Bad Habits While Working From Home: 5 You Need to Avoid

February 25th, 2021 | Office Furniture Blog

The year 2020 has brought significant changes in our lives especially the way we worked. Luckily, for some of us, we are able to continue our work life in the comfort of our home thanks to technology and the internet.

For many employees, remote work has been a welcome change. No more long hours wasted on commuting and getting stuck in traffic; not to mention how much of our daily budget is saved on transportation costs like bus fares and fuel costs. Businesses are also reaping the benefits as they cut down expenses on space rent, utilities, among other things that are required to run an office. 

Definitely, it’s safe to say that remote work is no longer a temporary arrangement. The trend is here to stay. We are enjoying the ‘flexibility’ that working from home has brought with it. We are in charge of our schedule and set the pace of work according to our convenience. 

It may be a fun novel change at first but as working from home becomes the new normal, it has also blurred the lines between work life and home life, letting bad habits set in and productivity not where it used to be.

We are taking a look at these bad habits while working from home and provided some tips to help you improve health, wellbeing, and happiness.

5 Bad Habits While Working From Home

1. Not keeping your desk and home office space clean

Unlike your work desk, your home office desk serves as a multi-functional space for both your work and home needs. If you don’t clean it regularly, it becomes uninspiring to work in your home office.

Give your workstation some loving with deep cleaning and keep it that way. Sort items on your desk and throw out unnecessary trash. Wipe down all surfaces and keep your work equipment organized. 

A clean desk is energizing and inspiring. It will help you stay focused and ultimately be more productive at your tasks. 

2. Forgetting to move around

Inactivity is already a major concern when working at the office and this doubles up now that we’re working from home. Without the need to commute and all meetings are done at your home desk, the amount of activity we do daily has drastically declined. 

Now’s the time to bring physical activity back to your daily routine. Get up and move at least for a couple of minutes every working hour. Squeeze in a set of stretching exercises to reset your body. 

Doing chores is also good bodywork. Water your plants, washing the dishes, playing with the dog, or taking out the trash are all tasks that take a couple of minutes that can help you take a step back from work and get your body moving. These are also useful tasks that help you stay on top of your domestic life.

3. Replacing every meeting with a video call

While video conferencing is a great replacement to face to face meetings, its increased usage has led to what is called “Zoom fatigue”. 

This stems from how we process information over video. In video conferencing, the only way we can show we’re paying attention is to look into the camera. This is not the case in real life. How often do you stand a few feet away from your colleague and stare into their face during a meeting? Having to engage in a constant gaze is discomforting and tiring; thus, leads to fatigue.

Reduce video meetings and engage in more traditional phone calls. Keep conversations only when they are necessary or keep your camera switched off from time to time.

4. Not working at a proper workstation 

Is your workstation and equipment layout optimized for comfort, performance, and wellbeing? Is your office chair suitable for the long hours you are spending at your desk? 

Having the right home office chair that adjusts to your height and body preference is very important for long-lasting comfort and preventing bad posture. This also goes with your keyboard, monitor, and other office equipment. 

A high-quality ergonomic chair provides lumbar support for the lower back and has adjustable seat pan tilt, arm height, and lateral arm position. Look into adjustable desks so you could maintain the correct height wherein your wrists are not bent when using the keyboard and mouse. 

5. Eating lunch at your desk

There are days when we are so loaded with work that we choose to sit at our desk until it’s done. It’s super easy to grab your lunch and eat at your desk. This is not a new phenomenon whether you are working at the office or at home. But by not all means is it healthy.

Taking your lunch break away from your desk does not only help you keep moving, but it also helps keep your desk tidy. It also gives your brain a much-needed break from work allowing you to refocus later in the afternoon when you resume. 

These are a few bad habits while working from home to avoid to help you improve your productivity and health. By keeping these in mind, you’ll be able to balance your work life and home life effectively and stay productive.

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