Staying healthy while working from home
Lockdown may be easing in places with restaurants and shops opening. But working from home for many is set to stay for the foreseeable future. This may be a full time situation for some, or a couple of days of the week for others.
But how can we make sure that we’re staying healthy?
This has been a time to react quickly, pivot, be flexible and agile as each week and even day has brought on new challenges and required changes in behaviour to keep us safe.
But now that we know that working from home is set to stay, could we see this as an opportunity, be more intentional, stay healthy and make sure we’re reaching our goals?
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
Here’s a few ideas to think about and help get you started.
Your workspace:
We may have been making do with our new home workspace until now, but perhaps it’s time to revisit this and create something even slightly more permanent? Whether you have a home office space or find yourself at the kitchen table, there’s a few things you can do to make a space that supports your needs.
Key things to consider are lighting, your chair and monitor height, adequate storage and some greenery.
A desk lamp for tasks is optimal, natural light as well if possible. Position your desk looking out of the window so you can avoid glare on your computer screen and benefit from looking outside. Not everyone will have access to an ergonomic desk chair right now. (Thinking about all of those at their kitchen table). Try adding a cushion for lumbar support and to reduce slouching. If working from your laptop, invest in a stand or place it on a pile of books so that the top of the screen is at eye level or just below. Also make sure you have a bit of storage nearby to put things away at the end of the day. Set this up so you can keep work and home items separate. This practice of putting things away will also help you switch off and ensure a more relaxing evening. Consider adding greenery to your space. Plants help create a bit of calm with studies showing that they can reduce stress and increase productivity by 15%. An easy win for your home work space!
Keep a routine:
Our routines have definitely changed with long commutes being a thing of the past for many. Flexibility may still need to be at the core, adapting to new things as they come, but it will help you get into a rhythm to be consistent. For me, I make sure that I’m waking up and going to bed at the same time. It may be easier right now to stay up later because you don’t need to get up as early. But keeping a consistency with your routine will help you feel like you’re progressing. I find this discipline makes me feel less scattered and helps me stick to my plan.
And on that note…
Make a plan:
Planning can really help with our stress levels and feelings of overwhelm.
What would you like to achieve during this time? For the next 30 days? 60 days? Once you have identified where you want to go break it down with manageable steps each day. Also consider how you like to work. When are you most creative? When is a better time in the day to answer emails? Batching tasks together has been known to increase productivity and focus. Being at home could be the perfect time to really look at how you like to work without office distractions.
Schedule it in:
You might have already heard that if something’s not scheduled it doesn’t get done.
I find this to be so true. I block out time for my morning & night time routines, workouts, learning, and specific projects I’m working on. I leave blank space throughout my day and week for flexibility. Scheduling in your days can also really help with overwhelm. Especially if like me you’re trying to work on multiple projects, learn new skills and keep up with the healthy habits. It can all feel a bit much. But if you know that you’re working on something at a specific time during the week then you can let it go until then and focus instead on the task at hand.
Identifying and starting with your most important task for the day can also help make you feel like you’re progressing. If you tend to start your day with checking emails, messages on your phone and life admin it can be easy for the hours to slip away leaving you feeling like you haven’t accomplished what you’d like by the end of the day.
Sleep & Rest:
Sleep is recovery time. It may be tempting to change your sleep pattern while at home waking and staying up later. However, it will help your routine to keep getting up at the same time. Make sure you’re getting 7-9h of sleep and giving yourself enough time to switch off before bedtime. I try to switch off all of my devices an hour before I go to bed as the blue light they give off can keep us awake. Another practice to be mindful of is to finish eating around 3h before as eating too closely to bedtime can also disrupt our sleep.
Nutrition & Hydration:
Be intentional about fuelling your body and drinking loads of water to stay hydrated. It tends to be easier when at home to have all of your favourite snacks on hand to mindlessly eat in front of the computer. Especially if you tend to snack when feeling stressed. But it’s important to try and eat as many healthy, whole foods as possible. Your body and your energy levels will really thank you for it. Keep a water bottle or glass of water at your desk and keep healthy snacks on hand.
Remember to move:
When working by yourself often an entire day can fly by without moving much. Try and get up once an hour even to make a tea. Setting a reminder to get up can be helpful. Do some stretches in the morning and at lunch. Try and get outside for a walk as the fresh air will help rejuvenate you. Set up a home gym (dig out and dust off those weights from under the bed) and make some space for those yoga mats.
Stay connected:
Remember that offices also provided social time with colleagues. Make sure to still schedule in time with video chats, text, emails and of course the good old-fashioned phone call. Reach out to colleagues, friends and family and arrange a virtual tea. We can’t do this alone and it will help to keep loneliness at bay.
Working from home is a skill.
Speaking to friends of mine (regular freelancers and office goers alike) we realised that working from home is definitely a skill. So, although a few of these may seem obvious, it’s important to make sure you’re still incorporating them into your day to stay healthy.
It’s also important to remember to be really gentle with ourselves. If you have a day where you feel less productive or need to take some more time to rest than do it. Listen to your body. These are unprecedented circumstances and completely natural to feel different towards them every day (even every hour). Practice compassion for yourself and take care.
I’d love to know in the comments below what are some of your strategies to stay healthy while working from home.
