Uncommon Tips for Better Workday Habits

July 1, 2016Marina Terteryan

You know what's really hard? Adding ergonomic habits into your workday. You know what's even harder, though? Reversing the toxic health effects of bad habits... like diseases from a sedentary lifestyle that can eventually lead to death. And aside trying to get an extra life, by selling your toenails to an evil genie, that one probably won't happen. Probably.

The good news is that big habits start from small habits and there are a bunch of easily-adoptable things you can do TODAY, to pull yourself out of the rut.

Wear a watch.

You know how you look down at your phone, to check the time, then realize you haven't refreshed Instagram in 90 seconds, then find yourself scrolling through for the next 15 minutes, sitting at your desk, with your neck craning down like a depressed swan? Cut the problem off at the source and avoid all this hassle by checking the time like our forefathers did. On a watch.
Get up for tasks one at a time instead of grouping them together.

Most of us tend to wait until we can do several things at once, like drop off the mail and get water and plug in the iPad. But the more reasons we have to stand up, the more we'll realize that we're not, in fact, crazy glued to our chairs. Well, aint' that some shit!?
Invest in a reliable whiteboard and make it a habit to brainstorm on there instead of on your computer.

Every time I have to prototype pretty much anything (wireframes, storyboards, even lists), my hands robotically go straight to Adobe Illustrator. But it is infinitely easier to sketch out anything by hand. Not only does this do wonders for creativity, but it also forces you to stand up, stretch, and move your eyes away from the screen. In fact, I brainstormed this blog post on a whiteboard. ::Nodding head smugly::
Make a habit of stepping away from your computer while it is loading, starting up, or updating.

Those awful system updates unfailingly make me want to scream so loudly that the pigeons on my roof fly away in fear. The only bright side is having an excuse to actually step away from the computer because it will essentially be a brick for the next 15 minutes. Even a few minutes of this can be a helpful reminder to stand up or move from your usual position.