Still living that WFM life?
Hey, us, too!
And, we’ve got some great tips on how to set up your home office to promote wellness from Laura May, digital editor at Just Another Magazine.
Because when you’re using your home as an office, gym, school, and everything else, you need to be extra smart about how you set it up to optimize your health!
As many of us are now working from home permanently, or at least for the foreseeable future, it’s important that you work in a space that’s set up to help you focus and minimizes the risk of any physical or mental health problems. In this article, we’ll cover how to set up your home office workstation to promote wellness. Let’s get started.
Create a dedicated workstation.
If you can, set yourself up with a dedicated workspace that’s separate from the rest of your home. Working from your sofa or your kitchen table will reduce your focus and blur the lines between your work time and personal time. Ideally, set your workstation up in a spare room or garage, somewhere that you can have everything you need to work productively set up permanently.
Optimize your setup.
To promote wellness your workstation needs to be set up just right with everything you need to do your work effectively close at hand.
To start with you need to invest in a proper desk. If possible choose a sit-stand desk that allows you to alternate between sitting down and standing. It’s good to change your position and move during the day. And you also need a suitable chair that’s adjustable in height and fully supportive — sitting long hours in the wrong position can cause serious problems with your neck and back.
If you’re primarily working on a computer all day then you should set yourself up with a second screen, wireless keyboard, and a mouse that allows you to sit in a good position without hunching over a laptop.
It’s worth investing in little extra things as well like wireless headphones to minimize noise distractions, plus a hard drive docking station that maintains the flexibility of your workspace setup by connecting everything up without any frustration.
With the right furniture and equipment, you’ll have everything you need to stay comfortable and productive throughout the day, which is important for promoting wellness.
Keep your space organized.
It’s also important to keep your workstation tidy, organized, and clean. Allowing paperwork to pile up and clutter to fill your desk is going to distract you from your work. You need a clear space that allows you to feel motivated and focused.
Get a filing cabinet or folders to keep all your necessary paperwork in order and easily accessible. Keep your pens and other stationery in a drawer to keep your desk tidy. And, get in the habit of clearing up your workstation at the end of the day — remove glasses and plates and give your desk a wipe down. This means that when you come back to it the next morning everything is neat and where you need it to be so that you can jump right into work.
Maximize the light.
Don’t underestimate how important light is to your wellbeing. Try to choose a place for your workstation that gets plenty of natural light — near a window or a glass door. If you do have to work in a dark room then mirrors can be used to bounce the light around and make it feel brighter.
You should also invest in a suitable desk lamp and overhead lighting. Getting enough light around your workstation will boost your mood and help you to focus, but it can also help reduce eye fatigue.
Bring nature inside.
Without the morning commute or heading out for lunch, working from home means you’re going to spend the majority of your time indoors. But to promote wellness it’s important to bring some of the outdoors into your home office workstation. Adding some plants can make your desk seem more positive and welcoming, and many houseplants will also work to purify the air so it can help to make your room less stuffy.
Don’t forget to take a break.
However well your desk is set up, it’s still not healthy to sit at it all day every day without regular breaks. Try to get up at least once an hour and move about, or at least take your eyes off the screen.
And ensure you’re taking a proper lunch break away from your desk so your mind and your eyes have some rest. If you can, go outside for a walk and get some fresh air and daylight — it’ll improve your mood, reduce your stress levels, and you’ll feel properly focused and productive in the afternoon. When you can’t get outside, try doing a home workout instead to give you a boost of energy.
At the end of the day, switch off completely so that you’re not tempted to check emails late at night. It can be hard to separate work and home life when you’re working from home, but it’s important to relax in the evenings and have some time for yourself to promote wellness.
Having the right set up when you’re working from home makes a huge difference. It minimizes the risk of any long-term health problems from sitting at a computer all day, you’ll find it easier to stay focused, and it can even boost your productivity. –Laura May
Laura May is digital editor at Just Another Magazine, alongside her co-editor Stevie, and a keen fitness enthusiast! At Just Another Magazine they write about beauty, fashion, lifestyle, travel, trends and anything else that matters to their readers. Name throwing you off? Don’t take it too seriously — they intend to stand out from the crowd whilst creating content in their unique style.
