Taking Care of Your Health While Working from Home: A How-To Guide

Last updated on May 5th, 2024 at 03:18 pm

Working from home or hybrid working is incredibly common nowadays; initially, it was borne out of necessity. Businesses had to allow staff to work from home during the Covid pandemic in order to keep them safe. However, it wasn’t long before the benefits became apparent. Home working saves money for businesses and has a number of benefits for the staff too. That being said, working from home can lead to stagnation both mentally and physically, which is why we have put together the following guide, so let’s take a look. 

Develop a Routine

First things first, when working from home, it can be really tempting to wake up and work from your bed or to just get up and go straight to work; however, doing so can cause your productivity to take a nosedive. Instead, you should come up with a schedule or develop a routine and stick to it. Try to make an effort to start your day properly by getting up and dressed before you start to work every day. 

This provides your brain with more time to wake up properly,and it also helps to reinforce the separation between home and work. Developing a routine helps to provide your day with more structure; it can provide you with more stability. It can also help to reinforce connections within your brain about when you should be working versus when you should be relaxing, which can be really important when working from home. 

Create a Home Office

When working from home, it is paramount that you have a designated workspace. Again, this is because you need to form connections within your brain; you need your brain to associate your home office with working. If you work from your sofa or your bed, then these can muddle the connections and, in turn, affect your productivity. 

It can also mean you are unable to switch off or relax when the time comes because your brain has started to associate your bed or your sofa with working. So having a designated workspace is key. Otherwise, the lines become blurred; it can also help to ensure that you have more privacy if you live with other people. So, for example, your kids will know that when you are in your home office that, you are working and shouldn’t really be disturbed. 

Think About Your Home Office Set Up

Obviously, you need to be comfortable when you work from home, which again is why it is so tempting to work from your bed or your sofa. Although, as mentioned above, this is a bad idea. Instead, you need a home office; however, your home office set-up can also have effects on you mentally and physically. Ideally, you will need a desk and a chair. 

Think about your job and what it entails; the likelihood is that it will rely on some form of electronics, whether that is a phone, laptop or desktop. The desk and chair will then speak directly to your comfort. There are a few different options to explore, and setting up a home office can pose a challenge depending on the size of your home and the nature of the job itself. Luckily, Branch’s guide to setting up a home office is incredibly helpful; Branch also has a range of office furniture that ensures that all of your needs are covered. 

Don’t be Afraid to Take Breaks

Taking regular breaks when working can do wonders for your mental and physical health. Taking a few short breaks throughout the day gives your brain the opportunity to refresh,which can actually aid in productivity. This isn’t to say that you should be taking multiple long breaks but shifting your focus for a couple of minutes can be really beneficial. 

During your longer break, like your lunch break, you should also try your best to get out of the house, if possible. The fresh air and sunlight can be restorative for you mentally by boosting your mood and improving your sense of well-being. In addition to this, it also helps to ensure that working from home isn’t affecting your fitness levels too much. 

The Takeaway

Working from home does have a number of benefits. It allows you to save money that you would otherwise spend commuting, or on a daily coffee or on your lunch break, et cetera; you can also save some time which can help to reinforce your work-life balance in addition to often benefitting from a more flexible schedule. That being said, working from home does represent a transition that can take some time to get used to, especially for those who have always worked outside of the home. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to aid the transition and protect your mental and physical health when working from home.

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