Every day more and more of us are choosing to work from home, and with that comes certain health risks that you might not encounter in a regular workspace. You need to be cognizant of these risks to ensure your overall well-being while keeping a home office. As a freelancer working from home, I find it so hard to avoid setting up camp each day on the couch and working off of the coffee table. Not only is this incredibly straining on your back but it also enforces a sense on unprofessionalism. Who would want to do business with someone who just lounges on their sofa all day? Take the first step and get set up at a real desk or worktable. This brings me to my first point about how to keep your home office safe.
A Great Chair
Do not underestimate the power of a great chair. While at first, spending a big chunk of change on a desk chair may seem like a fruitless investment, just think about how much of a difference it will make for your posture over the next year or so. Totally worth it when you put it that way. And don’t buy a chair from a catalog or online. You need to go into the store and test them. Make sure you can adjust the height. Decide if you like arm rests or not. Color and fabric choice shouldn’t be of huge concern when purchasing your chair though luckily many chairs come in great colors and pattern choice nowadays. Believe me, your spine will thank you big time!
Regular Walks
In order to keep your blood circulation in good form, I would suggest going for walks throughout the day especially if you are pretty stationary at your desk. If you don’t have a lot of time to leave the house, just go for one longer walk in the morning and do some household work to keep your body active in the afternoon. If you need more motivation, make your walk a destination and hit up the coffee shop for your afternoon pick-me-up.
Secure Your Cables
The last thing you want to do is trip over loose cables. Ensure your safety (and also minimize the clutter) by securing your cables with zip ties or containing them in cable boxes.
Drink Lots of Water
When you are working in a regular workplace you remember to do things like go for coffee breaks, eat lunch at noon and drink lots of water. When you are working for yourself, you can easily get distracted and fall out of these routines. In order to avoid dehydration, you should definitely drink ½ your body weigh in ounces of water each day. You’ll be feeling refreshed and energized.
Organizational Tips
Keep office supplies all in one place just like a corporate office would. That way you will never run out of printer ink right at the last minute. Also, keep items that you use on a regular basis at close reach to avoid straining your back when grabbing things quickly. If your workspace is not big enough to hold all of these items, consider getting a rolling shelf cart that you can wheel around for easy use.
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