Seven tips to make working from home work for you right now Aussie across the country are having to stay home to work and study including me So, I've put together a quick guide on how to set yourself up & how to make working from home work for you
First up find your place to study or work considering you're going to be there for most of the day you want to try & find somewhere that's nice & bright that way you're not having to strain your eyes & you can still get a bit ofvitamin D which
is very important once you've got a spot it's time to think about the 'e' word ergonomics it's all about arranging a workplace so that it's comfortable & it suits you let's start with posture your back should be straight & you should adjust your chair height so your elbows
are 90 degrees to the table & your feet are touching the ground if you don't have a chair that goes up & down you can chuck a pillow on it & some books or paper under your feet if you're using a screen try to keep it about an
arm'slength away so your eyes aren't straining you also want the top of thescreen to be at eye level so your neck's not stuck in a weird position if you're using a laptop your best bet is to treat it like a screen so you're not constantly hunched over which
can lead to a sore back trust me I've been there & it's not fun I'd recommend grabbing a cheap mouse or a keyboard you can find them in heaps of places these days especially online if you don't want toventure outside you can even do all this with a
tablet although you may need adongle depending on what type you have tip number three: manage your time to-do lists are your friend every day write yourself a list of things you need to do & give yourself with fair time to knock each of the items off it'll help
you get organised keep you on track & make your day feel rewarding if possible use the principle of 'worst first' knock off the least exciting things on your list first so that way your day gets better as it goes alright, you've been working hard for ages and your
brain is starting to turn into mashed potatoes well, good news experts say taking a break every hour is very important it's a chance to stretch get a drink have some food & recharge so you're ready to get stuck in again when you're working hard think of your body
like a car racing at high speeds when it starts to run out of petrol the car slows down until it stops & you wake up two hours later with ink on your face one tip & I know it sounds ridiculous is to start every day by dressing uplike
it's a normal day as if you're going to school or work wearing a uniform while you're alone all day might make you feel like a weirdo but it'll get you in the right mindset to work & be a constant reminder that you should be working plus you'll look
& smell a lot nicer than you would in those dirty PJs you probably should have washed about two weeks ago okay so you're set up & you're looking great but you're still having problemsconcentrating one of the biggest problems about working at home is all of the things that
would usually distract you on a normal day what you can do is try to put your phone away get off of social media & avoid watching anything on streaming sites or YouTube unless it's a video by us we're fine if you're still struggling see what you can do
offline print off some things to do dust off the old pen & paper & get stuck in now, if you ask me this is the most important step get yourself a work assistant ideally one you don't have to pay mine accepts treats pats & lots & lots of
attention Olive here helps me pace while I think listens to me brainstorm & regularly destroys my socks so this step probably isn't as important as the others but if you are in a position to responsibly adopt a rescue like Olive here give it a crack a lot of
animal shelters are having a tough time at themoment because of how COVID-19's affecting them plus, you can get yourself a little assistant that will help keep you company during the day & stop you from getting too lonely good girl finally & this is actually the most importanttip you
need to look after yourself being stuck inside all day especially if you're alone can be tough & you can't be efficient if you're anxious, upset, tired or overworked so, after a long day make sure to check in with friends & family to see how they're going have a
laugh & try to talk about something non-COVID related I know it seems tough but non-COVID related things still exist in the outside world but what if you're feeling extra stress during the day well, why not take a break to chat with someone however if there's no one you
really feel comfortable talking to you can always try something like Kids Helpline or Beyond Blue now, to recap the seven steps find yourself a nice spot make sure it's comfortable if you're going to be there all day organize yourself and manage your time take regular breaks dress to
impress even if you're just impressing yourself get rid of any distractions that might be throwing you off track see if you can get yourself a furry assistant and most importantly look after yourself just remember we're all in this together
