Working from home, making it work

So many people are working from home right now and, if we are to believe what we are told, it will be the new normal for many, at least part-time.  In some ways, that is great.  Most people won't miss the commute and in theory, at least, that is time you can repurpose to do what you want...and apparently cosmetic and deodorant sales are down, so that suggests you are repurposing some of that wash and brush-up time too.  The down side is that for most of us, at least here in London, space is at a premium...we don't have a room set up as an office...so we have to work in our living space and that might involve some compromises.  How can you make that work?

1. You need a desk or table, don't spend all day working on your lap...or from bed...at least not often.  If you are short of space think about investing.  How about a coffee table that is also a dining table/desk like this or a cheaper option is a wall mounted drop leaf table like this - make sure you don't mount the drop leaf table too high (see 2.1 below)
2. Don't compromise on the chair.  You really do need a proper office chair 
   1. One that adjusts for height so that you can find a height where you can type or use a mouse with your shoulder relaxed, your elbows at 90', or just a little more open than that, and your hands slightly dropping onto the keyboard at the wrist
   2. One that swivels so that if you are looking at a screen and at paperwork you can twist the chair not your body
   3. One that rolls freely so you can get up and down without having to do that back-twinging scooch to get tucked in under the desk and vice versa.  It has been a year now, if the rug has to go...it has to go, and stop dropping your clothes on the floor, this is important
   4. If you have shorter legs or the table you are working at is high (tables are often higher than proper desks) you may want to get a footrest, they are not expensive
3. If you use a laptop either get a separate screen or a separate keyboard and laptop stand.  The former is probably better, the latter probably easier to stow away when you are not working...either is a godsend.  The distance between the keyboard and screen on a laptop is insufficient to find a posturally decent position for working.  They're fine for short bursts but if it is all day you are going to be sat with your neck and back bent and that will cause problems.  Likewise a separate mouse is probably a good idea, using the tracker pad on the laptop with the laptop directly in the right place for the keyboard puts your arm in quite an unnatural position
4. Get your eyes tested and try to avoid glare on the screen (that might mean investing on some blinds and/or using lamps rather than overhead lighting), we don't want you getting headaches
5. Take regular breaks.  At work you'd get up and move around the office to talk to people.  Do the same at home.  Set an alarm, if needs be,. to remind you once an hour to get up and stretch your legs, make a cuppa etc
6. Go home from work.  Few people work set hours these days but the commute time should be your bonus for the inconvenience of working from home, don't feel that 'should' be work time.  If you can, pack away the work stuff at the end of the day, or at least at the weekend, so your home feels like a home again.