Have you spent the last few months working from home? If so, you’ll be one of the 49% of British workers who have been doing your day job on home turf during lockdown.
While some are returning to the usual workplace, many of us are staying put and working from our makeshift office at home. So, how is everyone turning a corner of their house or flat into a workspace that works?
Here’s a look at how we’ve adapted and some ideas to keep that work/ life balance on point.
Reimagine the space
To begin with, this was only meant to be temporary, but as time went on, workers invested in desks and office chairs. But in the months since lockdown was announced, we have had time to find a space to work in. Whether we’ve taken over the spare bedroom, set up our desk in the living room, or plonked in the kitchen, we’ve had to reimagine the space we live in and bring our work life into our homes.
Top working from home tip:
If you’ve realised you need to rethink your current setup as you’re not likely to be going back to the office for a while, now is a great time to look at the space you have. It might mean that you need to find a new home for your bookcase or move your chest of drawers to a different part of the house, but by carving out a corner just for your home office, you can have a dedicated space to work from.
Savvy storage solutions
Being clever with storage also became top of the to-do list. The box room was home to clothes rails and camping gear, but early on, many of us packed everything up and stored it away in order to squeeze in a desk and a computer.
To do this, many workers invested in boxes and shelving to move everything out of the way and create space.
Top working from home tip:
Assess the clutter and see if there are ways to make more room for your home office. One way to free up space in a small space is to lift everything and find a home for it off the ground. A quality set of shelves and hooks can make a real difference when you are trying to repurpose a room. By hanging everything up and placing your books and other belongings on shelves, you are creating room for your desk and chair.
Getting into a rhythm
We’ve had a few months to get into a routine now but as working from home becomes the new normal, we’re all trying to restore a work/ life balance. Being a couple of metres from our work computer at all times makes it easy to log on and check our emails at 10pm instead of switching off. Many of us have been able to slowly switch off as the months have passed.
Top working from home tip:
If you can’t resist working past going home time, try setting yourself some goals. Slowly bring the overtime and work comms down so you can regain a balance. By doing this, you’ll not come to resent that little office space you’ve created.
