# Tips to support healthy remote work
The mythos of the remote home office, or the really exciting archetype of the digital nomad, are as appealing as they are dangerous.
It's great to be able to avoid a commute, to be able to stay comfortable at home while getting lots of work done, and to be master of your own schedule.
But along with those liberties, you inherit the responsibility of remembering to be a normal functioning human being.
Believe it or not, the two aren't mutually exclusive.
You can do both, but you have to work at it.
Here are some ideas on how.
## Plant something
You may well have an abundance of little ones to care for during the day, and if you do, you should read our article about [fun open source projects for kids and parents](LINK TO MY fun-kids-parents.md).
If you don't, or if you're just keen to try caring for something that's quiet, then you might find it satisfying to plant something.
I used to think gardening was something you did as a way to establish a routine: each morning, you wake up and tend to your plants, and then start the day, and each evening you might pull weeds, and so on.
Now that I have a garden, though, I realise that it's more of a low-stress puzzle.
Learning to tend to plants is a little like learning to program.
You learn the basics first, you learn to debug (literally, in the case of aphids), and then you learn how to optimise growth and maybe even [how to automate plant care](
https://opensource.com/article/17/3/arduino-garden-projects).
If you're not attracted to gardening, there are plenty of other [outdoor projects](
https://opensource.com/article/19/5/hardware-outdoors) that are useful in getting you outdoors with a purpose, and that encourage you to go back out for more.
## Go for a walk
The phrases "go for a walk" or "get some fresh air" are so common, they seem trite, but that doesn't make the result any less effective.
Getting outside your usual work space is vital for clarity and drive, but sometimes going outside feels a little pointless.
You can only walk around the block so many times before the journey loses excitement.
If you need a goal for ambling around your neighbourhood, you can download a handy app called [StreetComplete](
https://opensource.com/article/20/1/streetcomplete-crowdsource-maps).
It's a quest-based app that presents you with points of interest in your area with incomplete [Open Street Map](
https://opensource.com/article/17/8/openstreetmap) data.
You can help crowdsource better open source maps of your area by verifying and providing information through the app.
Suddenly, that aimless meandering you don't really want to take the time to do is a quest, and can be fun for you and your family.
## Diversify
Being in an office can present exciting challenges, whether it's because of a dynamic industry or a petty fight with a colleague over ownership of a stapler.
When you work from home, your daily routine can get pretty, well, routine.
If that's the case, it might be time to diversify.
If you've been meaning to [get involved with open source](
https://opensource.com/article/17/10/open-source-cats), now's a great time for it.
If you suspect you might be artistic (or even if you're convince you're not, but you have something you want to express anyway), then maybe it's time to finally learn how to create some [digital imagery](
https://opensource.com/life/12/6/design-without-debt-five-tools-for-designers).
Or maybe you're curious about programming.
It might be easier than you think, and given enough free time, you might even end up with [your own game written in Python](
https://opensource.com/article/17/10/python-101).
## Make some music
[Music](keyboards.jpg)
Artistic expression is imortant, whether you're working from home or living with someone who's just bored at home.
The great thing about music is that you don't always need to be *musical* to [make some really cool noise](
https://opensource.com/life/16/2/linux-multimedia-studio).
In fact, you can have a go with [making some wild sounds on a Raspberry Pi](
https://opensource.com/article/20/3/sonic-pi) if you have one lying around.
If you happen to be musical, though, you can have a go at a digital audio workstation like [Qtractor](
https://opensource.com/article/17/6/qtractor-audio) or [Rosegarden](
https://opensource.com/article/18/3/make-sweet-music-digital-audio-workstation-rosegarden).
For inspiration, you can read all about a [professional composer](
https://opensource.com/article/20/2/linux-open-source-music) and the music festival he created.
## Refurbish
[Old computers](old-computers.jpg)
I don't like when good things go to waste, especially computers.
You can read all about [refurbishing old computers](
https://opensource.com/article/19/7/how-make-old-computer-useful-again) and [really old computers](
https://opensource.com/article/20/2/restore-old-computer-linux), and then rummage around in your attic to find one for experiments of your own.
## Meet the challenge
Being stuck at home for long periods of time, whether it's a few weeks or for the better part of your career, can be challenging.
However, open source is a vast landscape of opportunity.
Explore it, and find the parts of it that appeal to you.
You can build a hobby, and maybe a career, out of all the fun things you do with other people's toys.
