There is no denying it – since the 90s, working from home has become a very popular and many people choose it above office working. And I can understand it too: working in an environment more conducive to better performance (as many people find it) makes a lot of sense; why wouldn’t you if you can?
Working from home, though, isn’t the same for everyone. I know people who have an amazing ‘home office’, fully kitted-out with all the features of a ‘proper’ office. And then for some people I know, working from home is a more relaxed affair – using a laptop on their choice of luxury coffee tables, or their sofa in the lounge. How do you work from home?
Working from Bed
It would be real easy to work from bed..
Why get up and get dressed if you can open your laptop and work in your pyjamas?
If bed is so comfortable you can sleep in it, then isn’t it comfortable enough to work in?
We can do many work activities on a tablet, or even using voice activation (e.g. Siri/Alexa/etc) so why not work with head on pillow?
But here are 4 reasons why working from bed is really a bad idea.
- You’re always at work.
Boom! There it is. When we work from bed we’re always at work, from the very moment we get up to the moment we go to sleep. Do we really want that? I work to live, not live to work! My employer doesn’t pay me for all those extra hours…
- The boundary between sleep-time activities and work-time activities becomes less distinguished.
To maintain a healthy mental balance it’s important to separate work from the rest of our home life. Working from bed disrupts that critical balance and takes away that separate place to go to relax, switch off and enjoy quality sleep, plus anything else you might choose to do in bed! Working immediately before attempting sleep affects melatonin production by our bodies – this is the ‘sleep hormone’ that aids dropping off.
- Devices are disruptive.
Phones, laptops and tablets in our bedroom invites continual disruption and distraction. The beeps, tones and screen glare from these devices invite us to take a peek at them and keep you awake. Even if we switch on ‘Do Not Disturb’, the very fact that we know the device is there is enough to keep us mentally distracted and less relaxed.
- Bad posture and RSI.
Beds are designed for comfortable sleeping! Lying in bed or sitting up in bed to work doesn’t aid good posture, even if it is one of those soft, luxury beds. Over a period of time, working from bed will cause us to develop back strain, shoulder strain, or Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs) that can be extremely debilitating and have a serious effect on our ability to work. Bed won’t feel as a comfortable workplace then, let me assure you!
Work at a station designed for work
The reasons above should give you good reason not to work from your bed. Instead, use a station designed for work. This might be a trendy stand-up desk, or for the stylish, a matching desk to the rest of your shabby chic furniture. A desk doesn’t need to be an ugly slab of formica. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s comfortable when working for long periods.
