I’ve been working from home for over 10 years now.
At first, I thought it would be all peaches and cream as I no longer had to make a long commute to the office every single day and could work in my pajamas if I wanted to.
Despite living the dream, my physical and mental health were suffering!
If you are feeling the same way, I encourage you to make the following 10 changes in order to get out of the downward health spiral that often comes from working at home.
Get Into A Routine
I thought it would be all fun times working from the comfort of my own home. I could just work when I wanted, and I could have a lot more freedom than I had in the past.
I soon discovered that this wasn’t healthy. It can be quite the struggle to be productive if you don’t have some type of routine.
Don’t just wing it and work when inspiration strikes.
If you do, you’ll find that you really don’t get much done by the end of the day.
This can lead to you feeling down and becoming depressed about your failure to become a master at working from home.
It’s imperative that you get into some sort of routine.
Figure out what works and what doesn’t.
If you aren’t feeling very alert or motivated to work in the morning, use this time to answer emails and do simple tasks.
Schedule the more intense work for the afternoon.
Keep in mind that it is okay to change your routine if something isn’t working.
It might take some time to determine what your work day should look like once you start working from home.
Create A Designated Space To Work
Most people think that working from home is great because they can lay around in bed and work.
Let me tell you that it’s a lot harder to just work from anywhere.
You need to get out of bed and have a designated space to work.
It’s difficult to get your brain into a working mindset if you are trying to go from sleeping in bed to working in bed.
You don’t need to have a designated home office to work at. Put a desk in the corner of your living room or bedroom.
Turn your laundry room into an office space, or use a chunk of your porch to create a work station.
It really doesn’t matter what room you work out of as long as you have a designated space to work each day.
Move Every Hour
A lot of people complain about gaining weight when they are working from their home. This often happens because they simply aren’t moving as much.
You need to make it a point to move every hour. Take a five minute walk outside, or stand up and do some simple stretches.
Sitting for long periods of time can be hard on your joints and muscles as well. If you don’t get up and move often, you will feel stiff at the end of the work day.
If you are having difficulty remembering to get up and move, set a timer on your phone to go off every hour.
Use this as a reminder to at least get up out of your seat for a few minutes.
Even if you don’t want to get up, you will probably find that you are more productive after stepping away from your work area for a few minutes.
Take A Lunch Break
How many times have you worked through your lunch break to get a project done?
While it might be okay to do occasionally when you’re at the office, you need to stop doing this when you work from home.
You need to have a mental break during your work day. Take the time to stop and enjoy your lunch.
You’ve earned it!
Even just a 30 minute break may be all that you need in order to make it through the rest of the day and not have to deal with the afternoon slump that many of us try to overcome.
Have Set Work Hours
Just because you work from home, it doesn’t mean that you should work 24/7. You need to create set work hours for a few different reasons.
Your mental health will suffer if you spend all of your waking hours working. You need some time to decompress and have some time just to relax.
If you’re like me, you have probably struggled with your friends and family members not respecting the fact that working from home means that you are actually working.
You don’t have time to run errands for them or take personal phone calls.
This is why you need set work hours.
Let them know the specific times of day that you will be working, and don’t take their phone calls or answer the door during these times.
It may take them a while to get the fact that you are actually working, but eventually they will start respecting your work hours.
Don’t Sit For Long Periods Of Time
Sitting for long periods of time can be very unhealthy.
The blood in your body will pool to your feet and lower extremities. You may notice that your feet actually start to swell after sitting down for several hours at a time.
A lot of people are combating this by getting a standing desk where they can stand up and do their work at.
You can also make it a point to stand up when taking phone calls or reading long emails.
While it might not always be convenient, your extremities will thank you at the end of the day.
Keep Healthy Snacks At Your Desk
When I first started working from home, I really packed on the pounds. I had my pantry and refrigerator at my disposal every single day.
While I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time, my pants and scale begged to differ.
You can keep this from happening by having healthy snacks at your disposal. Keep filling and lower calorie items at your desk.
Trail mix, fruit and granola bars are all great options.
They will provide you with the nourishment you need without all of the calories that come with snacks that are less healthy.
Drink Plenty Of Water
I struggle with drinking enough water every day. I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I always seem to ignore my thirst.
Unfortunately, this can be very unhealthy. Our bodies won’t function as they should if they are dehydrated.
I’ve found that having a refillable water bottle on my desk helps. Whenever I see it, I take a few sips out of it.
Try to stay away from sodas or high calorie drinks in order to stay hydrated.
These types of liquids can actually dehydrate you, and they can lead to unintentional weight gain.
Give Your Eyes A Break
Your eyes really get a workout staring at a computer screen all day. Because of this, you need to give them a break wherever you can.
Try to give your eyes a break every hour.
Close your eyes, and let yourself just relax. You’ll find that this will allow you to easily eliminate some of the eye strain that you may be feeling.
You may also want to invest in a pair of glasses that filter blue light. These types of glass can help you reduce some of the strain that’s put on your eyes each day.
Hire Outside Help
You may think that you can do it all when you are working at home.
You might be watching your kids, cleaning the house and cooking meals all while trying to finish your work each day.
Unfortunately, you really can’t do it all.
You should be dedicating your time to work during your working hours.
You should hire some outside help if you are struggling with some of your parenting or household duties.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking the assistance of someone else to complete these tasks for you.
You shouldn’t try to do everything for your household and children just because you are working at home.
If you want to be successful, you will probably need to hire outside help so that you can concentrate on work.
Final Thoughts
I hope that all of the tips mentioned above will help you create a healthier environment for working at home.
Don’t let your health suffer just because you’ve left the rat race and have transitioned to working out of your home.
If you do find that your mental or physical health has started to suffer, take the time to think about what changes you need to make in order to stay both productive and healthy while you are working from home.
