Remote control: Healthy practices that can make working from home easier and more productive

Thu, Apr 10, 2025 (2 a.m.)

Create a space

It could be a desk, could be a table, could be an entire dedicated home office—but no matter what, you need to establish a spot in your home that’s just for work. Lisa Phillips, a web engineer and longtime remote worker for companies such as Fastly and Twitter, once suggested that every home workspace needs a door that can be closed at the end of the day. Don’t have that? Throw a cover over the desk or simply put your laptop back in its bag. You don’t live at the office; the office shouldn’t live with you.

Ditch the PJs

Every work morning, make the effort to shower and get dressed even if you’ve no plans to leave the house. You’ll be nice and fresh for video calls, and ready to jump if a coworker invites you out for coffee. More importantly, getting dressed for work changes your mindset. Staying in your pajamas is for sick days, not workdays.

Stand in the place where you work

In a May 2024 study, researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health revealed that 80% of workers who sit all day experience lower back discomfort, versus only 50% of those using “stand-biased” workstations. If a standing desk isn’t a possibility for your home workspace, get an adjustable laptop stand for your desk or table … or simply stand at a countertop now and again.

Time your tasks

Without coworkers or bosses around to make you conscious of the clock, you may be inclined to work too many hours, or you may feel unmotivated to fill the work hours you have. Either way, set timers and alarms for yourself—they’re surprisingly strong motivators for unproductive days, and a gentle “that’s enough” for work-crazed days.

Make a video call ‘studio’

If you take a lot of video calls, establish a spot in your home with a neat and neutral background, invest in a ring light (you can find them for as cheap as $15) and acquire a decent pair of headphones or earbuds. And see the previous item about showering and getting dressed; colleagues will notice and appreciate the effort.

Keep in touch

Remote work can easily turn lonely. Engage with coworkers outside of emails, texts, Teams and Slack by inviting them to co-work with you at your home, or at a coffeehouse. And if they live out-of-state, ask to text or Facetime with them outside of working hours to make sure they’re doing OK.

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