Working from home is a dream for many people, but it can be a big lifestyle change compared to working in an office or another type of workplace. When you work from home, you’re often alone and sometimes the only contact you might have with others is through email.

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There are many health implications to consider when working from home to make sure that it stays the right move for you. Your mental and physical health are important, and perhaps even more so when you’re self-employed, with no allowances for sick days.

Take a look at some top tips to consider on looking after your health when working from home.

Ensure you have the right desk setup

When you work for an employer, it is their duty to ensure that your health and safety is taken care of in the workplace. Now that you work from home, it’s up to you to fulfill that role. Give yourself the right desk setup to make sure that you have the right back support, comfortable surroundings and plenty of light. Give careful consideration to designing your home office to make sure that you have a workspace that is fit for purpose and will motivate you to work.

Establish a routine

When you work for yourself, you become your own boss. There’s nobody to slap you on the wrist when you’re late, and nobody to see you sat around in your pyjamas. However, developing bad habits can soon lead to productivity problems. From the outset, it’s important to establish a good working routine that helps you get your work done. Set yourself core working hours and a schedule like you’d have in the office. Make sure that you get dressed too – there are some proven benefits to dressing the part for work, even when you’re working from home.

Separate work from home

Some of the benefits of working from home include being able to tackle those everyday chores that would otherwise have to wait until the evenings or weekends. Things like unloading the dishwasher, or putting some laundry out to dry, can make it easier to manage your home while working and make working from home worthwhile. However, it’s important that the lines don’t become too blurred. If you pre-occupy yourself too much with chores, you’ll start giving less focus to your work, while also running the risk of working late into the night to compensate. Try to tackle your household chores during a break and give yourself a time to switch off from work – it’ll make it much easier to separate the two aspects of your life.

Take breaks

While some people might struggle with finding the motivation to work at home, others could have the opposite problem. By working too hard, you miss out on the benefits that taking a break can offer, causing you to burn out. Breaks are important for keeping your mind sharp and feeling energized, so it’s important to factor them into your day. When you work from home, you’re given a much wider choice of things to do during your break such as going for a drive or taking a nap, so start thinking about the great possibilities you could be enjoying instead of working flat-out.

Avoid bad habits

You get more freedom to do what you want when working from home, which has its negatives as well as its positives. It’s easy to get into the habit of sitting for too long, snacking too much and other bad habits that can affect your health. Another one is smoking. Just because you can smoke when you please now, doesn’t mean that you should. If you’re trying to quit, turn to vaping or even using a bong to reduce the damaging effects of smoking. You can get a bong from Dopeboo’s best bongs of 2018 that you can use at home without anybody knowing. Instead of forming bad habits at home, focus on healthier ones instead. Going for a lunchtime or morning run could help you get some much-needed fresh air, while also helping to keep your body fit and healthy.

Living a healthy lifestyle should be a priority for you, and is something you need to work extra hard at when you’re working from home. Maintain a strong work/life balance to help make sure that you see people and socialise and avoid some of the health issues which can stem from working alone. Working from home is wonderful when you get it right, so focus on the best ways to can make it work for you.