Today this is not about technology, or the best project management software (which we will soon deliver to you -.^), but about our health (those who work at the office, or at home, but generally, in a sitting position. Sitting a lot, like, really, A LOT!) Many of us are probably familiar with the annoying back or neck pain after sitting at our computer for hours.
These days, an average office worker sits for 10 hours a day.
What is more, sometimes we sit and just stare at the screen , without any sensible idea how to continue with our work. This article should provide some solutions to deal with these problems. First, we will focus on our health and what can we do not to suffer from the after-effects of sitting for the most part of the day, then we are going to share some suggestions, how you can boost your creativity and productivity by making use of your break time appropriately.
Spend your time in the office in a healthy way.
Sitting is harmful!
To be honest, there is nothing more important than taking a short break from your work once in a while. We are not machines, we have to regenerate (well, most of the machines need a recharge as well… But we are not machines! We cannot plug into the nearest power source and just laid back) – the more time we spend working on the same task in one place, the slower is the progress!
Our mind tends to wander off if we force it to focus on one particular duty for too long.
What is more, our body is designed for regular movement. Sitting in front of a computer for long hours can have a dramatic influence on our health. These days, an average office worker sits for 10 hours a day. There is no doubt that doing this is harmful, it can impact our health and shorten our lives. Here are some examples of what happens to your organs when you sit for too long:
- Your blood flows slower and muscles burn less fat, which increases the risk of developing a heart disease
- Your pancreas produces higher amounts of insulin, which may lead to diabetes
- Your digestion is slowed down. If this continues for an extended period of time, it may cause some very serious diseases, including allergy, asthma, and obesity.
- Your brain functions are slower; it gets less fresh blood and oxygen and in result releases less mood-enhancing chemicals.
It really sounds drastic, doesn’t it? So let’s skip the posture problems, those are pretty obvious – for example, my backache is a constant reminder that I should get be getting up more often.
Take a walk!
How to begin? Well, the best way is to take a walk – I know this may sound trivial but it is the truth. I recommend using a fitness tracker to count your steps and measure the distance you walked each day. It can work as an additional motivation.
Set goals – starting from the small ones, like 2,000 steps a day and moving to bigger ones, 10 or 15 thousand steps (which is approximately 70-100 minutes of walking!) You should notice a progress after the first week, your mood shall improve, your brain will get more oxygen and in result is going to perform better. The tension on your body will lower, and sitting in the office for hours will cease to be painful.
Start at your place of work – walk around the office and have a chat with your colleagues, use the stairs instead of the elevator, go and buy your dinner in a nearby shop instead of counting on the catering service that delivers it right under your nose. You can also use a standing workstation (this one is becoming more and more popular). If you really have to sit, set a timer that will remind you to stand for at least for 5-10 minutes every hour. Lastly, organize your office space so that you won’t have everything within your reach – for example, put your phone and printer in such places that to use them, you will have to stand up.
Use your free time wisely!
Okay, so those were some warnings and pieces of advice for those, who can’t get up from their chairs. Hopefully, we managed to convince you to move your bodies a little =] Now, there are those who are keen on sports – they run, swim, play tennis or cycle. Generally, they are active and do not need to worry about spending hours is a sitting position . But there are still some ideas that we can share when it comes to the quality of your break.
Now, there are those who are keen on sports – they run, swim, play tennis or cycle. Generally, they are active and do not need to worry about spending hours is a sitting position . But there are still some ideas that we can share when it comes to the quality of your break. Spending 40+ hours every week in an office can damage even the most creative minds. We must focus on a particular task for a long time; think about the project, the team’s performance. We are not given many opportunities to chill out and let our minds wander. That is unfortunate because creativity is one of the most valued character traits in a company. There are some methods to boost it and we can use our break to do it!
Spending 40+ hours every week in an office can damage even the most creative minds. We must focus on a particular task for a long time; thinking about the project or the team’s performance. We are not given many opportunities to chill out and let our minds wander. That is unfortunate because creativity is one of the most valued character traits in a company. There are some methods to enhance it and we can use our break to do it.
- Listen to music – Simple but powerful. Listening to music can strengthen the mind and unlock the creative spirit. Is it hard to believe? There is a research that proves it.
- Change your surroundings – Ever heard of thinking outside the box? Try getting outside of it. Get to another room, or a corridor, or to another floor of the building.
- Find a reason to laugh – Nothing improves your mood more than a good, healthy laughter. It is great both for your mind and for your health.
- Read a good book – After a while, you may find yourself in a totally different world, fighting dragons, investigating a crime or anything else you can think of, depending on the type of literature you like. Nothing has more positive influence on your imagination than this. And your imagination goes hand in hand with your creativity.
- Write – First of all, write with a pen/a pencil/a marker, just use your hand for it. It can be a journal, a story, bunch of ideas, some random sentences about your day, doesn’t matter. There are theories that suggest that your creativity starts flowing when you are writing with your own hand.
Well, this will be it. We hope that you will make use of our tips to improve your health and creativity. Share your opinions in comments and inform your friends at work, how they can change bad habits into positive ones! Good luck to you all, sitting people! =D
Good One Pawel. Thanks.