​Home Sweet… (Work from) ... Home

As much as we’re all about optimism and hoping for the best no matter the circumstances, the fact is the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us, keeping many of us working from home for the foreseeable future.

In order to do this and keep your sanity, you need to set yourself up for success. Part of this involves creating a more ideal home office space, designed to maximize productivity and fine-tune your focus. We’ve got five suggestions to help get you started…

Reimagine Your Space

Those of us who aren’t used to working from home are probably feeling like the perks of pajamas have lost their lustre. Many people miss their regular work environment, their colleagues, their routine. While we can’t change the COVID-19 pandemic or predict when it will end, we can help strategize little ways to make things more bearable in the meantime.

-Start with the basics: It might seem beyond obvious, but if you’re going to be working from home you need to supply yourself with a comfortable chair and desk. Relying on an old folding chair and card table that you found in the garage isn’t going to cut it and will make your work day feel longer. Invest in your comfort and increase your productivity by ensuring that you have the right working space.

-Creature comforts are key: As much as long working hours require the right desk and chair, you might also consider an extra creature comfort or two. For instance, a foot rest can make all the difference and give your feet a break from being planted flat on the ground for hours at a time. We also highly recommend comfy socks to complete the look!

-Broadcast on the big screen: Your super compact laptop might be convenient on the go or for short bursts of emailing, but squinting for long stretches isn’t just aggravating, it can cause fatigue, now known as digital eye strain, and even headaches. Skip all that by shopping for a monitor that connects to your smaller machine and broadcasts what you need to read and respond to -- on the big screen. Trust us, your eyes will thank you.

-Stay connected at your convenience: In other words, buy Bluetooth and wireless accessories as much as your budget will allow. Focus on a wireless keyboard, mouse, and printer so that you have the freedom and flexibility to change up your working environment if you need some fresh perspective -- or just fresh air. By going wireless with some of the most common working components, you afford yourself some freedom of movement -- something the pandemic has restricted.

-Protect against positive ions: Unfortunately, the shift to working from home means more hours logged in and around electronic devices. A commonly experienced drawback to working from home is the inability to maintain boundaries between professional and personal life. Many people end up logging more hours and never really being off the clock. Consistent exposure to positive ions can aggravate workplace stressors causing increased anxiety and depression, which are already regularly reported due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. Selecting a negative ion bracelet or magnet bracelet to wear on a daily basis is a good start to consistently accessing the physical and psychological benefits that research has attributed to negative ions.