The best way to work/study at home

1. Fresh air and exercise 

You may well have thought of this yourself. But that doesn't make it any less important. When you work at the office, you automatically get the necessary fresh air and often enough exercise. Now that you are at home you have to come up with something else. Cycle, walk, run (you will of course stay at home if you have flu-like symptoms). Make sure you don’t stay in the same room all the time, as that will not do your immune system any good. 

2. Take that (lunch) break! 

Normally you relax during a break and discuss the week/weekend with your colleagues/fellow students, so you are completely distracted from work/study for a while. That is difficult now. So don't be tempted to eat your sandwich while using your laptop and continue to empty your inbox. Take half an hour for yourself and go somewhere else. Turn on the radio, meditate or call someone. In the latter case, make sure the other person is also having a break. Other breaks are also important. Every twenty minutes look up from your screen for at least twenty seconds. According to physiotherapists, it ensures fewer complaints in the long term. Or use the pomodoro-technique.  

3. Plan! 

Plan your day. When to start, pause and stop, as you would on a normal working day. During a break you now have the advantage that if the sun is shining, you can sit in the garden or walk the dog. There is no supervision by colleagues or a manager, so you have to do that yourself: stay in control. You don't want to work too much just because you are working from home now, right? 

4. Eat healthy 

Watch your diet. Do not take too many unhealthy snacks at home. It is tempting to raid the pantry for an unhealthy snack during an energy dip. Moreover, this means your snack supply runs out more quickly. Working from home means you get less exercise than before, so watch out for #coronakilos. Make sure you have snack vegetables, fruit, nuts or ingredients for a smoothie, and eat these to perk you up. 

5. Keep in touch 

Continue to collaborate with your colleagues/fellow students. Stay in touch using digital options. Not only for work, but also for a daily coffee chat. Schedule it in your team or group's calendar. Call or app to catch up and share successes, concerns and frustrations. 

6. Make your workplace pleasant and practical 

Make sure you have a good chair at home, possibly with a pillow to support your back, and a good desk. Place your laptop at eye level to prevent back and neck complaints. Make sure there is enough light so you can work relaxed and concentrated. However, don’t sit in direct sunlight, as the contrast with the light from your screen is too great and can cause headaches. Make arrangements with your housemates: let them know when you will be focusing on your work or have a digital consultation, so there is no bass guitar pounding in the background or children screaming “Mummy". Also say when you have a break, so that it is clear that you have time to chat. This way you create clarity and peace. Ergonomist Erwin Speklé of Arbo Unie also has some tips.   

7. Deskercise 

As said before: you move less on a home working day than on a normal office day. Therefore, do exercises at your improvised desk. Stretch your legs, tighten your buttocks, move your neck and do a few squats when you make coffee. Our advice: do an exercise every half hour. Additionally, you can also get up and walk around the room during phone calls. 

8. Work safely 

Due to the unusual circumstances forcing us to work from home, there are more opportunities for cyber criminals to take over computers and raid bank accounts, according to cyber-crime expert Maria Genova. Not every private Wi-Fi connection is as secure as the one at your work, moreover, there is already an increase in the number of fake emails, including a number of “companies” with “Corona tips for employees”. How can you counter this? Do not postpone updates for your PC or laptop to keep your software up to date. Use hard-to-crack passwords and don’t use the same ones all the time. 

9. Pay attention to your privacy and security 

As we are all working digitally from home, it is important to think about your privacy. When you use the webcam for working together in teams or giving online lessons, or for consultations via Skype, ask yourself: what comes into view of you and your house? Do you want to share all of this? Are there privacy-sensitive matters or texts in the picture? When teaching and working remotely, you are audible and visible in someone else’s household. You don’t know who else is watching/ listening in. Therefore, choose a quiet place where others cannot watch/ listen uninvited and agree that others do the same. This also gives you an instant benefit: it also helps you concentrate. Also make arrangements about the use and storage of any recordings or shared images on social media, for example. 

Do you have any more tips? Let us know via nieuws@saxion.nl! For now, good luck and have fun!