Working From Home? Don’t Let The Office Invade Your Life
Working from home can be just as stressful as punching a time clock at a cubicle each day. Although you no longer have a commute, it can feel nearly impossible to break away from work, even when you’re supposed to be attending to yourself and your family. Keep reading for a few tips on how to ensure a separation between your personal and professional spaces, even as they intertwine.
Small Space? Try an Office Pod
We all have distractions. Our children, pets, spouse, and even the mailman can all take our time and attention away from work. A great solution: Home Office Wellness’s TalkBox Single Booth Home Office Work Pod. This will help you eliminate visual and auditory distractions and is the perfect dedicated workspace when you don’t have a great deal of room in your home. When positioning your work pod, face the door toward a window or other natural light source.
Add Plants
Speaking of natural things, it’s time to decorate your home and plants. According to Redfin, there are many indoor plants, including garden mums and spider plants, that won’t require hands-on attention. But, they will have a positive effect on your brain. No green thumb? While not as effective, even artwork featuring plants and natural scenery can help.
Reconsider Your Color Scheme
Bright white, red, and yellow are great colors to have in your office, as they can invigorate you and keep your eyes wide open, even during the post-lunch slump. But, for the rest of your home, consider colors that keep you calm. Lavender, blue-gray, and pastel shades of purple and pink are all great for the bedroom, living room, and other areas where you just need to relax.
Keep Yourself Fit
When you work outside of the home, you probably get more physical activity than you do when you stay home. Look for ways to keep yourself physically active. This might mean investing in an under-desk bike, a yoga dome, or a standing desk. You can also plan to use your lunch break as an opportunity to take a walk around the block or play a quick round of basketball with the kids.
Separate Your Spaces
For many of us, working from home means setting up shop in the bedroom, kitchen, or dining room. As such, it can be tricky to let work go at the end of the day. However, you must make a point to separate your spaces. If possible, and ideally, turn the untapped potential of your garage, attic, or spare bedroom into a home office. Alternatively, you can also build a room divider screen – you can find ideas on DIYToMake.com.
By Tina Martin
A Permanent Office
If you run your own business or if your job has moved to a fully remote situation, this might be a great time to consider adding a permanent, but separate, home office. The cost to build an outdoor structure can easily hit $30,000, but you may pay more or less depending on where you live and the types of amenities you need. There are pros and cons to this arrangement as well. On one hand, your office will physically be apart from your home. On the other hand, you’ll have to walk to and from your desk in the rain and snow and every time you need to take a bathroom break or fix lunch.
Your home is your safe haven, but it may have also become your workplace. This can be a conflict of interest for you and your family, but it does not have to be. The few tips listed above, from installing an office pod to using color to change the mood room to room, can help you work, play, and relax all at the same address.
Article by Tina Martin. Image via Pexels