Working ergonomically as a freelancer - that's how it works!

As a self-employed person, you probably work mostly or even always from home and are therefore permanently in the home office - this also means that you are responsible for setting up your office yourself and should take care of a healthy workplace. In addition to the right lighting conditions, things like ergonomic equipment and the right diet also play a role. In this article we look at how you work ergonomically as a freelancer and what you absolutely have to consider.

Tip: Would you like to know more about other exciting topics related to home office and ergonomics? Then feel free to visit the desqup website , here you will find our numerous blogs !

Permanently in the home office: These are the "dangers"

Since the corona pandemic, many people have been working from home temporarily or permanently - as a self-employed person you may have been doing this for much longer. Family and job are easier to reconcile here and you can also pursue your hobbies. Especially when flexible working hours are added, working from home is the best solution for many. But there are also risks if you are permanently in the home office as an employee or self-employed .

These include the following, which you have probably already noticed:

• Loneliness: Even if video conferences & Co. are now better than ever, you can quickly feel lonely in the home office. However, ergonomic work as a freelancer also includes exercise and social contacts, which are often neglected
• Work-life balance: If you work as a freelancer in your home office, you quickly tend to work all the time - because you're probably never quite done. This is how it happens that you are overworked and neglect your private life
• Distraction: At home you constantly notice other things that you could still do. The dirty window, the rubbish that has to go - all little things that can quickly distract you from your actual work

These are just some of the disadvantages that can result from permanent home office . Now let's look at how you can prevent this and how you can work ergonomically as a freelancer in your home office. We give you tips that you can easily integrate into your everyday life .

Tip #1: Routines for working ergonomically as a freelancer

You probably know it too: if you have flexible working hours and a home office, then a certain “rut” quickly sets in in your everyday life. Sometimes you sleep a little longer, sometimes you work until after midnight - after all, you can afford it. This has some advantages, such as being able to adjust your private life accordingly, but these unclear working hours can quickly become a burden.

Regular work or at least tee times have a positive impact on your mental health. If you start at the same time every morning, your body can adapt to this start of work and you will be more efficient, more concentrated and have a higher resistance to stress. In addition, your sleep often suffers from unequal working hours, since you sometimes sleep more and sometimes less. Even your colleagues don't know when you can be reached and when not. Social contacts are also more likely to be neglected, since you may not have finished your daily tasks in the evening.

We recommend that you at least set fixed start and end times for your work . This is how you get your body used to working at certain times and then switching off again. Regular working hours are an important basis for ergonomic work as a freelancer and help you to cope with all your daily tasks and also have time for your loved ones .

Tip #2: Nutrition and hydration for your best performance

This phenomenon may also sound familiar to you: in the home office you quickly forget the time and forget to eat and drink regularly. However, this will make you tired more quickly , less efficient and less able to concentrate. One of the most common and quickest effects is constant headaches and nausea/dizziness .

In order to work ergonomically as a freelancer in the home office, we recommend that you drink at least three liters of water per day - regardless of the season. If you find it difficult to keep to this amount, you can set an alarm on your cell phone, for example, which will then remind you to drink a glass empty. This way you stay hydrated and still perform well on long days. You should stay away from sugary or zero drinks, as these only have negative effects. You should also limit your caffeine intake to the morning.

In order to work healthily and ergonomically as a freelancer, nutrients also play an important role throughout the day. We at desqup can recommend these snacks if you get hungry throughout the day:

• Nuts: These have been shown to improve your cognitive performance and concentration. However, you should not eat more than a handful per day, otherwise you will quickly exceed your daily amount of fats. A handful of mixed nuts has about 250-300 kcal - about a tenth of your daily requirement
• Vegetables & fruit: Vitamins are vital for us humans - vitamin C in particular heals many wounds and inflammations in the body and is not produced enough, especially in winter. Deficiencies arise quickly and it is important to counteract them. Vegetable sticks or a selection of fruit are a suitable snack for you at work
• Carbohydrates: These ensure that your body has energy in the first place. For example, eat pasta, rice or simply bread with a spread of your choice

Tip #3: Ergonomic office furniture for the self-employed

Sitting for long periods of time is poison for the body – experts agree on this. After just 30 minutes of inactivity, your concentration will start to decrease and you will no longer be able to complete your tasks accurately and quickly .

With a height-adjustable desk and a sitting and standing stool from desqup, you can counteract this problem without it being associated with too much financial effort. The desqup Pro has a quick & easy electric height adjustment, a robust surface and a robust frame with a long service life.

The desqup Motion is a sitting and standing stool that keeps your body in constant motion - without you even noticing it. Your back is always straight and your core needs to stabilize the slight movements all the time. This way you achieve better blood circulation and thus better performance in all your daily tasks. When standing, it takes 60 percent of your body weight and thus combines the advantages of standing and sitting - perfect for ergonomic work as a freelancer.

Would you like to learn more about desqup products ? Then feel free to visit the de squp website , here you will find numerous descriptions and examples of use . If you have any questions , our customer service is always available!