How You Can Rejuvenate Your Work from Home Routine

Initially, working from home felt like a break from the office. It affected workers in many professions; marketing, sales, legal, administrative, and more! However, after over a year, work from home feels a little bit boring. Will work from home become the norm? Well, it’s set to stick around; 70% of the workforce will remotely work by 2025. Maybe it’s time for a shake-up in your routine. We’ve already compiled a list of 5 essential home office furnishings, but it’s time to look beyond furniture. Have you considered how often you get up to stretch? Or what way your desk is facing daylight and windows? In this article, we’ll explain a couple of ways you can rejuvenate your work from home routine with no money spent!

Set Your Desk Perpendicular to a Window

Your desk is your office hub from home. There are multiple ways to position a desk. Perhaps under a painting, facing a wall, or looking out a window; all have benefits yet are not suited to everyone’s taste. Some experts argue that having a window-facing desk (looking out) can cause undue strain on your eyes. Although, you shouldn’t seek to work in a windowless room! Daylight in office environments is linked to reductions in eyestrain, headaches, and drowsiness. From a Feng Shui perspective, desks should face a door so that a good business opportunity is never missed. A suitable and expert-backed compromise would be to place your desk beside but not facing a window! Sitting perpendicular to a window balances the light of day with the screen brightness, leading to fewer troublesome headaches and eye strain.

Stretch your body

A light period of desk stretches can be remarkable for the body when most of our day is spent sitting. The practice even has a name, “deskercise”! Poor posture and remaining sedentary for long periods can cause or aggravate musculoskeletal disorders. When remaining sitting for long periods, posture affects the shoulders, back, neck, & hips, even resulting in pain and changes in physical form. Our three favourite stretches are practical tools in combating the challenges of desk work for hours at a time:

Lower back

• Lean forward in your chair.
• Raise one knee at a time toward your chest.
• With your hands interlocking behind your knee, pull your leg toward your chest.
• You should feel stretching at the base of your back and upper glute muscle.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds.
• Repeat the movement with the other leg.

Shoulders

• Sit upright in a comfortable chair or stand up.
• Place one hand under the elbow of the alternate arm.
• Pull your arm across your chest.
• You should feel stretching at the back of your shoulder.
• Maintain this position for 20-30 seconds.
• Repeat the movement with the other arm.

Chest

• Sit upright in a comfortable chair or stand up.
• Interlock your fingers behind your head.
• Bring your shoulder blades as close together as you can, trying to bring your elbows behind you.
• You should feel stretching in your chest.
• Maintain this position for 20-30 seconds.
• Slowly return your elbows to your front and place your hands at rest.

Use the 20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 rule involves looking at an object 20 feet away for twenty seconds, at intervals every 20 minutes. It takes 20 seconds for your eyes to completely adjust and relax. The practice tackles eye strain, otherwise known as computer vision syndrome. Eye strain affects between 50% & 90% of workers with computers. Screens typically involve looking up, down, and side-to-side for long periods at a time. This makes our eyes constantly be adjusting to various light levels, contrasts, and angles. It’s helpful to set a timed alarm to remind you when to take a 20-second screen break. Well, does the rule work? An academic study on almost 800 students found that regular screen breaks for 20 seconds to look at distant objects resulted in lessening computer vision syndrome’s symptoms.

In short, your home office is a blend of many atmospheric and ergonomic factors that can make or break your comfort and productivity. Work from home is here to stay for quite some time, & you deserve a working from home routine that keeps you in good spirits and productivity. You’ll be amazed how these small changes can benefit you in the long run.

Theofficestore.ie is your hub for all office supply, furnishing, & equipment needs! We stock over 25,000 products. We also offer next-day delivery on our wares and free shipping on orders over €75. If you have any questions about how we can suit your individual or organisational needs, call us today on +353 1 630 8901 or email hello@theofficestore.ie.