Winter working: warm because I'm worth it!

As the days are getting shorter here in the UK and folks are starting to switch on the central heating, freelancers start reaching for that extra cardi. The dilemma when you work from home is how to keep warm at your desk through the winter months without running up astronomical fuel bills. It seems excessive to heat the whole house all day, but especially when you're sitting still, you quickly start to get damn chilly. I know from last winter's Facebook discussions that some freelancers will go to extraordinary lengths to keep warm while they work; from heated slippers to woolly hats! But while it's easy to joke, looking after yourself and your health when you're self-employed is worth taking seriously.

I often bring up ergonomic issues in blog posts, on Facebook or just when I meet up with fellow freelancers, but healthy working isn't just about a good chair and the right workstation setup. If you're going to sit at your computer for hours on end every day, you've got to be comfortable. Poor posture can lead to not just RSI-type problems, but pain in your neck, shoulders and back too, all of which can easily escalate from a bit of stiffness into a chronic pain issue that prevents you from working. Good posture at your desk is about keeping your spine aligned (that's not ramrod straight, but in its natural gentle S curve) and then letting your arms hang loosely from your shoulders, keeping as relaxed as possible. It’s tension and awkward postures that generally lead to problems. So naturally, if you're cold, you're going to be tense and probably hunched – not to mention grumpy and unproductive!

Extra layers may seem like an economical solution to keeping warm, but bundling yourself up in a big chunky jumper might just store up more problems. Whilst I'm known to sport thick woolly socks through the winter months, I generally go for a single (real wool) jumper. Awkward bulky layers can leave you hunched up and your movements restricted, detracting from that ideal relaxed posture. It's far better just to properly heat the room you're working in, leaving you comfortable and free to work healthily.

The kind of heater you go for probably depends on your set-up, but personally, I think it's worth investing in a decent heater that gives out a general heat more like a proper radiator, rather than a piddly fan heater that only warms your ankles. I have a convector heater with a thermostat that I leave on through most of the day during the winter. One of the top tips I picked up in last winter's Facebook chat was that it's far easier (and probably more efficient) to maintain a temperature than it is to let yourself get cold then try to heat up again. So rather than trying to hold out as long as I can, I now just switch my heater on first thing in the morning and try to keep my workspace comfortable rather than toasty through the whole day. It may add a bit to the winter fuel bill, but hey, "I'm worth it"!

Hot air rising

In the recent spell of very cold weather, once again, I've been feeling particularly pleased with my super-cosy workspace. My 'office' is a kind of mezzanine floor at the top of the house, in the roofspace, overlooking the living area and as such, all the warm air generated by the central heating rises up and keeps it wonderfully toasty. On even the coldest of days (and it's been down to about -5 during the day lately), I'm finding that I don't have to keep the heating on all day, because the warmth lingers up in my workspace for ages.

This little mezzanine space was one of the main reasons for choosing the house when we moved just over a year ago. Although it's quite small - about 2.5x2.5 metres - it's big enough for my two desks and a couple of bookcases. And it doesn't feel cramped because it looks out over the living area and across to a double-height window with views down the street. I've got a Velux window too, looking out across the rooftops. So loads of natural light, even on a winter's day.

I particularly love the fact that it gives me a separate workspace, away from the living area, up it's own flight of stairs, but at the same time, not too tucked away. And going up and down those stairs keeps me fit too!

Autumnal tredpidation

Autumn has definitely arrived. In the past couple of days I've been buffeted by wind and rain, mixed in with spells of glorious sunshine and bright blue sky, and this morning I picked up my first conker of the season. It was sat on the pavement looking incongruously shiny on the grey concrete and I couldn't resist picking it up and slipping it in my pocket. It'll no doubt stay there for the next few weeks until it loses its shine and finally shrivels up.

For me, autumn always seems to be a time of dread. I truly hate winter - I've always suffered from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and find the winter months a struggle. The cold and damp also exacerbate my aches and pains, adding to my general grouchiness. So every year around this time, I determine to head off and sit out the worst of winter in warmer climes.

One year I had quite advanced discussions with an old friend who lives in New York about a plan in which both of us would spend 2 or 3 months in Buenos Aires, sharing a flat, taking laptops to work from, learning Spanish and perhaps a bit of tango too. Somehow, we've never quite got round to organising it though.

This year I had thought of a couple of months in Australia. Quite a few friends seem to have emigrated that way recently, so again, I'd considered heading South with my laptop to work from the other side of the world in the sunshine through the worst of the British winter. And when the cost of that worked out to be rather prohibitive, I toyed with the idea of renting an apartment somewhere in the Med instead through October to at least catch a last dose of late sun. I'm still mulling over the last option, but haven't quite found the right spot at the right price yet.