I was really excited to learn the science of how our brains are wired; it fits perfectly to the ergonomic research we know; to avoid sitting for periods of longer than 25-30 minutes at a time for the health of our back, bodies and metabolism!  The POMODORO technique for focus and avoiding procrastination recommends that our focused effort is really only good for 25 minutes, then we should take a break for 5 minutes to let our brains switch to a 'diffuse mode' of learning and problem solving.  Moving the body during this 5 minute break will improve our posture, metabolism and neural pathways!

I found some fabulous free programs on Coursera (www.coursera.org) . With my 15 year old daughter also home now and adapting to a new way of learning, I thought we would both find some useful strategies in the "learning how we learn" course.  

The POMODORO technique made a lot of sense for both of us.  Dr. Barbara Oakley explains in her video ...

I've been working from my home office for many years, but usually I am out to employers and clients at least 3 days/ week.  Now that I'll be working from home entirely for the next while, it's time to take my own ergonomic consulting advice.  Here are some tips for considerations if you are working from home too.   

1. Maintaining a work : life balance.   Managing work, time & task requirements for productivity and separating work from your non-work life is important. A few things that help me stay focused and shift  my mind are:

• Create 'rituals'.  Humans are creatures of habit, and our habits are triggered by a complex web of our thoughts and environment. The act of logging out of your computer, saying goodbye to co-workers at the end of the workday, walking out the door or getting into your vehicle, taking the commute home (and what you do on that commute) are all routines and triggers that...