Support Yourself: Entrepreneurial Wellness & Productivity Begins at Your Desk
Jamie Teasdale is a marketing maven. A master of details, spreadsheets, and multiple devices. She supports clients all over the nation, helping them with strategic digital marketing in an ever-changing market.
The problem: Jamie had NO support herself!
SITUATION: INCREASED BUSINESS = DECREASED HEALTH
Physically, Jamie spends hours in front of the computer rocking it for her clients, but her health often suffers. Jamie was struggling with ergonomics and range of motion while sitting at her desk. She often confided in me about searing back pain and discomfort during meetings. Plus, it’s hard to nourish yourself when you’re focused on multiple priorities at once.
Every entrepreneur out there “making more happen” in business can relate to increased work correlating to decreased health.
The first thing I noticed when I conducted her in-office organizing assessment was that her chair was TERRIBLE.
It was just a standard office chair, but it was immediately obvious to me why Jamie was having issues. Not only was it broken, it didn’t provide the necessary ergonomic aid AND it did not accommodate for us tall girls.
Some of the issues included:
- The chair back was concave, leaving no lower back support
- The chair arms wouldn’t rise in height, so it was the wrong arm and shoulder position
- The chair’s broken height adjustment meant Jamie couldn’t get the proper 90 degree angle and bend in her knees
- With no floor mat underneath it, moving this chair around on carpet was an awkward and straining experience
BODY SUPPORT
Determined to knock out this first small business challenge I visited Staples to check out their selection of chairs. The clear winner was their Professional Series 1500TM Chair. It’s a mesh chair with gobs of comfort. I “drove” it around the furniture section for a test drive!
It met every one of our criteria: seat height adjustment via a ratchet back gismo, adjustable arms, and a stand-out lumbar support. Now, when Jamie sits in the chair, her back is visibly supported by the lumbar bump-out that moves with her.
(I’m kind of jealous, I’m not going to lie. That’s why I had to take a spin in it, too!)
I haven’t seen Jamie rubbing her back anymore, and she reports: “The chair has improved my ergonomics and provides a support for my lower back. I haven’t had as many issues with my legs numbing because I’m in the right seated position.”
Now, a good chair needs a good floor mat. Staples came through for me again with their store brand 46 x 60 low pile carpet clear floor mat. This allowed us to reorganize the goodies under Jamie’s desk and create a smooth surface to eliminate drag and strain.
Anything you can do to streamline an entrepreneur’s office and workflow goes a long way towards their comfort, which has a direct impact on their productivity.
Too often, when I’m organizing offices, I see that folks skimp on these important details. They don’t stretch their investment in their health to include the floor mat. They figure that a low carpet is “no big deal.” It’s penny wise and pound foolish, if you ask me. Not only does their chair end up leaving irreparable “tracks” in the rug, their daily drag adds unnecessary strain to their bodies EVERY DAY!
When I asked Jamie if this little detail made a difference, she explained “The mat makes moving and repositioning MUCH easier and it’s preventing my muscles from working too much or in ways they shouldn’t.”
WELLNESS SUPPORT
Another thing I picked up from my conversations with Jamie was her desire to eat better and take better overall care of herself. Through her own initiative and our Reclaim Your Health consulting, she began a process to cleanse and rejuvenate her body.
Most busy entrepreneurs recognize their need for greater workplace wellness; but it’s keeping things simple that will lead to habit change.
In searching the Staples site – which is a HUGE database of anything you can imagine from office to home to personal care supplies!- I found this simple little paper journal for Jamie. It’s Erin Condren’s Wellness Journal. It’s crazy cheap (under $6) and it’s only 32 pages.
Translation = busy people who don’t want to spend a lot and want stuff simple will LOVE it.
It feels approachable and mainly features colorful fill-in-the-blank weekly pages for you to record your daily water and food intake, a page to determine and track your target heart rate, and a quarterly progress page. That’s it. Simple.
With all the health tracking apps at our fingertips, sometimes a simple paper journal wins the day.
Which kind of wellness support tool do you need? The one you will use!
Jamie shared with me the value of recording her daily choices: “The journal helps me keep track of progress I’m making in my healthy eating habits and helps me remember decisions I’ve made. I really love the water tracker and to see the activity I have engaged in.”
Good organizing begins with detective work. All you have to do is follow the clues to the answer.
In Jamie’s case, we helped her reclaim her work – not with bins or baskets – but with simple solutions that would contribute to her overall comfort and functionality.
You might have other wellness issues besides back and body strain and sub-optimal eating habits. Whatever your challenges, make ONE simple step TODAY that you will actually continue tomorrow:
- Declutter – it will clear your brain and create FOCUS
- Drink more water – get a cool LARGE refillable cup that doesn’t leach chemicals
- Add a floor mat – eliminate the drag and strain
- Stretch every few minutes – improves blood flow and muscle function
- Take breaks and get your body moving – this also improves cognition
- Support your body with a good chair – your body will thank you
- Track something that you’d like to change – tracking will lead to awareness
- Beautify your workspace – Add inspiration pieces that make you smile
- Let in light – get Vitamin D and improve your morale all at once
Here’s to reclaiming your work and your health!
Related:
- Follow our #StaplesStories board on Pinterest
- Find out more about how we are partnering with Staples to Reclaim Workplaces
- Read our #StaplesStories:
- Find a Staples store near you
- Learn more about our Workplace Wellness Training
- Learn more about how we help businesses get organized
- Learn more about our Reclaim Your Health Consulting services
