I have been working from home since 2015, and therefore I am aware of its pros and cons. But 2020 has become the year of a new trend. Almost every industry is now allowing their office staff to work remotely.
Remote work is good and may save a lot of costs for employers. It’s also beneficial for the employees as they don’t have to spend time and money commuting to the workplace. But, like everything else, work-from-home too has some opposite sides, affecting both the employer and the employee.
Adverse effects of working from home
And some of them are
- Weaken health and immunity due to home-comfort
- Stress due to workload
- Eyestrain
- Back and neck pain
- Weight gain
- Issues with bones and body structure
These are some but the main issues a person doing a home-based job may face. But you can avoid them by taking some steps and developing healthy habits.
Here you go.
Sit far from your kitchen and fridge
If you sit close to them, you can easily access soda, sweet drinks, junk food, and water. But if you sit at a distance, the chances of consuming them too frequently will be less. Even if you need to drink water, you will have to walk to it. That means you will have an opportunity to move your body and eyes.
Have a comfortable yet office-like work environment
We often see pictures of models working on laptops on sofa or bed in videos and blogs. In reality, it’s not a healthy way of working from home unless you don’t have constant work and deadline pressure.
If you want to stay productive as you would be at the office, you need an office-like environment. For this, you will need a comfortable office chair and a table set up in a corner where there are enough air circulation and lighting. If you don’t have these essential furniture items, buy them soon.
Take a break of 5 mins every hour
This one is not a new tip for anybody and written many times. But still, I am repeating it here to establish its importance. And I would be more than happy even if only a few of the readers would apply it in their work routine.
It’s not impossible to take this short break, no matter how busy you are. After all, it helps maintain your productivity and performance. If you are too busy to remember taking a break, use an hourly alarm on your smartphone. Find a good app from the app store and start using it.
Massage your neck, shoulder, and back
And do this every few hours.
Pain in the neck, shoulder, and upper/lower back is a big problem for most people working on a job that requires constant sitting. And it can create health issues for those working from home and who don’t have a comfortable sitting arrangement.
The best way to avoid this is to stand up and do stretching exercises every hour or two. You can also do some massage yourself. Believe me that it will give you some relief. I have been doing this myself for years. I know it works!
Drink water as soon as you feel the thirst
In the early years of my career, I used to ignore this. And I must admit that it had significantly harmed my health. But now I know how important it is to stay hydrated.
But most people, despite knowing the importance of staying hydrated, fail at having it enough.
Most health experts say, keep a water bottle at your desk, but my first point says to keep it at a distance to gain the benefits of walking as an addition. If you follow what this article says, you will get two benefits. And I am sure you would go for it.
Say no to processed and junk food and eat fruits.
While working from your home, you have no restrictions on where you sit and what you eat. So devouring unhealthy snacks and junk food whenever you desire will be easy. But it can harm your health and productivity.
So be tough and say no to processed and junk food and eat fruits or homemade whenever you feel hungry. To make it easy, buy fruits instead of junk food and packets when you go shopping. So you have on your plate what you have in your kitchen and fridge.
Have a fitness session every morning
If you have been ignoring your health so far, it’s now time to stop doing so. Working from home brings a lot of adverse effects on your physical and mental health. And therefore, to prevent them, exercise or Yoga and meditation should be a part of your routine.
I know it’s hard. Most people do it for a couple of days and then stop due to tiredness and lack of motivation. But there’s no other way because you have to do it if you want to see the benefits. Do it anyhow for at least three weeks, and it will become easy. Another three weeks and you will be doing it without much effort. And when you do it for three more weeks, it will become your habit.
So, put an alarm for the morning and start doing Yoga, meditation, and exercise daily.
Take a nap after when you feel tired.
Our brain processes hundreds of thousands of thoughts and pieces of information daily. So like a computer, it too gathers junk files and gets slower due to exhaustion. A 20 mins nap can help relax and rejuvenate your body and mind. It cleans unwanted thought processes in the brain, enhances your mental and physical performance level, restores alertness, and reduces mistakes at work.
I have seen healthy people taking a nap after lunch daily. And I also do the same. It feels good after a short sleep ap of 20 mins. Note that a 10 to 30 mins nap can give you the maximum benefits. More than 30 mins can make you feel foggy.
Play light music or your favorite album while working
It is known to all that music works like meditation and improves your focus and memory. It also reduces stress and creates a happy mood. So this is highly recommended while working from home as it can keep distractions away and boost your productivity. Preventing toxic thoughts from entering your mind is one more benefit.
Create a playlist of your favorite songs and play them while working. I am sure you will see an improvement in your focus and performance.
I hope this article will help make your work-from-home life easy. If you have any questions or suggestions, please mention them here in the comment box.
Best wishes!
