Working From Home: How to Stay Happy and Healthy

It’s a difficult time for us all and staying at home 96% of the day is a strange concept to get our heads around. We no longer have simple luxuries, such as popping to the shop for some snacks or browsing clothes in store and this change can take a toll on our mental health. Which is why it is so important that we take steps to help make this situation (both home and working life) easier to adjust to.

When it comes to your week, it’s important to give it a bit of structure. When working from home ensure you are taking regular breaks, making lists and don’t lose touch with your team. Discover all of our tips for working from home.

Creating a list is a simple, yet effective way to get your priorities straight in both your home and working life. Setting yourself targets for the day is a great way to achieve a sense of accomplishment.

Make isolation interesting

It’s the little things that make the big difference. Start to think about how you can make being indoors all of the time more interesting and ensure you have distinguished a difference between your working day and home life. Take some time for yourself and enjoy a candle lit bath, dust off a book you’ve been meaning to read or book a holiday for next year so you have something to plan and look forward to. Discover our ideas for the week below in our weekly to do list.

Another small but fun idea could be to start a lunchtime 2 minute energy burner dance session, whip on dirty dancing (2:21 is the recommended time) and dance like Patrick Swayze to release some energy and get your heart racing. It’s a great laugh trying to copy his moves and a great idea to get your family involved.

Alternatively you could try online ‘Silver Swans’ ballet exercise classes with the Royal Academy of Dance.

A good idea when it comes to remote working is having a bit of fun in your day to day video calls, change you background and dress up to lift Coronavirus lockdown spirits. 

Whatever you do, It’s all a bit of fun at the end of the day and having a dance is a good way to exercise and have a couple of minutes of laughter.

Things you should be doing everyday

With home and work life blurring into one, it is important to create a space you can work and work effectively in. Be sure to finish at your usual time, put your laptop away so you are truly able to switch off and focus on your home life.

If you’re finding yourself working past your usual 5.30 end time, set an alarm 10 minutes before the end of the day so you are aware you need to start closing down everything you are doing.

4 things you should be doing:

1.Dust off that book you’ve been meaning to read or watch that Netflix series you’ve never had the time for. YouTube is also a great platform for learning new skills so maybe you could learn how to make a Thai green curry from a video tutorial, learn how to knit or maybe follow a yoga class.

2. For a healthy body and mind, be sure to get out once a day for a walk. You could grab the dog and walk him around the block or through nearby fields or if you’re feeling energetic, challenge yourself to a run. Take in the fresh air and look up, appreciate the small things around you such as the birds in the trees.

3. Keep talking. This is one of the most important things you need to do. Keep talking to your colleagues, to your family and to your friends. Use video calling apps to communicate, whether it’s for a quick 5 minute chat or to prop them up at the end of your dinner table so you can virtually eat together. Plus you never know, you may make bbc news or something…

4.If you’ve got a garden, play some football, challenge you and the kids to Sevenses or whip out the classic swing ball to relive some childhood memories (swing ball is not just for children). When it comes to indoors, puzzles, board games and card games are a must!

A safe working environment

Ensure you are working in a safe environment. With the new norm being a home office environment, it comes with great obstacles. You may have other people within your household also trying to find the space to work from home, children and pets may also be running around and asking for your attention 24/7.

When working from home, permanently or temporarily, having a good space and the right hardware and software in order to successfully carry out your job is essential, always consider the following:

• Is the environment you are working in, suitable and safe? A basic table and chair is essential.
• Have you been supplied with suitable hardware? A laptop, keyboard, mouse and tools you need to complete your job?
• Do you need dual monitors to be able to carry out your day to day role as productively as possible? Also considering your posture, working from a laptop for an extended period of time is not good for your posture and can cause serious back pain. The NHS has some helpful advice on common posture mistakes and fixes. 

If you are concerned about any of the above, talk to your employer. Not having the luxuries from the office is fine for a short period of time but if we need to stay in isolation for an extended period of time, better working from home measures should be put in place.

Other things to consider:

• How to operate remotely with Microsoft 365 – Learn more here
• How can you conduct business meetings from your home – Discover how here.