The latest updates for UpdraftCentral (0.8.13) have now been released. This new release comes loaded with many new features, fixes and tweaks.

One of the new features in this update now allows you to upload your plugins and themes while they are still in their zip format. To do this, you first need to install UpdraftCentral Premium. Once this is installed, just press the ‘Plugins’ or ‘Themes’ menu item, then select ‘Install Plugins’ and you will now be able to drag and drag your zip file and upload it directly.

Another new feature in this update gives users even more control over remote storage options. Anytime you create a backup with UpdraftCentral, you can now select which of the remote storage locations you would like to send the backup to. Just open the following dialogue box in UpdraftCentral and you can select or deselect the remote storage options of your choice.

In addition to these new updates, we have also made various tweaks and fixes to keep UpdraftCentral running smooth and compatible with future WordPress and PHP releases.

• FEATURE: Added the ability to choose the remote storage locations you want to send your backup to in the “Backup Now” modal
• FIX: Fix scheduled commands execution through WP cron
• FIX: Fix can’t delete backup item without refreshing the list after a successful restore process
• FIX: Fix layout/css glitch on the backup settings page
• FIX: Fix popper.js related error and warning
• TWEAK: Improve UX and accessibility with better keyboard navigation
• TWEAK: Register updates retrieval to run in the background
• TWEAK: Add editor class for page and post modules
• TWEAK: Add new error message to the rpcerrors collection
• TWEAK: Show upload errors in dialog as well as in browser console if debug level is set
• TWEAK: Improve JavaScript’s compatibility with minification and merging, in particular WP-Optimize
• TWEAK: Add REST controller files for page and post modules
• TWEAK: Add internal capability to install plugin or theme through zip file
• TWEAK: Upgrade Bootstrap and Bootbox libraries to current versions
• TWEAK: Force the connection method ‘via_mothership’ if the command is in the UpdraftClone namespace

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The latest updates for UpdraftPlus (1.16.24 and 1.16.25) have now been released. These latest releases come with many new features, fixes and tweaks including the newly added ability to choose the remote storage locations that you would like to send your backups to in the “Backup Now” modal. This new feature gives users the ability to make a quick backup to just one of your backup storage destinations should you need to backup to just one location. 

This update also gives users the option to configure a remote backup storage location (that may be disabled in your settings) and select it to upload to this storage location. This can be particularly useful if you are using UpdraftValt for your main scheduled backups, but still want to make a one off backup that could (for example) include temporary theme changes that you do not want to store alongside your regular backups.

As part of this update we are also improving our database backup and restore code so that it will now support migration between different ‘generate columns’ syntaxes of MySQL and MariaDB. This will help with migrations between different servers when users are using different databases. We have also added other useful improvements to the update including; handling binary data during backup and added support for the AWS Miland and Cape Town endpoints. 

In addition to these new updates, we have also made various tweaks and fixes to keep UpdraftPlus running smooth and compatible with future WordPress and PHP releases.

1.16.25 

• FIX: Dropbox since 1.16.24 was only deleting one backup files archive out of the set. i.e. Excess archives remained on Dropbox. These have to be deleted manually.
• TWEAK: Add version to CSS and JS within filenames to prevent old versions being served after update on sites which have customisations to remove the query string

1.16.24 

• FEATURE: Support migration between different “generate columns” syntaxes of MySQL and MariaDB
• FEATURE: Added the ability to choose the remote storage locations you want to send your backup to in the “Backup Now” modal
• FIX: If non-WordPress tables are selected in the advanced ‘Backup Now’ options, then back them up (even if the saved setting to back them up is off). i.e. “Backup Now” over-ride options should have been taking priority.
• FIX: Failure to restore database ‘view’ in some rare circumstances due to the nonexistent DEFINER account and lack of privileges
• TWEAK: Handle binary data during backup
• TWEAK: Add strack_st to the lists of large logging tables and tables not requiring search/replace
• TWEAK: Make search and replace case insensitive when operating on URLs
• TWEAK: The incremental backup notice logic
• TWEAK: Update bundled updater class (YahnisElsts/plugin-update-checker) (paid versions) to version 4.9
• TWEAK: Add another tweak to paid versions’ update checking time algorithm
• TWEAK: Add the options_exist() method to backup modules that did not have it
• TWEAK: During manual backup uploads, check if the last 4 bytes are string “null” (caused by an error in uploading to Dropbox) and if so remove them. Prevents an unnecessary message about unexpected data.
• TWEAK: Show the backup label (if specified) in the UI backup progress indicator
• TWEAK: Added the facility to clear the list of existing migration sites
• TWEAK: Create default instance labels
• TWEAK: Bring list of debugging plugins up to date
• TWEAK: Add support for the AWS Milan and Cape Town endpoints (and correct a couple of existing endpoints that had wrong references)

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WP-Optimize is our popular all-in-one WordPress performance and optimisation plugin that cleans your database, compresses your large images and caches your site. As you may have seen in our recent blog, in addition to these features WP-Optimize have now released a new Minify feature that can help make your website run even faster. This new Minify feature is all about increasing the speed of users’ WordPress site.

How does Minify work?

Minify works by combining and minifying the static assets of your website, including CSS and JavaScript files. By removing the unnecessary characters in these static assets, Minify deletes characters such as line breaks and white space from your website’s code; the deletion of which can help your site to load faster by further saving space. Minify also ensures that your files are merged into as few files as possible. This reduces the amount of load on your web server and can be quicker to load fewer files.

Users can also defer the loading of any CSS or JavaScript file. This means any large or extraneous CSS or JavaScript file can be loaded independently from the core of your WordPress site; giving users quicker access to your site.

WP-Optimize Minify has been built and designed to work seamlessly with your website and the overall WP-Optimize optimization process. By activating and using Minify, you should find that everything on your site still acts and behaves in exactly the same way that it always has, with the one difference being that it will now hopefully run faster due to the removal of all the unnecessary information.  

Is Minify easy to use?

We have designed the Minify feature to be easy to use regardless of a user’s level of skill and knowledge. For most people, all you have to do is toggle the main switch to “enable minify”. 

WP-Optimize will then automatically take care of all your minification needs. 

What if I have issues using Minify?

While simply just turning on Minify will get great results and be sufficient for most users, there will be a small number of users that may find that due to their specific website design, the appearance of the site may have altered. While the possibility of this happening will be rare, there is a very small chance it could happen. Should you find yourself in this position, just toggle the “enable minify” switch again to turn off the feature and your site will revert back to its original state. We then recommend visiting our support forum and ask for help on how to configure Minify to work on your site.

Individual control

With WP-Optimize Minify, you also have the option of adjusting the settings specifically for your website. To change the settings to best suit you and your site, you can go into the HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Fonts, Settings or Advanced tabs to change the settings, creating specific rules for your site.

Should you wish to undo any of the changes you made, we designed Minify so that any changes you may make will not be permanent and can be rolled back by just removing your changes. 

Using the Minify feature is completely risk free and is another important and proven way to speed up your page loading times.

We designed the Minify feature to be simple to use and intuitive. Just install WP-Optimize and start using it today.

The post WP-Optimize updated with new Minify feature appeared first on UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus – Backup, restore and migration plugin for WordPress.

There’s nothing more distressing for a site manager then having something go wrong with your WordPress site. Whether it’s unexpected file changes, malware, errors, plugin updates, or something else entirely, the fix sadly may not be simple. Due to all the potential issues a WordPress site faces, it can be a valuable lifeline to easily and quickly restore your site to a healthier point in time by using UpdraftPlus.

In this guide, we’ll be providing you with step-by-step instructions detailing how you can restore your WordPress site to a previous date using the UpdraftPlus WordPress backup plugin. As a bonus, we’ll outline why you might need to restore your WordPress site with a few examples you might find familiar.

Why you might need to restore your WordPress site

Before we outline how you can restore your site, it’s worth looking into some of the reasons why you might need to do it. Restoring your WordPress site to a previous date isn’t something that should be done lightly, but there are a few very valid and common reasons why you might need to. Here are a few you might recognise:

Your site has been hacked or compromised

WordPress itself is a secure content management system on which you can build your website. However, without proper management, it can be prone to attacks by bots and/or hackers. 

Any of the following could give these bots or hackers an easy way into your website to spread malware, change access, steal user data or change files:

• WordPress, plugins or themes have not been updated – Most plugins need to be kept up to date to remain secure and free from the latest vulnerabilities. By not updating plugins, website owners can leave their site unintentionally vulnerable.
• Weak passwords and usernames are still being used – a weak or common username or password combination is enough for bots to gain access to your site. Even keeping the username ‘admin’ on your site can leave you open to easy access.

Should you site become compromised in this way, then a backup and restore plugin like UpdraftPlus can restore your sites content. With an additional add-on, UpdraftPlus can also restore your WordPress core and non-standard files too.

Major changes were made and files are overwritten

In the management of your WordPress site, sometimes things can get out of hand and mistakes can be made. For example, you have a developer or member of your team working on making improvements to your site but they forget to save an older version of the file they’re working on, just in case they make a mistake. 

By making the wrong kind of changes, your developer has created an error on a major file, with you site now inaccessible to visitors. By using a backup and restore plugin though, you’re able to restore your WordPress site to a previous date, before the error was created and the file was changed.

Pro tip: When either making changes to your website yourself or having a developer help you, we always recommend creating a clone/staging environment for your site. This way any changes you make won’t affect your live site. You can do this easily with UpdraftClone.

As a bonus, UpdraftPlus can be set up to perform automatic backups when plugins, themes and WordPress core updates run. This means that keeping your site up to date and secure has never been easier.

How to restore your WordPress site to a previous date

If you recognise any of the above situations and need to restore your WordPress site to a previous date, then the following step-by-step instructions will help.

Note: UpdraftPlus can only restore your site to a previous date if you already had UpdraftPlus installed and performing scheduled backups. If you do not have UpdraftPlus installed, it is recommend that you contact your hosting provider, who can hopefully help you.

To save your future-self time, money and a serious headache, get UpdraftPlus installed (it’s free) on your site to give you peace of mind.

UpdraftPlus not only restores your WordPress site to a previous date, but it also:

• Performs backups of all your WordPress files, databases, plugins and themes.
• Implements scheduled backups every 4, 8 or 12 hours, daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly (set by you).
• Restores backups directly from your WordPress control panel.
• Lets you store your backups remotely on Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and more.

Installing UpdraftPlus

Installing UpdraftPlus takes just a minute or two and is as simple as adding any other plugin to your site. To install, follow these steps:

1.In your WordPress dashboard go to Plugins > Add New.

2. Type UpdraftPlus into the search bar.

3. Find the UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin and press Install Now and then Activate.

How to use UpdraftPlus to restore your WordPress site

In this example, we have UpdraftPlus installed, set up and running and have already backed up our site in Google Drive (our storage of choice). If you need a little more help, read this guide to understand how to get UpdraftPlus up and running and backing up your site.

To restore your site, do the following:

1. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups in your WordPress menu. This will open your UpdraftPlus settings page.

2. Scroll down the page until you reach the Existing Backups section.

3. Find the backup from the date you want to restore and press the blue Restore button.

4. You will then be shown a popup which will ask you which elements of your database you want to restore. Select the ones that apply and press Restore.

When your restore is complete, a message will pop up telling you the “Restore has been successful”.

That’s it!, Restoring your WordPress site with UpdraftPlus is easy and hassle-free. Plus, you can configure how often you would like your backups to take place. This is handy if you have a very active site that’s updated regularly, allowing you to create daily updates to help give you peace of mind.

Summary: Restoring your WordPress site to a previous date 

In this guide, you’ve learned why having the ability to restore your WordPress site is important and how to get it done quickly and easily using UpdraftPlus.

The investment you make in backing up your website so you can restore it to a previous date should you ever need to, will not only save you time but money also. 

Having the ability to restore your WordPress site will help you avoid costly developer fees and website downtime. UpdraftPlus makes this process simple and easy to do.

The plugin featured in this guide:

Get UpdraftPlus for free – Schedule regular backups of your WordPress site and restore it from those backups in your WordPress control panel.

The post How to restore your WordPress site to a previous date appeared first on UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus – Backup, restore and migration plugin for WordPress.

The current enforced working from home guidelines in place are in place in an attempt to slow the spread of Covid-19. They have now become a way of life for many, with a growing number of people in the UK and around the world now using the internet to provide not just entertainment, but work and education also. This extra demand on bandwidth and associated infrastructure has caused problems for many and include the recent Virgin internet outage, which left 43,00 users in the UK without an internet connection. Along with these outages, many internet users have also complained about the reduction in internet speeds that have seemed to have been put into effect to combat overuse. 

Why do you have a slow internet connection?

While the increase in the use of the internet by those homeschooling or binge watching Netflix accounts for the increase in demand, there may be some tips and tricks you can employ to help improve and hopefully speed up your internet connection. 

The first thing to consider is the physical location of your internet server. If it is located too far away from your primary device, your home network connection could suffer due to potentially passing through many different devices before reaching your primary device. Also try to ensure that your router is as far away as possible from other devices, such as mobile phones, baby monitors, stereos, smart TVs and speakers, as these devices could interfere with the signal. 

If it is not practical to move the router or bring your device closer, one way to help fix this would be to use a WiFi signal booster. A WiFi signal booster will extend your home network coverage by boosting or amplifying your router’s wireless internet signal. A WiFi signal booster can help to efficiently extend your wireless network, which will be of particular use if you have set-up a temporary office, such as in an attic or garden shed.

Other options you can also try

It is also worth remembering that you should try rebooting your router occasionally as it can help clear specific malware (malicious software that has been designed to cause damage to your device or server) or use a wired ethernet connection directly with the router. 

Also ensure that you regularly check your computer is updated with the latest antivirus software. While most antivirus protection programmes will carry out this task automatically, it is essential that you keep your computer’s protection up to date, which will help stop new threats slipping past your defences and potentially slowing your computer down.

In the UK, OFCOM have released a 7 point ‘Stay connected during the coronavirus’ guide that further details everything you can do to help limit the strain on your internet. As well as moving your router clear of other devices, OFCOM also recommend that you use a landline when making calls if possible, turn off devices such as tablets and smartphones that you are not using (as they will often use WiFi in the background), try a wired ethernet cable to get better speeds, plug your router directly into your main phone socket and get advice from your broadband provider.   

Making your site faster

With millions of extra people using and putting a strain on the internet every day, a scenario could arise where it is possible that your website’s users will experience periods where your site will be slow and unresponsive.

While we are unable to make the internet run faster, WP-Optimize has put in a lot of time and effort trying to do the next best thing. If you want your website to run faster and remain usable, installing WP-Optimize on your WordPress site is a great place to start. WP-Optimize is a revolutionary, all in one plugin that cleans your website’s database, compresses images (which slow loading speed) and caches your site. By improving your website’s performance, WP-Optimize can also help boost SEO, reduce visitor bounce rate and reduce server resources.

For further details on how to improve your website’s speed using WP-Optimize, be sure to check out this blog. In this blog you will discover the best way to set-up and optimize the plugin. 

If you have any questions or comments regarding WP-Optimize, please leave a message in the comment section below.

The post How millions working from home has slowed the internet and how WP-Optimize is working hard to help appeared first on UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus – Backup, restore and migration plugin for WordPress.

Since its launch in September 2018, UpdraftClone has been helping to revolutionise how people ‘copy and paste’ WordPress sites. While this clone feature was launched to allow users to create a ready-hosted cloned site instantly from UpdraftPlus, there have been some users that have requested the ability to generate larger clones. 

Following these requests, many people will be pleased to hear that launching soon, users of UpdraftClone will now be able to boot larger clones should they need to. This new feature will be of particular use to users that have a site larger than 25GB (the smallest clone size). UpdraftClone will also automatically choose the correct size of the clone should the user select an existing backup. As the larger clones take up more server space, they will cost a little extra in tokens to run and renew. 

We have also extended the larger clone option to existing clones. To increase the size of your existing clones, just go to your UpdraftPlus account “My-Clones” page and click on “Manage Clone” for the clone that you wish to resize. An option will then appear allowing the user to increase the size of the existing clone, should you require more space. 

If you have any questions, be sure to share them with us in the comment section below. 

The post Clones have just got bigger appeared first on UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus – Backup, restore and migration plugin for WordPress.

With the current world-wide situation regarding the Covid-19 virus necessitating many people to either start or exclusively work from home for the first time in their careers, the traditional 9-5 working day is constantly being rewritten and re-evaluated by companies being forced to change the way their staff work. 

Due to the current crisis, many companies are now being forced to update their working practices for the first time in generations or risk going out of business and potentially contributing to the spread of the virus to vulnerable parties. With the changing of these traditional working attitudes, companies all over the world are having to find new ways to adapt in order to remain active, relevant and accommodating to workers affected by the current situation

Why have some companies resisted the working from home movement?

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, it was estimated that 70% of people worldwide work remotely at least once per week. Even before the virus forced a fundamental shift in working patterns, statistics have shown that working from home has been gaining in popularity all over the world due to the increase in high speed internet and changing demands and expectations of a younger workforce to have a better work/life balance. However many old school companies have been resistant to change and have clung to the traditional 9-5 model due to lack of trust in staff, poor infrastructure and the inability or desire to evolve. In the UK the TUC estimates that around 4 million UK workers would like to be given the chance to work from home at least some time during the week, but have never been given the opportunity.

It is not just the improved work/life balance that attracts many workers to the idea of working from home. Nearly 10% of commuters spend 90 minutes or more travelling each way to get to work, with “extreme commuters” now hitting 2 million in the UK. The environmental impact of having millions of people travelling such great distances for work (that we are now seeing can largely be done from home) is another major factor in the desire to commute less for many workers. 

While it may be an extreme example given the overall quarantine guidelines enacted during the early stages of the outbreak, the Nitrogen dioxide levels from China dropped massively during the lockdown period of February and March, showing what can be done to limit climate change and improve air quality just by eliminating the commute to a job.

What can we learn from WordPress bloggers?

A big share of WordPress users are those who use the platform for blogging. For this army of WordPress users very little will change during this time, but there are valuable lessons about how to successfully remote working we can learn from our blogging colleagues. 

There are many guides on the best methods and rules to follow when working from home. As we discussed in our previous blog, there are several basic rules you can follow during your enforced ‘work from home’ period if you hope to achieve the same kind of work ethic as a successful WordPress blogger.

• A designated work space
  While you may not be able to dedicate an entire room to your new ‘home office’, there are still things you can do to help create a more work-like environment. Sitting in front of the TV on your laptop isn’t going to result in much work getting done, so if you are working from a dining table or the desk in your bedroom, make sure that it is free from clutter, obvious distractions and you have enough room to work comfortably. 
• Plan your work day
  If you make a list in the morning of what jobs you want to get done and by when, it can help keep you motivated and give you clear goals and targets for the day ahead. Working to a pre-set plan can help create the traditional ‘deadline’ mindset that can help improve your output and performance.
• Limit your hours
  While working from home can save hours everyday as you no longer need to commute, it might be tempting to put those hours towards your work instead, This can result in someone potentially facing burn-out from working too long and not taking enough breaks.
• Remember to exercise
  From getting up in the morning, to sitting at your desk: The whole process could take less than 10 steps. Sitting at your computer all day in the comfort of your own home could potentially cause you to neglect the need to get up, move around and step away from the screen for a break. By spending too much time at your computer, you can risk eye strain, repetitive stress injuries and fatigue. By taking regular breaks and exercising, you can re-energise your mind, re-focus your concentration and increase your productivity. 
• Limit distractions
  With smartphones, the internet and streaming services, there is literally an unending amount of content and services to distract you when you are trying to work. As WordPress bloggers know only too well, it is necessary to limit these distractions if you ever want to get anything done. The easiest way to do this is by making sure your new home working area is free of these distractions. While it may not be possible to remove every attention g rabbing app or website, you can still limit their impact on your focus. For example, try setting your mobile phone to silent so you are not distracted every time you have a notification

In summary

While we do not know how many weeks, months or even years the current situation will continue for, we do know that when it comes to remote working, WordPress bloggers around the world have shown that we can still have a rich and fulfilling work life environment. By following the above steps when setting up your home office and work environment, it is important to remember that it is going to take a fair bit of time, effort and focus in order to establish what does and doesn’t work for you personally.

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It feels like the whole world is turned upside down. 

Everybody and everything has been affected by the global pandemic. Even those who avoid exposure to the dreaded virus have their businesses exposed to a new, unknown environment of economic uncertainty. This is an unprecedented time and for many, it’s deeply unsettling. 

At a time when so many of us are shut in, the internet provides us with some consolation: it is, for many, a vital lifeline to the outside world providing news and advice, a way of us getting hold of groceries, medication and other necessities, and of getting e-learning resources for our children.

This time of crisis makes us more aware than ever of our frailty- both as individuals and as a society. It makes us conscious of just how interconnected our world is, and there’s strength in that fact too. We can all do our bit and stand shoulder to shoulder with others.

We want you to know that at UpdraftPlus, we’re here for you. With so much else going on, the last thing you want to worry about is your WordPress site’s basic functioning, so rest assured that we’re here to provide expert support 6 days a week, around the clock.  We’re a team of 15, distributed across 9 different countries and 4 continents and as of the last few weeks, we’re all working from home. Whatever happens over the coming weeks and months, someone will be on hand to help with your backup queries. 

In the midst of reports of the internet becoming slower from all the people working from home, we’re also working hard to process all your support requests at Updraft’s WP-Optimize Cache to ensure your website runs as fast and efficiently as possible.

Finally, the team here at UpdraftPlus want to hear about how your WordPress business is being affected by this crisis. What’s your experience? How have you adapted? Has your business been hit or your online presence providing a crucial service? And what advice would you pass on to other businesses?

Please share below how your WordPress business has been affected for the worse or better at this time.

The UpdraftPlus Team

The post How has your business and WordPress site been affected by the Covid-19 crisis? appeared first on UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus – Backup, restore and migration plugin for WordPress.

Trying to keep active and healthy during lock-down is proving to be challenging as the spread of the novel Coronavirus has now reached every corner of the globe, including Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas resulting in many people across the world being directed to begin working from home in the largest mandatory change in work direction since the second world war. 

If you had asked most businesses if it was possible for them to switch to a work from home platform, the majority would have no doubt told you such a change was impossible and would result in mass firings and countless businesses going under due to lack of constant management oversight and inadequate infrastructure. Yet here we are just a month or two later and countless millions across the world have joined the existing 1.5 million that currently work from home in the UK. 

Of the millions of new employees that are now remotely working, only a small fraction of those have the experience and knowledge of how to successfully balance your home based work demands and the need for an active and healthy lifestyle. Those of us at UpdraftPlus have also had to adapt to the full-time ‘at-home’ working experience currently recommended, with our Monday morning video conference chats becoming an important factor in maintaining important working relationships and giving everyone a chance to catch up with colleagues, while sharing their latest work and developments. 

While maintaining social interaction with colleagues during the lock-down is important, the challenge to keep active and healthy (both mentally and physically) while balancing the demands of our new work/life schedule during this time is something we all need to address, especially given the restrictions imposed on going outside unless absolutely necessary. 

Following on from our recent blog: WordPress community: Helping to provide services online for people in isolation, there are a few simple ways to make the best of a bad situation and we are happy to share with you some of the tips and tricks we have been following in order to make the best of this difficult and challenging time.

1. Keep work separate

While this may not seem like an obvious ‘health-tip’, it is important to identify when you are actually at work, even when at home. This will play a massive part in your overall health and well-being (not to mention quality of work) while stuck in the house. It can be tempting to blur the lines between personal and work life when they occur in the same building, so it is important to try and follow something broadly familiar to your normal working patterns and routine. Stick to a regular start and finish time, wear appropriate work clothes (no pajamas!), follow the same hygiene pattern you would as if you were going to your office (shower, shave etc) and create a suitable home office environment so you are not distracted by family, pets or the TV. 

2. Have a proper home office set-up

The thought of working from home probably brings up images of slouching on the sofa in front of the TV with a lap-top, and while this may sound appealing, it could cause some serious problems with your health. The lack of proper lumbar support, constantly slouching and looking down at your screen can cause serious neck and back problems if you are not careful. This is why it is highly recommended that you have a dedicated home office space from which to work, an office chair with lumbar support, a monitor properly adjusted to your eye level and a traditional separate mouse/keyboard (not a track-pad) to use. 

3. Try to avoid being too isolated

While governments all over the world are recommending social distancing as a way to slow down the spread of the virus, for people who are used to the hustle and bustle of a busy office in which they interact with people all day, this can be very challenging. To counteract the enforced isolation, try to physically talk to someone on the phone or via video conferencing at least once a day if possible. You can also undertake personal social interactions remotely by having a group Netflix viewing party with your friends. Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension that allows a single person to share a video with friends, allowing you and all your invited friends to binge watch Tiger King together. 

4. Watch what you eat and drink

With the confines of a traditional office, you are somewhat limited to what you can eat or drink during a working day. The fact that the canteen is at the other end of the building or a neighbouring office has stolen your milk again probably limits what you consumed while in work. When working from home however, these issues are out the window. Unlimited cups of tea, toast, sandwiches and snacks and just a walk to the kitchen away. To limit your excess consumption, make a list of what you would normally consume during a regular working day and try to stick to the same pattern when working from home. With all the extra food available combined with an increased sedentary lifestyle, the risk of putting on weight (which could lead to health problems) is very real. If you do find yourself consuming more, try purchasing fat free or diet options the next time you go shopping.

5. Get as much exercise as you can

This may sound like the most obvious advice, but with an effective lock-down essentially in place, the options and opportunities to stretch your legs and go outside have become incredibly limited. With all the gyms closed and Police being somewhat overzealous with what constitutes an acceptable reason to go out and exercise, home workers are having to look elsewhere for their daily fix of endorphins. 

All is not lost however. With just a yoga mat and a YouTube link, a whole world of possibilities can open up for those stuck inside. Consider trying a high intensity work-out from professional exercise instructors such as The Body Coach, who have generously put videos online for free. 

If that is not your speed, you could take a leaf out of a book from people who have no choice but to exercise with limited space and follow the tried and tested ‘jail-house’ exercise regime of push-ups, sit-ups, squats and planks. Remember to start slow and slowly build you way up though as the last thing you want to do right now is to go to hospital due to a pulled muscle or a head injury from over enthusiastic jumping jacks. If you are not able to undertake these kinds of exercises, at the very least remember to get up and walk around for at least 5 minutes every hour.  

In summary

While the dangers presented by the COVID-19 virus have rightly confined us to our homes and out of our offices for the foreseeable future, it is important to remember that the dangers to our health come not just from this virus, but from the new (for many) and unfamiliar working environment most of us now find ourselves in. 

Without proper consideration of our health and well-being (both body and mind), we could risk becoming overweight, depressed and anxious. Be sure to create and set up a work schedule and exercise plan to see you through the lock-down in order to give you a better and happier work from home experience. 

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With most Governments all over the world implementing further isolation practices in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, many of us have found that the internet has become an even more essential and important tool in our everyday lives. It has allowed people to stay connected to loved ones, has reduced the risk of spreading the virus by letting those most vulnerable stay home and order essential products online and gave businesses the option of continuing to operate in some capacity through work at home programmes. 

With WordPress underpinning 27.5% of the World’s websites (with 50,000 new websites being added daily) and with many businesses now moving exclusively to an online ‘work from home’ model, the platform is at the forefront of keeping these services open and running smoothly. With continued business operations such a necessity, WordPress is having to quickly adapt to meet these new demands in order to meet the rapidly changing needs of it’s massive user base.

From a more practical perspective, WordPress cancelled WordCamp Asia back in February in response to the outbreak, while developers have built and launched a variety of plugins that are helping websites to share important information with their users. One new plugin that is helping is the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) Banner. This simple plugin allows website owners to add a banner notice to their website informing users of any COVID-19 related updates that they need to share.

The potential difficulties of working from home

While practical applications are indeed useful and can help spread awareness and up to date developments, more personal issues such as depression and loneliness will become an emerging factor for those who are experiencing working from home in isolation for the first time.

As many freelancers and self-employed small business owners already know, working by yourself from home can be both a blessing and a curse with freelancers reported to be twice as likely to be depressed compared to office workers. The effects of spending long days working alone has resulted in 56% of freelancers reporting to suffer from depression as a result of their job, with a further 62% saying they feel stressed due to the lonely nature of the work. This is compared to office-based workers, where less than 30% say they suffer from depression and 55% reported feelings of stress.

Stressed while working from home

While working from home may be the dream of many who harbour thoughts of creating their own work hours and operating in a much more comfortable and familiar environment, there is also the downside of being starved of important emotional factors such as social human interaction (something we are biologically hardwired to seek out), personal contact and suffering from increased feelings of isolation and lack of community. This of course is on top of the extra anxiety and stress that has been created from the extra child care issues many parents are now facing, as well as having to ensure the safety and well-being of older relatives and loved ones.

In an effort to stem these negative emotions, organisations such as WPHugs have been established to provide a community for like-minded people to discuss these difficult topics in real-time. The WPHugs Slack channel is free to join via an invitation by registering at the WPHugs website and has the goal of providing community support to those who need help during these difficult times. While not a professional therapy channel, it’s founder Leo Gopal hopes that by crowd-sourcing tips, tricks and conversations, they can help to maintain good mental health amongst the WordPress community. 

Keeping the world running

With the majority of people being told to stay home and if possible do their shopping online, websites are seeing unprecedented levels of visitors and demand. With the extra millions of customers now ordering through online shopping channels for large stores such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrions, customers are facing a 3 week wait for their deliveries to be filled. While WordPress cannot do much about this massive surge in demand for groceries and delivery drivers, it has helped keep numerous big sites such as Microsoft News, Facebook Newsroom, New York Observer, TED, CNN, Time.com, The White House and the New York Post online and accessible to people looking for the latest news and information regarding the virus from local and national agencies. For people in isolation, these outlets are providing essential important information and news regarding the constantly evolving Government guides and plans for dealing with the virus outbreak. 

While many people are naturally adjusting to the massive change in their lives following the spread of the COVID-19 virus, WordPress has proved to be an amazing platform for evolving to the needs of its users and building a shared community. If you would like to share with us any of your stories regarding work isolation and stress and how you have managed to cope during tough times, please do so in the comment section below. 

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