successful home working
Posts tagged health
Lunchtime for home workers
125 months ago
Make sure you have regular breaks and stop at lunchtime – the received wisdom for all home workers wanting a balanced lifestyle. San Sharma, the community manager of Bitsy, tweets every day just before 1 pm to remind home workers to take a break. And I always tell people exactly that in my talks and workshops…but do I obey my own advice?
No, of course not! It’s tempting to think you can be more productive if you just keep on working, and maybe in the short term you can. If you’re working to an urgent deadline, for example. But it’s not so good when it becomes a habit. I find that if I’m on a roll with work I keep putting off a break, sometimes for so long that I end up starving and resort to biscuits etc because I can’t wait to make something healthy.
Until recently I’d got into the habit of eating at my computer while reading (and sometimes bolting my food in order to wipe my fingers and get back to the keyboard). And then I was told by a nutritionist that I’d absorb the vitamins and minerals in my food better if I relax while eating – and that means leaving my desk.
Then there’s the question of what to eat. Since my consultation I’ve been eating much more healthily – less wheat, dairy and sugar, even – the home worker’s greatest dread, surely – less caffeine. But it takes time to plan and shop to make sure there are always healthy snacks in the house. So much easier to grab a sandwich, and graze on biscuits, crisps and cake in between.
In an ideal world working at home should enable you to eat better. But what happens in practice? Is your home working day one long graze at your desk, or do you make a point of stopping to eat and drink?
Good habits for home working
349 months ago
Today’s guest post is by Sebastien Powell of MessageBase, a telephone answering and virtual office service that helps any freelancer or small business look like a pro (and was one of the supporters of The BIg Jelly). Seb works from home himself and knows how easy it is to fall into bad habits:
‘There is little doubt that working from home is about as good as it gets; freedom, flexibility and the possibility to build an environment to suit your exact needs are all part of a winning mix. However, like all good things too much can be detrimental. Over the last couple of months, I have been optimising my routine and thought I would share some tips with you.
1.) Stop working at least a couple of hours before going to bed
I was particularly bad at doing this, often working late then going straight to bed. The problem with doing this, is that when you hit the sack, your brain is still whizzing away (must email John tomorrow!) and the result is typically a restless or worse, sleepless night.
2.) Eat properly!
Working from home, you have the immense luxury of being able to prepare some real, nice food, rather than content yourself with a crappy, expensive sandwich from your local cafeteria. Eating good food is important for both your mental and physical wellbeing, so make sure you take full advantage of access to your fridge and kitchen.
3.) Have a siesta
There’s a reason why the Spanish are so efficient. Taking a short 30 minute nap during the day, can help you feel refreshed and reinvigorated, even if you’re just closing your eyes (although make sure you don’t oversleep).
4.) Take regular breaks
This is important from both from a mental and physical perspective. Taking a break allows you to clear your mind and helps prevent ‘sedentary worker syndrome’ (i.e. stiff neck, migraines and the like). On a sunny day like this, take some time out for a short walk outside.
5.) Exercise is important too
Sitting at your desk all day may be tiring mentally, but you also need to think about exerting yourself physically. I try to go for a morning jog on a regular basis, followed by a yoga class on Thursday afternoons and will often go bouldering a couple of evenings a week. You don’t have to wait for the weekend to do some sport!
Whenever you’re doing any of these things and don’t want to be disturbed by clients or suppliers, you can use a phone answering service, to divert your phone calls to a virtual receptionist who will take care of answering and handling your calls for you (so if you’re worried about missing out on important calls, don’t be – there are solutions out there).
Following these simple tips can hopefully help you, as it did me, to find a healthy balance when working from home. Doing so will not only make you feel better but will also enable you to be far more productive; a sensible long-term investment to make.
Remember, working from home is a luxury so make sure you keep it that way.
More hints for staying warm when working from home
81 year ago
Lots of you have already shared tips on keeping warm while working from home, from hats, bodywarmers and hot water bottles to copious cups of tea and staying close to your heat-generating computer! I’ve just been given some advice from an expert in damp-proofing about heating your house during the winter to stay both warm and dry and I think it’s worth passing on.
I know from your comments that home workers tend not to keep the heating on all day, especially if they work alone. It just seems too extravagant when the family’s out, and with energy prices constantly rising, the cost is becoming prohibitive. So your heating is probably timed to come on first thing in the morning while everyone gets up and has breakfast, and then again in the evening when it gets dark and people arrive home.
My expert tells me it’s much more effective and cheaper to keep the heating on very low all the time, yes even during the night, because then the fabric of the building heats up and stays warm. You’ll also minimise condensation, when the warm air generated by the heating and all your daily activities like cooking, bathing and showering etc hits cold walls and windows.
We’re giving the low and constant method a go and keeping a close eye on both condensation and the gas meter. Oh, and I mustn’t forget to mention that the oil-filled radiators recommended by San Sharma of home business site Bitsy for home office use apparently only cost about 3p a day to run and are very effective.
Home cooking for hungry home workers
161 year ago
Hardworking home workers and their families need sustenance, but often we lack the time or inclination to think much about food or take long to prepare it. A is the chef in this household, and enjoys combining just the right ingredients for the right textures and flavours.
I love eating the results, but I’m no cook. If he’s not here for supper then my default is baked beans or baked potatoes. Or if I’m feeling reckless, maybe even baked beans with baked potatoes.
No doubt proper cooks would be horrified, but I only like to cook when I have something else to think about, a piece of writing maybe, or the best way to structure a workshop. Giving my unconscious mind permission to concentrate on something down-to-earth, like chopping onions, allows my imagination to come up with new ideas that never materialise if I stay at my desk.
I prefer one-pot meals so I don’t have to bother too much about timing – chilli, stew, soup, that kind of thing – and I make it for six so we have three meals worth. I love that smug feeling of knowing a healthy supper is in the fridge and only needs heating up.
Sometimes we give in to temptation and treat ourselves to a bargain M&S meal, picked up during our afternoon walk, which often seems to coincide with the time they are making reductions and sticking on those lovely yellow labels, all priced to the nearest 50p or pound. So easy to add up and the total so pleasantly small!
I’d love to hear about your tricks for quick, nutritious meals, your favourite home working recipes or whether, unlike me, you use cooking as a way to wind down from working.
Back on the rebound
51 year ago
by Judy
in Working from home tips
Well, I’m really warming to the subject of keeping out the cold while working from home in the winter (sorry, couldn’t resist!) Margaret’s comment yesterday about jumping up and down made me think of my rebounder, and how it will have another benefit now it’s getting colder.
I hadn’t been using it since we moved in April, but I was feeling sluggish so now I bounce for 20 minutes before starting work in the morning. The great thing is that it doesn’t matter what the weather is like and you don’t need to schedule a visit to the gym or shower afterwards. You just get on and bounce. My circulation isn’t brilliant and whenever I start rebounding again after a break, I notice a tingling in my feet where the blood is flowing better. It really makes a difference to my fitness level.
I may well start rebounding twice a day over the winter to keep warm and with any luck I will be fit and super-slim in the spring! I also walk into the centre of Frome every day as a break from work and to do bits of shopping. It’s a steep walk back home up Catherine Hill, a pretty cobbled street lined with independent shops, and I’m always warm by the time I get to the top!
3 ways to take a break without leaving your desk when you work at home
161 year ago
1. Hook up with fellow home workers and freelancers on Twitter
At 11 am in the UK the hospitable San Sharma (Charmer?) of Enterprise Nation hosts #watercoolermoment, which has a daily topic for you to chew over. On Fridays you can eyeball each other on the video chat.
I’ve recently also discovered #elevensestime, which I popped into for the first time today and found a very friendly and welcoming bunch of tweeters. @MartinGBEdwards is the main man and there’s also a blog Elevenses Time, which brings me neatly to my next point:
2. Give your brain a rest
and gather some inspiration by reading a blog or two totally unrelated to your work. One of my absolute favourites is The Sartorialist, a photo blog of stylish ‘ordinary’ people in the streets of New York and the cities Sartorialist Scott Schuman visits to record fashion shows. I also like Wee Birdy, a fresh, colourful design blog by an Australian living in London with lots of equally good links.
3. And just for a change
stop looking at that computer screen and give your eyes a rest. We tend to spend far too long for the health of our eyes gazing at computers. Keep your eyes open while cupping your palms gently over them and look into the soft, warm blackness for a couple of minutes…aaaahhh, what a relief!
