Remote working often seems like the most convenient and comfortable method of staying employed, and in many cases, it can be. Most people aren’t going to argue with the idea of commuting less, which can take up several hours of the day otherwise.

However, it’s true that getting out of bed, eating some breakfast, showering, sitting at your desk for nine hours, eating some food throughout the day and snacking, and then sleeping to repeat the cycle is the healthiest lifestyle to lead.

For this reason, it’s important to make sure we try to make our remote working effort healthier, and to implement a routine that makes that process more sustainable. This is easier said than done, however, because you’re rarely given a manual to tell you how to remote work perfectly. For some people, so much flexibility can even feel like a hindrance.

For this reason, I’ve put together some advice to help you stay healthy and sharp in your remote work position.

Get Up and Move

It’s important to stretch your legs when you’re remote working, because otherwise it’s very easy to sit down from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. Of course, getting up to cook, clean and attend to your daily chores is always going to be important, but that’s not necessarily exercise. 

Ideally, it’s good to get outside of the house if you can. Making a routine of this, like walking your dog in the morning for an hour, heading to the gym at lunch, or even enjoying gardening during the afternoon and working during the evening if you can set your own hours will make a big difference.

This might be a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how much effort it can take to get up and figure out your way forward when remote working. Moreover, bad habits tend to accrue and become worse, which is why putting in a good effort now will really make a tremendous difference going forward.

Stretching Helps

Stretching can make a tremendous difference throughout the day. Not just your legs, but also your body in general. This is especially important if you’ve found yourself sitting in front of desks for quite some time, and you get that natural gamer-like posture with a forward head.

If you do exercise, working on your core can help strengthen your trunk muscles which will make keeping a good posture much easier to do.

We’d also recommend elastic stretching bands with handles that can be used for certain simple exercises, like exercising your shoulders,  your rotator cuff, your wrists, and generally helping you get a better range of motion with a range of stretches.

Your posture and strength will also benefit tremendously by making sure you take part in:

Ergonomic Office Suites

Investing in your home office is a fantastic use of your time, for several important reasons. First, it will give you the chance to re-organize your space, making sure it’s logical, your personal and professional documents are stored in the right categories, and that sitting at your deks is comfortable and applies little pressure to your body.

Investing in an excellent office chair can be a fantastic choice to make, because it’s best to go for a good model now, with adjustable arm-rests and lumbar support, than it is to keep purchasing cheap chairs that leave your back hurting and your professional capabilities subdued. 

It’s so much easier to deal with your workday when comfortable and supported, such as by learning new controls for your Mac, https://setapp.com/how-to/hyperlink-on-mac, or feeling less tense in video conferencing situations.

This is hardly the end of the possible tools you can make use of. For example, standing desks are considered thoroughly useful, and may even provide a capable means of comfort for your home.

Essential, Supportive Keyboards

After you’ve spent money on your home office, it can be a hard sell to go out and buy more expensive computer peripherals. But of course, good quality doesn’t have to come at a price premium.

If you find you type a lot, then opting for a mechanical switch keyboard really can save your fingers from the constant stress of pressing buttons, especially if you might write thousands of words a day. This, coupled with some good hand stretches and rest, can better help you keep your fingers in good health, as well as avoid painful repetitive strain injuries that might otherwise occur.

If you learn touch typing, you may even be able to use a typists’ keyboard, which can be comfortable and help raise your word-per-minute count. For those who might transcribe audio, translate documents, or write long briefs, this can be a lifesaver.

Good Office Lighting

Poor office lighting can lead to eye strain, especially if you’re working in the darker mornings or evenings. Make sure that your home office area is well-lit, but not so much that it hurts your eyes of course, as staring at a computer monitor can be tiring.

Moreover, there are apps you can use to better keep your eyes in good shape while working from your laptop. For instance, Flux is a great program known to add an amber filter to the screen in the late evening, which helps filter out the UV light that can lead to circadian rhythms being fooled, potentially losing us ours of sleep. In the long run, you’ll appreciate this effort without a doubt.

Take Breaks

No matter how well you do in your work, it’s important to recognize that you’re not a superhero, and convenient work doesn’t mean you have to work all day with no breaks. Even a fifteen minute break can help you recollect yourself, feel more comfortable, and rest your eyes a little. This way you can avoid burnout, which you can bet some remote workers feel if they’re not careful.

Don’t worry - the work will always be waiting for you, and you can afford a little time for a break. One of the benefits of the remote work experience is that as long as you’re not on a call, you don’t have to march to anyone elses’ drum.