Freelancing as an alternative to traditional workplace environment has grown by leaps and bounds. Experts estimate that some 43% of all workers will be freelancers by the year 2020. Of course, not all these professionals are writing or marketing experts, like here at WriterAccess. However, the growth of the industry means there are more and more people working from home, which brings up an interesting question. How do we as freelance writers, working from home, ensure our bodies aren’t neglected by spending hours on the computer daily, while we make a living? One way to do this is to make sure you stay active and incorporate exercise in your daily routine. Read on for some helpful tips on how to stay fit, even when working from home:
How to Stay Fit When Working From Home
Go For a Walk
If the weather is generally pretty where you live, count yourself lucky and go walk in the sunshine at least once a day. If weather at your home isn’t ideal more often than not, you can go walk at a gym, get either an elliptical or treadmill for your house, or go walk somewhere in doors, such as a shopping mall. If possible, though, get outside in the sun. This will serve two purposes, one to move your body, getting the blood pumping and endorphins flowing, but it will also uplift your mood by being in the sunshine. It doesn’t have to be an extremely long walk, even just a quick 15-minute walk will do wonders. Just get up, close your computer, and get outside. Consider it a motivating action to elevate your mood and inspiration for the rest of the day.
Get Dressed
Admittedly, working from home can lend itself to staying in your pj’s all day. I admit, it can be tempting to simply not take the time to get dressed, fix my hair or do my makeup. However, just as you would with a “regular” or “traditional” job, it’s important to take the time to make yourself presentable at the beginning of your day. This doesn’t mean you have to get up and put on a suit and heels, just that you need to shower and put on clothes that would be appropriate for public appearance, not a Walmart trip, but a real public appearance. You can show up in Walmart in jammas and no one will likely notice. Getting dressed will motivate you to do the activities mentioned in this post. After all, no one wants to take a jaunt down their road, for all the neighborhood to see, dressed in nothing but your slouch wear.
Make a Schedule and Then Stick With it (as Best You Can)
I know firsthand that scheduling a freelance writing day can be almost impossible. You don’t know when you will get work, you don’t know when the deadlines will be, and you can’t set them yourself. Therefore, trying to stick to a schedule can seem futile. However, that doesn’t mean you should ditch the idea altogether. As best as you can, have set hours you quantify as “working hours” during your day. This can be a certain time through another, begin your workday and then end it, or sporadically spaced through your day. Of course, there are going to be times you have to work an order in during your day, and you might go over your allotted or scheduled work time every now and then. However, try to at least create a schedule and then stick to it as best you can. This will ensure you don’t over do your screen time and enable you to have time to get active. You have to set a workday, purposefully. Otherwise, you will be tempted to work all day long. This can ironically reduce productivity.
Schedule Breaks Into Your Day
Even if you decide your most productive method approaching work is to put your nose to the grindstone and work from one time of the day to the other, it’s important to break up your scheduled work day a bit. Take breaks, even small ones, within your workday. Stand up stretch, go get some water, perhaps eat lunch (not at your desk), and give your eyes and neck a rest from the strain of computer work.
In conclusion, staying fit while working from home simply takes a measure of intentionality. It makes sense that your, and my, natural inclination will be to work as many hours as possible (more money and production) as well as remain as secluded as possible (staying indoors, in slouch clothes.) However, to ensure your health is protected, physically, mentally and emotionally, it’s important to make your health and wellbeing a priority though intentionally planning breaks, walks, and exercise. This will ensure your body is getting the attention it needs and is not pushed too far by the demands of desk and/or computer work. If you are a client interesting in the awesome freelance professional writers here at WriterAccess, contact us for more information.
Brandie P. has enjoyed freelance writing as a profession for almost a decade. She believes well written content can give any website or business an edge over their competitors. Therefore, she strives to maintain a level of professionalism in her work that will consistently elevate her clients and hopefully increase their revenue, reach and even reputation. She is happy to work with you today on your next project and especially values making long-term client/writer relationships.
