This guest post is a collaboration.
Everyone talks about finding the right balance between work and play. But with COVID-19 shutting down office spaces, companies would rather their employees work remotely, meaning that finding this balance is harder than ever. You used to be able to go home and slump down on the sofa with a cup of tea to unwind after work. Now, the sofa is where you’ve already spent the whole day bent over your laptop.
More than ever before, it’s a necessity to separate your work environment and relaxation space. But how exactly does one create a productive office amongst the chaos of the household? We’ve collated several tips to help you strike that balance and start being productive even when working remotely.
Find Somewhere Practical and Comfortable
Though it might sound fun, working straight from your bed is not a good idea. Nothing kills productivity more than idleness and a lack of routine. Our bodies are conditioned to associate beds with rest and relaxation, in turn affecting our mindset when we work from them. The same can be applied to working remotely in your living room. Avoid these environments so you can draw a distinct line in your brain between what is a workspace and what is a play area.
You home office must also be comfortable. It is important not to neglect this. Nobody can work to their highest capacity when plagued by a consistent backache. Therefore, it’s worth investing in a desk and comfortable chair – or at the very least a backrest. Once again, sofas and beds aren’t the solutions. In fact, they’re notoriously bad for posture, especially when you are hunched over a laptop every day for extended periods of time.
Declutter Your Home
Nothing helps productivity tick away, quite like an organised, clear head does – which makes the phrase ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ even more relevant. Wherever you decide to set up an office, you need to ensure you’ve decluttered it first. Humans tend to be sensitive to their surroundings, so an office that is filled to the brim with old furniture and discarded equipment is going to affect your ability to concentrate. If you still have a use for these items but also need to make room for your new home office, then we recommend you look into renting a storage unit. As an example, Safestore offers a range of storage options for personal storage which could help you declutter, organise and create the perfect home office for working remotely. Never underestimate the power of a good spring clean.
Go Somewhere Without Distraction
We’ve all made this mistake before. Setting up your laptop on the kitchen work surface or in the dining room gets you off to a pretty good start, but soon the distractions start creeping in. Especially with COVID-19 keeping us all in the house, these areas are feeling like hubbubs of activity; from food prep and clashing cutlery to loud conversations and the phone ringing constantly. It doesn’t take long for the literal and metaphorical kettle to start boiling. To create an effective home office, you’ll need to move somewhere quiet. If you can, find a room that is removed from the rest of the household with neutral surroundings, such a spare bedroom. From here you can cultivate a nurturing environment to begin working remotely in. With peacefulness comes productivity.
Follow these pieces of advice and you’ll find you can work just as hard at home as you can in the office. Go somewhere peaceful, be productive, and still make time for play.