By Victor Abadio, posted in Toptal
Remote work, or working from home.
A common dream that is becoming more and more a reality.
When most people think
about working in a home environment, they think they will be able to wake up
late, work in their pajamas, not worry about traffic jams and so on; basically,
do whatever they want.
And, while that may be partially true, working remotely
can have an effect on your physical health. That’s why it is important for
remote developers to stay active and healthy, and that’s what we’re dicussing
today.
Granted, there are a lot of
developers who take good care of themselves and enjoy a healthy, active
lifestyle. If you are one of them, you can skip the rest of this post, because
I wrote it to help developers like myself, who could benefit from a healthier
lifestyle. Even if you are entirely focused on your career, and think you don’t
have enough spare time to lead a healthy lifestyle, bear in mind that good
physical health will also boost your productivity.
Having worked
remotely for four years, I have a few tips for newcomers and those who already
work from home, but don’t want to sit around when they’re not working. Keep in
mind that everything I’m about to say isdrawn from personal experience and from things I’ve learned;
I am not a doctor or trainer in any way.
Routines Are Important For Remote Workers
The whole
point of working remotely is that you don’t have to commit to that boring 9-to-5
office routine, right? Right. But you also need some sort of structure to stay
organized and separate your work hours from your chill time.
Whether you like to work in the morning or at night, every remote
developer needs to stick to a routine that works for them.
Maybe you work better at night? If
you don’t have to attend meetings during daytime work hours then there’s
nothing wrong with working from, say, 7pm to 3am and sleeping ‘til noon. Maybe
you want to keep working from 9am to 6pm because you like it or your company
demands it. That’s fine, too.
I’m saying you need to keep in
mind the hours you should be working and the hours you are free to do whatever
you want. Of course, some flexibility is involved, especially when you need to
cooperate with clients and remote teams on other continents. You’re working
with a time that’s seven hours ahead of your local time, so that particular
week you’ll be working a little later than usual.
You have to adjust, but at the
same time make sure you draw a clear line between work and play time.
Make Time For Yourself
With taking your routine seriously
in hand, you need to make sure it includes time away from work. A time only for
you to enjoy it how you want. Want to go for a walk on the beach everyday on
sunrise? Great. Want to spend it playing Candy Crush? That’s also fine.
Scheduled
time away from work is of extreme importance when working remotely. It will keep you sane. It is very easy to get lost in
your work. Ever met a developer who doesn’t have a freelancing business or side
project out of their daytime job? I know
I’ve never met one.
Every remote worker should set clear working hours and enjoy enough
quality time, indoors and outdoors.
I like to think of this part of
the day as chill time. I like to spend it reading science fiction books. I make
sure to take time to read twice: right after lunch and just before bed. If I
have other available time slots during the day I’d probably do that, too;
there’s no such thing as too much Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke or Philip K.
Dick for me.
Note that your chill time does not
mean laying around, exerting no physical effort, whatsoever. It does not mean
you should be alone, either. You can spend it with your friends and family, or
maybe take a quick walk in the park with your dog.
Exercising is even better, which
brings me to the next point.
Exercise Regularly
It is no
secret that people who exercise regularly feel better and have more energy, and
are thus more productive. In fact, remote workers tend to be more productive than their office counterparts to beging with. If you
invest a little time and effort in fitness, you should be able to boost your
productivity further. This means you can widen the gap between yourself and
your office-bound competition, and on top of that you can be healthier as well.
Usually, it is easier to get
yourself to the gym when you work in an office. Perhaps because it is close to
work, or because you go there with a friend after you’re done for the day.
People find it hard to get up early when they don’t have to, especially to work
out. Laziness is not the only culprit here. Maybe you don’t like to work out
alone, but most of your friends are at work when you want to go to the gym or
shoot some hoops. Maybe you’re skinny and don’t think you have to do anything
to improve your health. However, you can be thin and still be out of shape.
I used to be chubby. Really
chubby. I started gaining weight when I began working in another city and spent
four hours or more commuting to and from work. Then, I switched companies and started
working from home, and it only got worse, because I failed to adjust my
routine. But before long, I decided I needed to do some other activity that did
not involve a computer or me laying on my couch, munching snacks.
Find an enjoyable pastime that will get you out of your home office and
help you get back into shape.
Enter tennis. I always loved watching tennis,
but the thought of playing never crossed my mind. Until it did. I started
taking classes once a week and I really liked it. Then, I upgraded to three
times a week; I even paid for my sister to take classes too. After that, I
joined a club and started playing with her whenever I could. Weekends, spare
time during the week, you name it, I was there on a regular basis, trying to
improve my game.
Although I had never felt better, for a couple
of years that was all I did. I still would eat wrong (we’ll get to that in a
second). I was still chubby and not happy about it. So I sought professional
help. I Googled nutritionists in my area and scheduled an appointment. I
described my eating habits to her and she stunned me; nothing I put in my belly
was good for me. So, I left there with a diet that contained things I did not
eat ever, much less daily. On top of that, I joined a gym (went daily, at night)
and started running (three times a week, in the morning). I lost 15 kilos in 2
months. Mission accomplished. I was happy, healthy and fit. I also worked a lot better, too.
Now, I’m not saying you need to do what I did,
this is my story, my personal experience. My point here is that you need to
move your body more than the Saturday afternoon game with the guys from your
old job. If you don’t like lifting weights, take up a sport. Go run in the park
when the sun is starting to fade and it’s not so hot out. Call another
developer friend and help each other commit to daily spinning classes. Just get
yourself out of the house and into some sort of activity. The first step is
always hard, but once you get used to it, or find something that you really
look forward to, you’ll feel a lot better.
JavaScript Developer
Victor is a Front-end
Developer and WordPress specialist.
He is based in São Paulo, Brazil.
Victor has seven years of
experience developing web pages as a freelancer
and working on teams for
agencies, and most recently, start-ups.
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