Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, working from home has become the norm for many more Kiwis.
Logan Tutty talks to the professionals about ways to navigate working from home.
Separate work and home life
Rebecca Farr from Rachel Brandon Designing Interiors said it was important to designate a space especially for working.
"Don't just use your laptop at the end of your bed.
"Having a dedicated place allows you to focus and it mentally gets you into more of a work mode and helps in creating that work/life balance when we are working from home."
Terry Lobb, from Terry Lobb Colour and Design, has been working from home for 20 years.
Specialising in kitchen and bathroom design, she felt it was extremely necessary for her to have a dedicated, separated space.
"I had the garage cut down and access put in so I didn't have clients coming through my house. I wanted it completely separate.
"I don't have a lot of clients here, most of mine are in Wellington, but I didn't want clients coming through when the kids were home because that is our space.
"My house is very much my home. My workspace needs to be separate. People expect because of what I do, that my house will be pristine, but it is very much a family home."
If she is going to have a coffee with a friend, she meets them somewhere rather than bringing them into her office.
Creating a productive work space
Don't be afraid to be playful with your space and have fun with your decor, Farr said.
"This is your own space and you have to love it, add in a photo or artwork that you love as these items reflect back to your mental health and wellbeing."
Adding a plant or two to your designated work space is a great idea as the plants have a great effect on your mental health.
"They reduce stress, restore your ability to concentrate, clean the air and increase productivity so they are perfect for a workspace at home."
Good natural lighting can help increase productivity.
"The bright sunshine helps us in feeling more alert, it also has a powerful effect of our mental health and boosts our mood and lessens anxiety."
Screen time is often quite harsh and leaves us with a physical strain on our eyes.
Lobb said when she was designing her home office having plenty of sunshine was important.
"I designed it so it would have maximum natural light. In the morning it is really bright and clear and is good to work with colours."
She starts her work day at 5am, as she finds she is productive earlier in the day when it is quieter and more peaceful.
"I get a lot of traffic noise here, but that is a very productive time for me."
Farr said mood-boosting music was also a great sensory benefit.
"A positive playlist helps keep you focused, reduces stress and anxiety and overall can put a smile on your face."
Comfort was another key, using a good supportive chair that won't make your body feel sore by the end of the day thus making you not want to return.
However, too much comfort is not ideal as it may lead to being easily distracted.
Ergonomics
Chances are ergonomic practices are easily overlooked when creating an at-home office setup, but they are important.
From hunching over a laptop on your bar stool at the kitchen counter to working from bed, poor working-from-home practices cause grief for our backs, necks and shoulders.
Occupational therapist from Proactive Whanganui, Viv Millward, said one concern about working from home was using laptops.
"We know laptops are only designed for intermittent, short-term use not long-term use. They tend to cause people to sit in a hunched position.
"The key thing to think about when you are setting yourself up is to make sure your forearms are parallel to the floor when you are sitting.
Keyboards should be at a height that is just below the elbow with a relaxed arm, but ideally, the top of the screen should be at eye level.
"What I suggest is you elevate the laptop and you have a detached keyboard that you work on, so your laptop is used just as a screen."
Millward said it was worth investing in a decent set-up at home as it was likely you would be working from home again sometime in the near future.
"Dining chairs are not designed for long hours of seating. I know people who have lots of pain from dining room chairs. They are good chairs, just not for work."
Getting up and walking often is also beneficial.
Have scheduled breaks
Scheduling times to have breaks and being consistent of those times was important.
"This may seem obvious but so often we find ourselves just working through just to get through our work load. Schedule in times for exercise and to eat so you have a bit of consistency," Farr said.
Lobb admitted she could be more on top of having set breaks, as sometimes she gets lost in her work and day is over.
Depending on your line of work, Lobb said space wasn't super important, as long as there is somewhere in the house that you know is your work space.
She said she tends to work odd hours sometimes, which can blur the lines between home life and work life.
"I try to keep everything in this space rather than morph into the rest of the house."
Working with the space you have
Lobb said she has created home offices for people in small spaces such as under staircases or in a cupboard.
"As long as it is well lit and I prefer to have it so that you can push the chair in and shut the doors.
"When you are working from home, you have to be structured. When the kids were home, they knew when I was in the office, that was my workspace.
"But you don't really need a big space. If you only have a laptop and that is all you need, you don't need a lot. Just a comfortable chair or a standing desk," Lobb says.
