Working from home while recovering from foot surgery might seem like an ideal situation to most people. After all, working from home gives you the opportunity to enjoy all the comforts of home without missing out on work (or that paycheck). Add to the fact that working from home allows you to avoid driving or taking public transportation with crutches (yikes!), and it’s no wonder more people think it’s easy to work from home while recovering from foot surgery.
However, don’t let the term “work from home” fool you. Working from the comfort of your living room couch can present just as many challenges to your foot surgery recovery as working from the office. Therefore, it’s critical for you to understand how to effectively work from home while optimizing your foot surgery recovery…
And these tips will help you do exactly that!
Set Up A Foot-Friendly Workspace
Many of the advantages of working from an office just don’t exist within your home. You won’t have any elevators to get from floor to floor in your home, nor will you have the open spaces of your workplace. That’s why it’s essential for you and your family to set up a foot-friendly workspace.
Identify a place in your home where you’ll be working. Pick up all the loose objects in that area, and remove any loose rugs that could pose a tripping hazard. Set up a workspace that allows you to elevate your foot (an essential part of recovering from foot surgery). Finally, you may want to consider investing in an ergonomically designed chair, as supporting your spine can be crucial to minimizing the pain of foot recovery.
Put Your Work Tools Within Easy Reach
If you don’t have the luxury of a separate workspace, you’ll want to put your work tools within easy reach of where you’ll be recovering. If you’re planning on spending time on your couch or in bed, consider placing a temporary end table nearby where you’ll have your work laptop and phone. This way, you won’t have to get up and walk every time you need to send an email or answer the phone.
If you need to move around your house while you’re working, you may want to consider getting yourself a knee walker. This is a fun and unique approach to your mobility problems, as the knee walker allows you to practically glide around the house without the pain and annoyance of crutches.
Optimize Your Productivity
Working while recovering from foot surgery can present its own challenges – and so can working from home. Throw both of these scenarios into the mix, and it’s easy to see why people can have a hard time working from home while recovering from foot surgery. That’s why it’s important to optimize your productivity so you can get your work done.
If you’re often distracted working in front of the television, be sure to place your workplace in a room where there isn’t a TV. If you’re often distracted by all the temptations of the Internet (Facebook! Twitter! Reddit!), invest in software that blocks access to these sites during work hours. It may feel like torture at first, but it’s a great way to ensure you get your work done without being distracted by the temptations at home.
Turn Coffee Breaks Into Foot Recovery Breaks
One of the major advantages of working from home (besides working in your pajamas, of course) is that you can take time out of your busy day to indulge in foot surgery recovery exercises. Make sure that your foot and ankle surgeon provides you with a list of exercises that can help you with recovery (or just take a look at our other blog posts). Take time out of your day to follow these exercises. This may not only expedite the recovery process, but it can also help you clear your mind to tackle those tough work issues.
These techniques can make it much easier to work from home while recovering from foot surgery. By optimizing your home space for both work and recovery, you’ll be able to remain productive while ensuring that your foot heals quickly and safely.