Welcome to the real world of working at home: unforeseen distractions, a lack of structured time, and sometimes a perceived loss of identity. But don’t give up the dream just yet! By putting into place a few simple ideas, you can reap more of the rewards of working at home. Based on my experiences and those of my associates, here are 10 simple ways to help you stay on track.

1. Separate Your Space.

Keep a separate, distinct work area in your home. (This is especially difficult if you’re living and working in a shoebox studio, like I was when I started my business in New York City!) If you don’t have a separate room, at least define an area, and know that when you’re in it, you’re in “work mode.”

2. Structure Your Time.

As your business and personal time mesh, it’s more important than ever to structure your day. For example, if you regularly take a walk or go to the gym, try to do it every day at the same time. Value that personal appointment with yourself — even when you’re very busy. It will actually help you keep your business on track! I like to get up early and work until noon, then I take a few hours off to enjoy lunch, do some reading, and take my daily jog on the beach. Then I’m back at my desk at 4:00 until who knows when!

3. Outsource All You Can.

When I began my business, I made the mistake of acting as my own courier service. I soon learned how much time I was wasting by frequently visiting clients just to pick things up and drop them off. Whenever you start thinking, “Well I can just do that myself,” STOP. Streamline your business, making everything as automatic as possible. Use outside services to stay focused on your *real work*. Get accounts with an overnight delivery service, messenger service, virtual assistant (VA), bookkeeper, etc. Save your energy for your brilliant ideas! : )

4. Use Technology to Your Advantage.

In-person meetings are very valuable when appropriate, but schedule them sparingly. Try to do most of your business via phone, fax, and e-mail using the best equipment you can afford. For most home-based entrepreneurs, when you’re out of the office, you’re NOT making money. So it’s important that you can communicate flawlessly from where you are. And PLEASE do us all a favor and get separate lines/services for your phone, fax, and Internet! No one likes getting a busy signal.

(BONUS TIP: If your phone company offers voicemail, get it. Not only will your outgoing message sound more professional, but if you’re on an important call and don’t want to be disturbed, other callers can still leave you a message.)

5. Group Your Errands.

Try to group your meetings and errands together to minimize your out-of-office time. Make a list in the morning of all the outside tasks you need done for the day, and attempt to complete them in one fell swoop. Even better, do what I do and designate just one day a week as your “blitz” day for errands and meetings. Plus, then you only need to get dressed up one day a week! : )

6. Stay Focused.

Make your workspace off-limits to other roommates or family members when you’re working. For you animal lovers, this may go for pets as well. (My cat Francine gets *very* jealous when I’m not giving her complete attention!) Keep all personal paperwork such as bills, magazines, and to-do lists out of sight, so they won’t distract you from your projects.

7. Beware of Yappers.

Many of your friends and family will be immediately delighted when they learn that you’re working at home. They picture you lounging on the couch, eating potato chips, and waiting for their calls. When they call you simply to chat, politely remind them that you’re working, and ask them if you can call them back after your day is over. It may take them a while, but they’ll eventually get the idea.

8. Work With Your Moods.

Keep track of your moods and productivity compared with the time of day. For example, if you find you’re more alert in the morning, use this time to make important calls and do your creative work. Take advantage of your natural cycles. If you feel better after an afternoon nap, go for it! (I’m a BIG proponent of the catnap. In fact, I may start a support group.)

9. Suit Yourself.

To bring out your best work, make your environment perfect for YOU. How do you work best? With plenty of breaks, or with no interruptions? In silence, or with some light music in the background? On a cushy couch and coffee table, or at a business desk in an ergonomic chair? (My friends thought I was nuts when I spent $750 on my Herman Miller Aeron chair, but they quickly understood why once they sat in it! And my spine thanks me every day.)

Also, find some places you can do work when you need a change of scenery. How about the library, the park, or your neighborhood coffee shop? When I need to do serious reading, thinking, or editing, I take my work outside to the beach. The sea air, sunshine, and soothing waves help me think much more clearly.

10. Break for People.

Feeling sluggish, lonely, or moody? Arrange for at least one social break during the week. (I aim for two or three.) Schedule breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just coffee with a client, vendor, or friend. Join a business networking group, or sign-up for social activities such as dance class or recreational sports league. Don’t go into hermit mode — it can be self-destructive!

What Is Available In A Ergonomic Chair

The best ergonomic computer chair should have the proper height; you might consider the adjustable height chair or a stationary chair if you will be the only one using the chair. If the ergonomic chair is for you alone, you will want one that fits your body, this includes you body height and body size for a more comfortable fit. The best ergonomic computer chair will fit your working style and this might just require you to actually sit in the chair and try it out for comfort.

You will know when you find the right chair, once you sit in the best ergonomic computer chair you will melt away into the comfort and design of the chair. In order to work comfortably and get more work done, you need to be at easy in comfort.

The Best Ergonomic Computer Chair By Herman Who

The Herman Miller Aeron chair that is, this ergonomic chair also supports the entire body and comes in many different styles and designs. These incredibly plush recliner ergonomic chairs have a steelcase leap and along with the pillow headrest and pop out ottoman, you can take comfort to an entirely new level when working on the computer.

The first Aeron chair was produced and marketed in 1994 and has since become the best ergonomic computer chair that everyone looks for when they think about comfort and quality. You will more than likely want to check the comfort levels of each chair until you find the one that meets all your needs.

You will find that an Aeron office chair has not been made using cloth, but has rather been constructed using a semi-transparent but flexible mesh called pellicle. The chair also comes with a strong suspension system that helps to distribute the user’s weight evenly over both the seat and the back of the chair. Also the pellicle design of the chair form fits to the user’s body shape and this results in a decrease of pressure being placed on certain points of the body whilst sat at a desk.

An addition benefit of the use of pellicle mesh in this chair is that air is allow to pass through it and this results in making the user feeling cooling and more comfortable whilst sat at their desks for long periods of time.

Also unlike other office chairs the Aeron comes in three different sizes A (small), B (medium) and C (large) and each chair is provided with a full compliment of adjustments and its own suspension system. The chair has been ergonomically designed to custom fit any users lower back and this support leads to improving the user’s posture, which results in better comfort for their lower back. Each size also comes with a wide and high contoured back and this helps to take further weight off the user’s lower spine. Also many people find that the wide, soft and sloped armrests provided on this chair are easy on the arms providing less strain on the upper body and the waterfall front edge to the seat also takes pressure off from under the thighs and circulation to this and the lower part of the users body is unrestricted.

Because of the chairs extremely comfortable and ergonomically break through design in this competitive market the chair has gained a place of distinction in the New York Museum of Modern Arts permanent collection.

The chair has taken the business world by storm and has quickly risen to new heights because of the office design, ergonomics and comfort factors, all which have become important in any office environment today.

Very few of us pay attention to our posture.

Considering that the spine, skeleton, soft tissue, connective tissue and joints make up our structure that is not unlike that of a frame of a house, you would think we would pay more attention to it. These are what keeps our bodies together and allow us to walk, run, and work.

Bad posture, such as slouching can affect the way we feel and can make us more prone to joint, bone and soft tissue injuries due to misusing them. Various occupations can put us at risk. Many of us work at a desk with computers, as cashiers, assembly workers or nurses and nurse’s aids and risk repetitive injuries as is seen in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, back and neck pain and ‘pinched’ nerves. The strain on the spine, muscles and uneven stress on the joints can lead to debilitating and permanent damage.

Back pain is the second most reported occupational injury in the U.S. and the U.K. Studies found 95% of lower and middle back pain is due to bad posture while standing, sitting and even exercising.

Poor posture is a learned behavior and can be unlearned. Start by checking your posture. In an ideal posture, the feet should be shoulder width apart with the thighs elongated. Watch the lower back and avoid arching or leaning back. The tail should be slightly tucked down. Lift the breast bone, your shoulder blades should move down and create a distance between the hipbone and the rib cage. The chin should be level and the head and upper back should be the highest point on the body.

A good way to check your posture is the wall test.

Stand with the back of the head touching the wall. Heels should be six inches from the baseboard. With your butt touching the wall, check the distance with your hand between your neck and the wall. If you’re within two inches at the neck, you are close to a good posture. If not, the neck posture is too forward and can be subject to deterioration of joints and discs.

Good posture should be continued in walking, sitting, driving and in almost every activity. In walking, start with a correct standing posture. Walk heel to toe and as you walk, your head should be balanced over your head and shoulder, shoulders should be rolled back with the spine slightly lifted. Take steps of equal length.

When walking upstairs, most of us tend to lean forward and take the steps with the balls of our feet. The proper way to walk up stairs is to stand straight and place the entire foot on the steps. This does feel awkward at first as most of us have been doing it wrong for years.

When sitting, feet should be placed on the floor or if you are short, feet should be placed on a foot stand. The knees and hips should be bent at about a 135 degree angle. Don’t cross the legs. (Yes, I know, many of us do that) When sitting in a chair, make sure your tail is back against the chair and maintain an arch in the lower back. Sometimes, using a lumbar roll will be comfortable to support the arch. These can be purchased or made by rolling a towel or pillow length-wise with a length of about 12 inches. If sitting for long periods of time, get up from the chair and walk or stretch to keep your muscles toned and to relieve stress.

Maintain proper posture while driving to relieve fatigue, especially on long trips. Sit as close to the steering wheel as possible to avoid having to stretch the arms to reach it.
Adjust the seat so your back is vertical and is supported by the back of the seat. Knees should be bent to reach the pedals. The knees should be as high as or higher than the hips. Elbows should be bent slightly and relaxed.

Sleeping posture is often times overlooked until we awaken with a stiff neck or other body aches. Sleeping on the stomach puts extreme pressure on your back. The ideal sleep position is on your side, (no, it doesn’t matter which one), with the knees bent, or sleep on your back. Use a pillow to support the head and align it with the spine, but avoid using thick or double pillows as this will throw off the alignment of your head and spine. Sleep on a slightly firm mattress, again to support the spine. You don’t want a mattress so soft that you sink to the floor.

Learning good posture will help keep the spine in good shape and prevent injuries or pain in the lower back. Exercise to strengthen the muscles and to tone them. Remember, we only have the one body, take care of it by paying attention to it.

What exactly does constitute proper chair design anyway? To begin with, a good chair design is obvious because the first thing you’ll notice is that it is comfortable to sit in, is built well and looks pleasing to the eye. Comfort is wonderful but it isn’t necessarily good for your posture. As an example, most colleges are very comfortable but try doing some work on a laptop while sitting in the couch. There is no way it will supply you with the proper back support.

People work in offices must have exceptionally well-made chairs because of the extended time they spend sitting in them. Especially in today’s driven workplaces, where working late has more or less become the norm, a good chair design is one that can keep the employee sitting comfortably, even after extended hours of usage. The new buzz word and shared as is ergonomics. That’s just a fancy word that means that while the chair is comfortable, it also provides the proper back support.

In the scale of good chair design, maybe in the bottom of this below comfort and back support is the aesthetics of the chair. It seems as though more and more designers are looking at chair designs that are sleek, use various new materials and are exotic to look at. It’s almost as if the chair designs of the past are no longer duplicated and are used as inspiration for new designs. In fact, walk into just about any home and you are likely to see all kinds of chair designs, anything but an the traditional ones.

Maybe the most overlooked of all the important traits of chair design is the fact that it must be sturdy and be built to last for many, many years. Even ergonomically designed chairs are of no use if they don’t hold up. This is because each individual user manages to mold the chair according to her/his particular sitting posture. And of course there is a lot of wear and tear every time you get up and sit down. And unless they are able to use that for some time to come, there is no point in having excellent design.

The Herman Miller Aeron chair is the superior solution for all of these needs.