The importance of maintaining wellbeing whilst working from home has never been greater. Initial findings from the Office for National Statistics state the number of people working from home in 2020 doubled, with affluent London suburbs having the most home workers.
Overnight, many were suddenly forced to work at home. Working practices and routines changed dramatically in response to the pandemic. This has been a mixed blessing for many. It has without doubt made school runs, and juggling various aspects of life much easier. Whilst leading to isolation, working at the kitchen table, longer hours and endless zoom calls. There is no doubt that working from home presents certain challenges, particularly to wellbeing.
Many are slowly making their way back to offices, for a few days a week, whilst continuing with some days at home. Anecdotally, for those I have spoken with, this seems to be the ideal. It does seems however, that home working will continue in some form, for many, for the foreseeable future. The home has now become a place of work, and drawing boundaries between the two presents challenges. ‘Working From Home Insider ‘ Steve Todd suggests there is a particular importance in distinguishing between ‘working from home’ with ‘being at home’.
I have now been in the enviable position of working at home for two months. This time a year ago, I would not have imagined this, and I am aware of the privilege it is. The fact that I am writing this under a parasol in my garden on a beautiful sunny day feels incredibly indulgent, and yes privileged.
The truth is, I had no idea what it would be like to work from home. Working in the garden was certainly a feature of my imaginings, but I did not know how I would manage motivation, discipline and doing my work on my own in the place where I lived.
There are of course issues with home working. Loneliness, tedium, and balancing flexibility with a fixed schedule spring to mind. However, the freedom, the comfortable environment, the ability to plan your day, including hanging out a load of washing in the middle of it will often outweigh those.
Making Your Home a Healthy Place to Work
If working from home is here for the long haul then finding practices to make it healthy and sustainable are key.
The nature of home working means it is mostly done sitting down in front of a screen. This is not a natural position for our bodies to be in. Our posture becomes hunched , our shoulders slump forward, and niggles in the back, and the neck are pronounced. In addition, studies have linked being inactive with being overweight, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and early death. Sitting for long periods of time, is believed to slow the metabolism which affects the bodies ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. Put like that, it all sounds rather bleak doesn’t it. Of course there are ways or mitigating these potential health issues. The obvious place to start is exercise.
Exercise and the Commute
A joy of home working for many is the commute which is often no further than the bottom of the stairs, or if you are lucky the bottom of the garden. For many this will mean a time saving of a couple of hours a day. Two hours you never had before. Brilliant! It may be tempting to spend at least the hour at the beginning of the day underneath the duvet.
However, using even some of this saved time to exercise is a fool proof way of weaving exercise into the working day.Just because you are working from home does not mean you can’t have a commute, just one which you have chosen and is pleasurable.
My working days have for years begun with a 4-5 mile cycle ride. When I left my previous employment, I knew I would miss this. But, it has meant I can use that time to enjoy other exercise. Most mornings I will start the day with a run. When I don’t run, I ensure I go for a walk or do some yoga, or both before I start work. There are both physical and mental health benefits to starting the day in this way. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it brings joy and gets you moving. This little routine adds so much to how I function the rest of the day. In the same way, leaving the house for even a short walk at the end of the day, draws a definite line between ‘working from home’ with ‘being at home’.
Getting into the habit of at least standing up and walking around the house every hour or so is a useful practice. Many use apps or alarms on phones or computers to remind them to do this. The human body was designed to move.
Eating Well
A sometimes unexpected joy of home working is the variety of food available. Lunch no longer has to be what can be squeezed into a plastic container or heated in the office microwave encrusted with other people’s food. It doesn’t have to made the night before either! There is choice, which is of course the double edged sword. The instant access to snacks is the potential enemy of the home worker! The biscuit cupboard and secret chocolate supplies are tantalisingly close. To nibble, especially when a little bored or unmotivated is too easy at home. I recently read an article where the writer talked about creating an aesthetically pleasing wheel of fruit or freezing individual slices of banana bread for a treat. I like this idea. Others have suggested creating a trail mix filled with nuts dried fruit and chips of dark chocolate. There is some evidence to suggest that dark chocolate could even improve brain power by increasing blood flow to the brain
The Working Environment
Creating a space where it is a pleasure to be, where you feel motivated and creatively stimulated is key. This, I believe is possible where ever it is you work, even if it is the kitchen table.
Most offices, and certainly the ones I worked in were designed for function. They were (mostly), bland and often cluttered and untidy. They certainly weren’t designed to be beautiful or pleasing on the eye. As someone who likes a reasonable level of tidiness I find I cannot function well in a messy environment. If my surroundings are untidy, my work I also untidy and I am less productive.
At home of course, it is completely down to you to create the working environment which makes you feel as good as possible. For me, this means always having flowers on my desk. Often just bits I have gathered from the garden or cow parsley I’ve gathered on a walk. In the darker months I always have a candle too.
Having things which you enjoy looking at or inspire you can also help. With so many formal offices being hot desks these days, there is often little chance to make a space your own. At home there is the liberty to display postcards or have pictures on the wall. Books and magazines can also be a great source of inspiration, and are something useful to look at away from the screen when taking a break.
The usual function of your desk may dictate how much you can personalise it. If it is a dining table, as mine currently is, then it won’t be practical to leave things on it all the time. I have a box which at the end of the day I put my notebooks and pens, lip balm and hand cream into. I then get them out again the next morning. Apart from keeping things organised this helps define when I’m working and when I’m not.
Human Contact
The office is not just a place to go and get the work done. It is a place to catch up with general news and gossip. It is where you chat and mull ideas or concerns over with co-workers. Office conversation happens in snatched moments in an impromptu way. There is the overheard snippet of information which might stimulate or contribute towards your own work. Working alone and at home does not allow for any of this. At home, you may be devoid of all company. If you are a freelancer with no regular colleagues this may be even more of an issue.
There are ways around it though. There will be others working from home in your area. Face book groups and local work from homers groups will undoubtedly be available. Some of these will arrange lunch / coffee get togethers. Others will be virtual. The flexibility offered by working from home means there may be more opportunities for day time coffee’s than if you were in a 9-5 office.
If you are a creative, there are numerous online groups and clubs you can join pertinent to your work. These will not fully replace face to face contact, but they may help provide a stimulating and encouraging form of contact.
Of course there is always local cafes (unless you live in a totally rural environment). Working in a café with the buzz of other people around can sometimes be just the right level of human contact you need. Some cafes now offer dedicated working areas.
With a little bit of thought and planning, working from home can be healthy for both body and mind. Learning to balance the flexibility with some gentle boundaries which focus on physical and mental well being can make all the difference.
Fascinating article xxx