5 tips for staying healthy and productive while you navigate your new work-from-home lifestyle.    

While we’ve all dreamed of waving goodbye to our office and swapping our desks for our beds from time to time, we’re slowly finding out that working from home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – especially if we’ve never done it before. Getting up late, wearing PJs until 2pm and not scheduling regular breaks are just some of the bad habits that can form if we don’t set up some ground rules. But don’t stress, we’ve compiled 5 easy tips for staying healthy and productive while you navigate your new (temporary) work-from-home life.

Get up at your usual time.

If you’ve been working from home for a few weeks now, you already know how easy it is to sleep in. Perhaps you’re staying up later than usual bingeing a Netflix crime doco or you’re baking more than you ever have in your life. It’s extremely important that you maintain your regular sleep habits when working from home or you’ll find yourself sluggish and unproductive very quickly.

Put on something comfy.

Working from home means you can wear whatever you want but it doesn’t mean you have to forgo your style. To keep your mind focused on work, we recommend dressing in something you’d wear to work on a casual Friday, but a step up from your weekend gear. Cosy sweaters are great to throw over a pair of your favourite worn-in jeans or a wide-legged pant. Dressing as if you’re leaving the house (even if you aren’t) helps you feel motivated and switched on, which is exactly what you need when you’re working from home. See below for some of our go-to Mia Fratino sweaters.  

Set up your work space.

Working from your bed might sound like a good idea, but it’s the quickest way to get a sore, stiff neck plus a stack of other health issues. Try to create a work space that mimics your office set up as best as possible, and personalise it with things that make you happy. If you’re working on a laptop look into a laptop stand so you can practise good OH&S.

Schedule regular breaks and do some exercise.

One of the first things we forget when working from home is to take our breaks. Make sure you schedule these in at roughly the same time each day and set an alarm to remind you. Being stuck inside can its toll mentally so getting out of the house for a quick walk around the block will refresh your mind and body.

Check out this link from Barry's Bootcamp in London, offering free exercise classes 4 times a day through Instagram live and other suggestions for keeping fit at home.

Remember to switch off.

Without a clear distinction between work life and home life, the two can very quickly combine. We suggest working the same hours as you would if you were in an office. Once you’re finished for the day, don’t return to your work space no matter how tempting it is. It’s incredibly important that you learn how to switch off when working from home to avoid becoming a slave to your computer.