Steps for Better Working from Home During COVID-19

There’s plenty of time to take care of yourself during your 9–5. Here are some tips for tending to your physical and mental health as you work from home.

Improve Your Posture

You probably can’t control the fact that you’re looking at a screen most days — but you can control your posture when you’re in front of that screen! With a few tweaks to your work setup, you can pave the way for better work-from-home health.

First up, let’s talk about your screen’s position. Screens that are too low put strain on your neck and shoulders. If you’re using an external monitor, bring it up to eye level by putting it on a stack of books — it doesn’t have to be pretty!

If you’re using a laptop, pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can do wonders for your posture. They’ll allow you to raise your screen while keeping your shoulders and arms in a natural position while typing.

Lastly, eye strain is a real concern when you’re staring at a screen all day. Keep your monitor at least an arm’s length away, and take a 20-second break every 20 minutes to let your eyes get some rest.

Cut Yourself Some Slack

If there’s one mantra to repeat about working from home, it’s this: “It’s okay to not be as productive as I was before COVID-19.” We’re all living in a different world than we were in early 2020. It’s not fair to hold yourself to the same standards.

You have a thousand different things going through your head right now — and work is just a blip on the radar. Your health, your family’s safety, not to mention world events at large all need your attention. Try not to be so hard on yourself and accept the level of productivity that you’re capable of in this moment.

One practical thing you can do for your mental health every day is to get some fresh air. Take a 15-minute break to just sit and breathe — your body will thank you. You can find more tips for your mental health on our blog Anxiety and Self-Care During COVID-19.

Watch Your Work/Life Balance

For most people, there’s a pretty clear distinction between work and life. Work happens in the office, life happens outside of it. But when your home becomes your office, it can be hard to distinguish between the two!

Try to mark the end of the work day with an event that leads into your personal time. You might take a walk every day at 5 p.m., or schedule playtime with your kids as soon as you wrap up your last project. Making that distinction can help protect your work/life balance.

And here’s a tip for the long run: if you have vacation days, use them. Even taking a Friday off every month can give yourself a long weekend to rest your brain and get some great personal time in.

If you need more tips about how to manage your time, head over to our blog Making a Routine During COVID-19.