In our last blog we discussed the future of working from home, and how it is mostly likely set to continue for a lot of companies. With that being the case, how set up for this new ‘normal’ are you? Some of us might have the luxury of a spare room or home ‘office’ already in which case nothing needed to change. But we are sure there are many amongst us, who may still only have the option of working from their sofa.
If you are unable to dedicate a whole room to a home office, it is still important to create a comfortable home working routine. Both to protect your back and neck, but also to protect your work life balance. So if possible, always try to find a way to work at a desk. Maybe there is a desk space that can double up as a work space? Perhaps a dressing table can become a work station during the day, or dining table? Whatever you choose, if you invest in some storage files so that you can easily pack away your work things at the end of the day and create some separation between work and home life, then you will have ticked both boxes!
If you simply don’t have the room for a desk, maybe you could consider mounting a space saving desk to the wall, similar to a lap tray, which could fold away against the wall? When folded away this would take up no space at all! If you have a stool or chair that you can put somewhere else when you’re not working then this creates an instant home office for your remote working!
So that gives you a couple of ideas on finding space within the home, but what about actually getting through the day? As we mentioned in the last blog, stats show that remote workers usually tend to be more productive and that is because they have more choice. They don’t have a long commute into work, which makes it far easier to feel focussed on a start and end time. Our advice here would be to keep up a good routine. If you know that you have no commute, set your working hours and be on time for them. Get up and dressed as though you were going to work so that you feel in the right frame of mind.
Set out a schedule for your day for what you’d like to achieve, include regular breaks to get up make a tea or coffee, and mostly importantly, make sure that you take lunch away from your screen so that you keep that work life balance! When you have finished your work for the day, clear away your things so that when you enjoy the rest of your day at home, you don’t keep thinking about work or what you might still need to do.
But what if you are a homeowner and have the potential to make the best of some under utilised space? Maybe you have a garage that you don’t really use that you could convert into a work from home office? Or maybe you’ve been planning on an extension to the home at some point anyway, and with a little guidance, you could find a way to free up another room in the home for use as an office?
At Bespoke Construction Group we are able to draw on our years of experience to advise you on the best ways to utilise the spaces you have when it comes to renovation, and how you can maximise on the spaces you free up when you extend. When you book a free meeting with us, one of our professionals will visit you at your home, talk through your ideas and offer advice when needed. So if you think that remote working is likely to be a permanent feature for you and you’d like to create a better suited environment, get in touch with us to book a meeting and find out how we can help!
