If you’ve seized the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic, chances are you’ve become familiar with home office design guidelines. Thankfully, there’s plenty of useful material online to help you find inspiration for your home office decor. Most homeowners face many challenges, whether they are turning a spare bedroom into their new workstation or retrofitting a desk in a nook underneath the stairs. Space management, cost-effective decor, and pretty designs are some of the most common issues you’ll have to tackle when you create your work-from-home spot.
Ultimately, we want a place that motivates us to be productive every day. The look and feel of the home office matter a lot. Yet, what’s the point of a pretty workstation if it has adverse consequences on your health?
Capture pollutants
Do you know that your home office could contain up to 5 times more pollutants than the outdoor environment? Indeed, volatile toxins and harmful particles could be emitted by some of your favorite items and decor touches, ranging from the paint on the wall to the varnish coat on the desk. How can you effectively manage and reduce the presence of VOCs? Air filtering tech can be highly effective, but it comes at a cost that might not fit every budget. On the other hand, simple maintenance tricks such as getting on top of your AC repair and servicing schedule could help reduce pollutants in the air at a lower cost. Indeed, air-con units help filter the air and capture toxins.
Combat soreness
The human body is not made to be sitting all day. Unfortunately, our jobs require precisely that! Prolonged sitting is typically associated with back pain, hip tightness, and stiff neck syndrome. A standing desk could be an option for you. But, it can be tricky to get used to the new setting. You can also introduce frequent desk exercises into your daily routine to target the damage made by a desk job. Ideally, you should keep a fitness routine to help undo the harm of 13 hours at a desk!
Make a point to ban donuts
We all need a little pick-me-up during the day. Unfortunately, we tend to turn to sugary treats or junk food to help us throughout the day. Office snacks tend to focus on doughnuts, sandwiches/burgers, and cookies. There’s a reason why we love those. They deliver an energy kick when we need it most. Yet, the energy boost doesn’t last long and you rapidly experience a drop. For the calorific amount they bring, it seems that our go-to snacks are counterproductive and harmful to our health. Instead, you want to train yourself to rely on healthy snacks, which provide long-lasting energy and plenty of nutrients. Roasted chickpeas, for instance, are high in protein and fiber, making you feel full and helping focus. Green yogurt with a handful of nuts is also a fantastic treat that packs a ton of protein and yum to keep you motivated. More to the point, we need to ban the sugar-high addiction from the home office to help the body and mind stay alert.
A healthy home office supports your health, both physical and mental, while you work from home. Therefore, you need to make it a priority to manage air quality, muscle soreness, and sugar cravings at your desk. A healthy work setting will also drive productivity, creativity, and quality!
