Working from a home office has a ton of advantages. For instance, you can organize your time the way you want to. Your schedule is flexible and you are allowed to take breaks when you feel like it, be it to have a snack or talk to a friend. You are much more relaxed in your home and you can get into the coziest clothes you have and get on work. You can even save money that you would otherwise spend commuting or eating outdoors.

However, working form a home office has one important disadvantage. The disadvantage in question is not being active enough. If you work from a home office, you may have noticed that sitting for too long has taken its toll on your health. If that’s the case, this article may help you solve that problem.

1. Develop a daily rhythm

When trying to develop a healthier lifestyle, you should learn how to be disciplined. Since sitting for so long in your home office can harm your health, this is exactly what you should do. When it comes to behavioral practices, habits and rituals are its most important features. If you develop healthy habits when it comes to working from home, you’ll do a lot for your general well-being.

The first thing you should do is get your working hours defined. Once you realize how much time you have for your job, it'll be much easier for you to do plan how you will use that time. For instance, you should know when you get up in the morning and when you'll finish the job. When you have that plan, you can go a step further and plan your breaks. You can know in advance when your lunch break will be when your coffee break will be, and when will your workout session be. You can also see how much time will each of your tasks requires and plan the schedule for them too. A carefully developed schedule is the key to getting the job done properly and in time.

2. Don’t be afraid to take breaks

Even though you should plan your working hours, you should be taking a lot of breaks. If you spend a few hours just working without taking a minute to stand up and stretch or have a coffee, you'll notice that the quality of the work you're doing is decreasing. You shouldn't forget that your priority is getting the job done properly while remaining healthy and sane. It’s very important to set limits and respect them.

Since breaks can be very beneficial, it’s no surprise why you should take them from time to time. When you take a break, you allow your brain to relax and unwind. Because of that, once you get back to work, you are ready to take on new challenges. You can even gain a new perspective on certain problems if you stop thinking about them for a while. Once your mind is cleared, you’ll be more motivated to keep up the good work and you’ll be even more successful. Make sure to take enough and enjoy them to stay at the top of your game.

3. Prepare some healthy snacks

During your breaks, you'll need something to lift your spirit and provide you with the energy for the upcoming work. Because of that, preparing some snacks is the best thing you could do. Not just any snacks, healthy snacks, in particular, can help you get through any work challenge you come across. If your kitchen is filled with healthy treats, your work time will go by smoothly. You should get some fruits and vegetables that will be your best friends during your working hours.

You should avoid sweets and junk food because they will only make your working hours more difficult and tiring. Next to healthy snacks, getting some coffee too isn’t a bad idea. Coffee is the right kind of drink that will make you more productive, creative, and efficient. If you don’t prepare the snacks and the coffee in advance, don’t worry. Getting outside to get them can be even more beneficial. That way, you won’t spend as much time sitting down. Instead, you will take a walk and even spend some time outside.



4. Develop a workout routine

Since the biggest problem with working in a home office is that it’s a sedentary job, it’s no surprise that one of the things you should do is develop a workout routine. A good workout routine should be a part of your daily schedule and you should always find the time to do it. You can do it in the morning before you start working, or you could do it during one of your breaks. This is the perfect example of how beneficial the time flexibility of such jobs is. All you need to do is put on some music and get your weights. If you need some motivation, you could even treat yourself to a fitness tracker so that you can measure your workouts and progress - you can check out the technical details of a few online and pick the best option for you and your needs.

It’s a rather simple activity that will bring a lot of changes in your lifestyle. You don’t have to do too many complex exercises to get good results. The purpose of this workout isn’t to replace the gym for you, but to help you reduce some of the disadvantages that a sedentary job can have on your health. You can also include some high-quality wpc into your workout routine and increase the chances of a positive outcome. The main thing is that you're not neglecting your well-being and that you are doing everything you can to improve it.

5. Get up every hour

You may get so focused on the work you’re doing that you could forget to stand up. A good idea would be to set an alarm for every hour. The alarm should go off for just one reason – for you to get up. You can use that moment to walk around your home or to stretch. You can do yoga or Pilates, anything you like. The most important is that you keep your body active and that you do it every hour.

You can schedule this in a way to match one of your breaks. For instance, one of the alarms can be followed by getting outside to get some snacks or getting coffee. If you have a dog, use this as an opportunity to walk your dog. Just a 20-minute walk can do wonders. You'll benefit from it in many ways. You'll be active, you'll get some fresh air, and your do will lift your mood and give you the strength for the work that's waiting for you.

6. Pay attention to the environment you’re working in

When it comes to your home office, the first thing you should is separate it from your personal life. If you work in a space that designated only for work, you do your job efficiently and you are productive. If you mix your private life with your business life, things get very complicated. As a result of that, you may start worrying about personal matters when you're working and vice versa. The last thing you want is to lie in bed at night and start thinking of charts or statistics.

Even though you shouldn’t mix personal matters with the business ones, that doesn’t mean that your working space should be dull and boring. Your working area should be soothing and it should inspire you. You can place scented candles around, you can bring in some faux greens or you can place your desk in front of a window. Your office design is completely up to you and it would be a shame not to use this opportunity. You know best what kind of surroundings soothes you the most and you can create such surroundings easily.

7. Get the right chair

Since you're supposed to sit down for a long time each day, investing in a quality chair is the best thing you could do. Before anything else, your chair should be very comfortable. The next important feature of a good ergonomic chair is that it should be able to be adjusted. It should be adjustable when it comes both to height and seat depth. It should have armrests and it should move around easily. If you get a chair that has all of those features, you'll be able to benefit the most from it.

When it comes to the chairs, there is another useful solution. Namely, you could ditch the chair altogether. This may sound weird, but it makes a lot of sense. If you get a standing desk for your home office, you'll reduce your overall long-term mortality risk. A standing desk is much more beneficial than people think. Not only can you lose weight using a standing desk, but you can also decrease your risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes. If your health is your number one priority, getting a standing desk may be the right thing for you.

8. Act like your office isn’t at home

This may not be the first thing that comes to your mind, but it is, nevertheless, an interesting approach. Acting like your office isn’t at home means that you should get showered and dressed for going to the regular office. It may sound odd, but when you think of it, it does make a lot of sense. You can try it once and see whether it works or not.

Your clothes aren’t the most important thing, but they can affect the way you’re thinking and behaving. People tend to adopt the characteristics associated with their clothes and you may have the same mental concept. You could start taking your job more seriously if you wear a collared shirt as opposed to wearing a hoodie. Since your clothes can influence the way you think and behave, you can try and trick yourself into being more productive.



9. Schedule active meetings

Since your business already includes a lot of sitting down, you should avoid it anytime you have an opportunity to do so. If you have clients you should meet, you should arrange the meetings outside. Not only should the meeting be outside, but you can also find a way to make it active. You could easily arrange active meetings in agreement with your clients. Instead of sitting down and grabbing coffee, you can go for a walk. This is particularly useful if you need to arrange a meeting full of brainstorming and creative ideas.

Walking is a perfect way to get inspired. Fresh air is more than beneficial and it can bring a new layer into your business meeting. Rather than being a dry obligation, the business meeting suddenly becomes an interesting activity full of creative ideas and solutions. Of course, you will especially benefit from such a meeting since it will be a perfect way to be active for a while. Even if the meeting is just 20-minutes long, you’ll still get a chance to get out into the fresh air. Every 20-minute you spend outside walking significantly reduces your risk of back pain and other, even more, serious health issues.

10. Walk during your conference calls

If your job includes some conference calls, you can easily use them to increase your activity during the working hours. Moving around will have a positive impact on your well-being. You will instantly feel better, your blood flow will be greater, and your lymph nodes will be enlarged.

Unfortunately, you can’t apply this to video calls, but it’s perfect for the calls that don’t require video. You will feel the benefits of moving around as soon as you start your call. Your thinking will be improved and you will be much more relaxed. This will not only benefit you, but it will also benefit your job and the conference will run smoothly.

Conclusion

Even though working at home has its advantages, the situation is far from tragic. All of the problems have their solutions. As long as you have the will to try and solve them, you won't have any trouble in your career.

Article written by guest Author

Mia Johnson is a writer with a ten-year-long career in journalism. She has written extensively about health, fitness, and lifestyle. A native to Melbourne, she now lives in Sydney with her 3 dogs where she spends her days writing and taking care of her 900 square feet garden.

Disclaimer: the post is not sponsored. The images used are copyright free.