When I committed to getting up every 30 minutes, I was worried about how it might interrupt my workflow. My working hours are 9am-5:30pm which means I have to stand up about up 15 times throughout the day. However, I soon found that these minor disruptions are absolutely worth it, as I pretty much always return to my desk feeling refreshed.

I try to keep my breaks to a couple of minutes – any more and I do find it difficult to get back to work. Here’s an example of what a typical working day looks like for me with regular movement:

8:45AM-9:15AM

I prep for the day and then get up to make a cup of tea before my morning meeting.

9:15AM-9:45AM

Morning meeting over, I tend to get up and make my breakfast, as I find I can’t eat too early in the morning, and eat it at my desk.

9:45AM-10:15AM

By this point, I’ve probably already had a glass of water and a cup of tea, so I get up to go to the toilet.

10:15AM-10:45AM

This is the period when I’m probably least tempted to not stand up in the morning, as I’m usually deep into a piece of work. At this point, I’ll probably do something around the flat like wash my dishes or take the bins out.

10:45AM-11:15AM

Definitely time to make a pre-lunch cup of tea.

11:15AM-11:45AM

And now my second toilet trip of the working day!

11:45AM-12:15PM

I’m probably feeling fairly ready for my lunch break by now, so I’ll grab a snack or go and chat to one of my flatmates for a couple of minutes to wake myself up.

Standing up every 30 minutes can boost your productivity and energy levels while working from home