One month into 2021 and work from home is still ongoing and will most likely continue into much of this year. Luckily, throughout 2020, we adapted to this new environment and learned a lot about navigating how to cope with working from home life best.
How To Cope With Working From Home
As it’s nearly a year later, here are some refreshers on how you can cope with working from home so that you can live your best life.
1. Create Work-life Boundaries
Remote work can often cause blurred lines between work and home. If possible, maintain a physical separation between where you work and where you relax.
To achieve this, set up your home office in a corner, or better yet, a separate room.
This will help you turn off your work-brain once the day is over and allow you to take the time you need to relax and recharge.
2. Keep Your Nutrition In Check
As you’re hard at work, your body needs the necessary fuel to stay productive and healthy. Getting the knack of how to cope with working from home can be challenging, especially when maintaining a balanced diet amidst simple temptations such as potato chips and cookies.
To prevent this, try not to work in the kitchen where unhealthy temptations are only an arm’s length away. Also, try to avoid stocking your fridge and cabinets with too much junk food.
Don’t worry; you can still indulge in the occasional treat now and then, but make it memorable. For example, every Friday, have your favorite snack or drink delivered to celebrate the end of the week.
It’s the perfect way to treat yourself after a week’s worth of hard work without it impeding your overall nutrition.
3. Work Near Natural Light
Natural light can do wonders for your mental health. Sadly, winter reduces the amount of sunshine available, so if you can, set up your home office near a window that allows you to get as much vitamin D as possible.
Another reason you’ll want to work in a well-lit area is to avoid eyestrain and headaches caused by poor lighting, which could negatively impact your workflow. With better lighting, the ambiance of the room will improve, as will your happiness and productivity.
4. Stay Active
To fight off the effects of staying sedentary all day, schedule some quick activity to get your blood flowing. This doesn’t need to be a full-on workout but can be a simple lap around the house, a walk to the mailbox, or a few push-ups.
No matter what it is, it’ll be good for both your body and mind to step away from your computer for a few minutes to inject some movement into your workday.
5. Drink Plenty Of Water
In addition to eating healthy, you should also ensure that you are staying hydrated throughout the day. Especially given the copious amount of coffee we are all drinking these days, it’s even more critical to have enough water.
Keep a full glass at your desk throughout the day to remind yourself to keep sipping. If you get bored of plain old water, try infusing it with fruit to add some variety. Staying hydrated will keep you healthy and feeling well as you tackle your work projects.
6. Schedule Opportunities During The Day
When you’re in the office, you find yourself taking breaks throughout the day when chatting with colleagues, grabbing coffee, or going out for lunch.
On the other hand, while working from home, it is easier to be consumed by your job and not take any pauses at all. Give yourself short breathers throughout the day, and try not to take these breaks in front of the computer.
It would help if you had time away from staring at a screen, so try to incorporate the 20-20-20 rule. This rule says that for every 20 minutes you work at a computer, you stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Do this to reduce eye strain and the unpleasant symptoms that stem from it.
7. Maintain A Healthy Posture
If you’re spending 8 hours a day sitting, it’s essential to maintain a healthy posture, which can prevent future back and neck pain. Ergonomics matter, so if you can afford to buy an office chair for your home office space, it’ll help you maintain a comfortable position throughout the day.
Another option is to use a pillow for lower back support. Also, consider investing in a laptop stand that can help keep your computer at eye level, reducing neck strain from looking downward.
8. Treat Yourself With Some R&R
Learning how to cope with Working from home can be challenging, and bad habits can be detrimental to your overall well-being. Because of this, you should check-in with yourself often to determine what you can do to improve your mindset.
Find ways to treat yourself that will positively impact your mental and physical health. Whether that’s working from bed a few times a month, ordering your favorite take-out meal, or even getting a massage to relieve stress and relax.
We all deserve more R&R in our lives to be our most productive and healthiest selves.
Use these tips to improve your well-being throughout the rest of 2021. With at least a few more months of quarantine life ahead, prioritizing your physical and mental health will make remote work more manageable.
