For more than a decade, I’ve prided myself on being a work-from-home veteran. I’m not one of those newcomers thrust into the world of remote work by a global pandemic, awkwardly balancing a laptop on the ironing board or converting the spare room into a sterile office.
No, I’ve been working from home long enough to see trends come and go, to witness the rise and fall of the “work from the couch” movement and the inevitable return of some people to physical offices, weary of the isolation. Through it all, I stayed resolute in my setup—a sturdy desk, a good chair, and, let’s be honest, far too many snacks within arm’s reach.
But the winds of change are relentless, and it seems not even I could resist them forever. So here I am, after all these years, writing to you from a standing desk, perched elegantly like a modern-day work martyr, my feet gliding along on a walking treadmill beneath me. The very idea of it a few years ago would have had me rolling my eyes. Standing desks and walking treadmills? What are we, lab rats? But after working from home for so long, there came a point when even the most seasoned remote worker had to admit: things needed to change.
I suppose it all began with the nagging aches that started creeping into my body, the ones I had long chosen to ignore. I’m no stranger to stubbornness—who is after working from home for as long as I have? There’s a certain pride, or perhaps delusion, that comes with having your home office locked down just the way you like it.
But while I had embraced the freedom, my body had quietly declared a rebellion. The endless sitting—sometimes for hours at a stretch—had done me no favours. Let’s not mince words: years of sitting glued to a screen in the same chair can do unspeakable things to your posture, your back, and your waistline. And as the days turned into years, those small aches turned into a low hum that followed me around, until one day I realised, well I do turn fifty next year, I wasn’t a sprightly young thing anymore but rather someone who now grimaced every time they got up from their desk.
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