How to work well from home

Many of you may be adjusting to working from home, so I here are some tips on how to optimise your home set up, boost productivity and stave off any aches and pains!

1. Set a working environmentYou may be used to working from home and have a ‘home office’ set up already, but for those of you who aren’t, this may have been just ‘bring your laptop home’ and start working! The first tip is to set a working environment. There are a lot of things that are going to be fighting for your attention at home – chores to do, family life, Netflix… The temptation can sometimes be to sit with your laptop on your lap or simply try putting it wherever there’s a space! If you can, create yourself your ‘office space’. Not only will this boost your productivity as when you’re there it will be set as ‘work time’, but it will allow you to set up your laptop to offset any neck or back pain that may be occurring.  
2. Modify your desk spaceThe position of your laptop is key to reducing neck pain, tightness in your shoulders, and headaches. You may find that you are slightly looking down at the laptop which increases the demands on the muscles around the head and neck – even a few degrees of movement makes a difference to the weight of the head, especially if you’re sat there for a while!If you have a stand for the laptop, make sure you’re using it. If not, even elevating the laptop on a few books can help to bring the top of the laptop up to eye level. Using a stand alone keyboard and mouse can also help to maintain alignment.
3. Take advantage of opportunities to moveHow can you create opportunities to move in the day? If you’re job requires taking calls, why not try and stand up when talking on these calls instead? Instead of having a bottle of water next to you, use a cup so you have to get up often to refill it.If you find you get engrossed in a task and before you know it a few hours have gone by, set regular timers on your phone (ideally every 30 – 60 minutes), reminding you just to stand up, stretch and move!
4. Build in some regular exercises to the dayExercise is key to reducing aches and pains, and keeping the whole body healthy. Some of my favourite movements which can be easily incorporated into the day are: Sit to stand (or squats!) Try 5 of these every time you go to stand up from the chairStretching the arms overheadLink both hands together and reach the arms overhead, allowing your upper back to arch. You may already do this without thinking, but try and move this way every hour!RotationsCan easily be done in sitting – reach around to the back of the chair, keeping your hips forward, allowing your back to gently rotate and stretch. Repeat a few times each side, again every hour!

Just a small bit of planning at the beginning of your day to ensure that your health and wellbeing are built into your working routine, can make all the difference.