WFH - Creating your space.

The transition to working from home has been a significant change, and not how I would have imagined. I thought it would be so easy to spend the day working on my laptop. I was wrong. I hadn’t realised how it would affect my physical well-being. I struggled to adjust to this new working method after working in an office for roughly 20 years.

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Like everyone else around the world, I started working from home during the pandemic. My office started in the dining room, but I struggled with compartmentalising my time and ended up working longer days. I migrated from my bed to the dining room table, spending all day in front of my laptop in back-to-back meetings, and then migrated to the bath and then bed. In the morning, back to the dining room table and my laptop. This went on for about 6 months until I was laid off (like so many others). I then decided to use what I had to create my own space, and I converted the spare room into my mini office. I used whatever I could find at home—an old desk from the storeroom and a dining room chair. This is where GH Skills Solutions came to life. But the dining room chair was not made for long days in front of a laptop, so I was gifted a gaming chair. Turns out that gaming chairs are also not great for sitting in front of a laptop all day.

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Similar to so many others, working from home meant I was no longer able to get up and socialise with co-workers, make coffee, attend meetings, or even take a walk. Turns out sitting all day is not so great for you. It was becoming so painful to sit that my doctor prescribed a doughnut cushion. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it! When you are in that much pain, you will try just about anything. Sitting all day is horrible for your body and mind. So as soon as GH Skills Solutions had a budget, I started with my office makeover.

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I started by investing in an ergonomic chair and standing desk. The standing desk is a game changer for me. I find that I am more engaged in meetings and able to think more clearly while standing. Now that I had my standing desk, I found that I could not stand still! Enter the Anti-Fatigue Board. I can’t tell you why, but it works for me.?

* If you live in South Africa (like me), I recommend a manual desk instead of an electric desk; you don’t want to get caught during load-shedding with your table halfway up.

Next up, was a desk treadmill or WalkingPad. This has taken me a minute to work into my day. I tried walking and reading but would not recommend it. It made too much noise to even try in a meeting. As a result, I did what any insane workaholic would, I started doing my LinkedIn Learning while walking, and I found my jam! This works for me; I get in an hour of walking and an hour of learning. Win/Win.

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This was not an overnight renovation; I did this in baby steps and waited to see if it would work, which it did, and there is still more change to come. In the end, I realised that I needed to find what works for me and what I can afford - and so do you! None of these are cheap solutions, but in the long run, I think my body and mind will thank me.