going into an office.
Along with waking up at a regular time, you should also shower and dress as if you were going into an office. If you are constantly wearing pajamas, you may not feel competent and then you won’t feel productive. It also will have a positive impact on your health behavior which includes weight control and exercise.
It is also important to have some social interaction due to your absence of coworkers. Maintaining social connections will improve your overall well-being and motivation. You should carve out time to maybe meet someone for lunch or call your family.
Working from home doesn’t have to be pajamas and alone time all day. You can bring the office to your home and still keep up your productivity.