We believe home is a feeling, a very special feeling. Then there’s work, something that can completely different feelings at times. These two things are just different, tied to different emotions, and they need to be respected as such, especially under one roof. If not, resulting stresses will follow you from room to room in your home and you risk losing #allthefeels. If you‘re working mere feet from your happy places as a precaution of Coronavirus, consider these tips to keep your work and home-life separate…
1. Keep Your Peace
Keep your spirits up! This is especially important right now as the collapse of your routines and comforts are likely testing your triggers. Beat these downers by seeking opportunities to break up monotony and “feel human” again! The powers of simple joys are often underestimated, but when you get dressed (after wearing pajamas for three days), make your bed, love on your dog, or just smell the roses, you feel amazing! And if you feel good, you do good. Also try indulging in the positive aspects of your work life whenever possible. Have a good conversation with a client, catch-up with a coworker, or send praise emails to your employees. Reinvesting in joy like this will keep you “whistling while you work” from home.
2. Utilize Your Technologies
Technology has proven to be an extraordinary tool in helping us adjust to our current normal, if you have befriended it! Fortunately for us, there’s no shortage of ways to remain productive while in quarantine, just do a little research first. Find gadgets or software that best fit your style of work. For example, if you talk on the phone often, a pair of wireless earbuds are much more comfortable than holding a phone and, bonus, they free up your hands for multitasking. There are also tons of online resources to keep things running smoothly, such as Zoom for remote meetings, Slack for collaborative communications, Dropbox for file sharing, Google for business processes, etc, etc. And the best part—most of these are free with an email!
3. Establish Your Schedule and Boundaries
Successful freelancers and entrepreneurs always say, ”keep a routine”. Shoot for getting the majority of your work done earlier before lunch, which could free time in the afternoon for you to get a head-start on the next day or better, finish early. Respecting your own limits and setting boundaries for clear start and stop times is vital. If you never truly disconnect from work, you can not be present to enjoy your home-life. This separation is especially important if you live with others because they also shape the dynamics of your home. Once the work day is done, be sure to disconnect and give the people you care about your full attention. This maintains a happy, healthy home!
4. Be Courteous to Your Neighbors
Working from home isn’t a “one size fits all” scenario. Everyone works in a different groove—some are better in segregation and silence, while others work best with lots of activity and stimulus around them. Likely, you don’t really know which your neighbor is, so it’s best to maintain respectable noise levels in and around your home. Be considerate of your neighbors because they also affect your home-life. And besides, in a time of social isolation like this, the last thing you want to do is lose a friend close to home.
5. Designate Your Work Space
Defining your workspace clearly is essential in preserving the happy places of your home. Work and home are usually divided by physical locations, daily commutes, etc. but when you are working in-home, you need to recreate that separation with physical boundaries. Your home office should be as separate from the rest of your home as possible. At the beginning of your day, entering your designated workspace will stimulate you to “turn on” and get busy, increasing productivity. And leaving your workspace has the opposite effect, it will help you “turn off’” at the end of the day to fully detach for quality family time or “me time”. Dedicating a specific room to work is the ideal setup, just make sure it’s comfortable so you’re not tempted to roam around the house, lowering productivity and encouraging work to creep into home-life. An ergonomic chair and good lighting can go a long way for staying power in your home office.
Meet Your New Home Office
If the struggle is real for you right now or working from home will soon become long term, maybe it’s time to upgrade for better work and home-life balance. It’s the perfect time to move into a Del Mar at Catalina West. Make that second bedroom your dream home office! Contactless touring and leasing services available.
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