These days, there has been a lot of talk about working from home, not leaving, in short, being quarantined. But is it that simple? The home office is indeed an excellent alternative for this moment that we are living in and that it has many advantages. However, for the work to be productive and not turn into chaos, it is necessary to pay attention to some details.
What are the advantages of staying at home?
Without a doubt, staying at home has many advantages. You don’t waste time commuting, you can save the money you would spend on transportation, you can get more hours of sleep, you don’t have to stress about planning meals to take to work, and you also reduce the risks of going out on the street.
It means that looking at these points, having a home office is the best alternative to increase the quality of life. On the other hand, all these advantages can disappear if you are unable to adapt your life to a time of total and obligatory confinement.
Setting up the home office
Staying at home all day, in principle, may seem like the perfect solution to all problems. That is if we already have a space destined only for professional activities.
Those who don’t have a home office yet, need to adapt the available physical space. Ideally, it should be a place where you can work comfortably, but without losing sight of the fact that it is a workspace. That is, taking the notebook to bed or sofa is not indicated.
It is good that the place is similar to an office, to differentiate the moments of work with those of leisure or rest at home. This is important so that when you finish working hours, you can turn off the computer, leave the desk aside and move on to another area that has nothing to do with professional matters. Perhaps you think that it does not necessarily have to be so. Still, you can be sure that when the time of confinement at home is long, it becomes essential to separate activities.
Keep in mind that, before social isolation, you visited several places in the same day, worked in one place, had lunch in another, had dinner in another, went shopping, spent time with friends. In short, you had a dynamic day with changes in physical spaces. Now, the reality is different, so the importance of determining an area in your home for professional activity only. If possible, don’t work in the same place as you eat. Don’t even rest in the same place you work.
Have a desk or table just for professional activities, use your notebook only at a specific time, then watch TV, spend time on social networks, talk to friends on WhatsApp and – fundamentally – if you have a yard, balcony or any space around outdoors, enjoy being distracted.
Adapting the routine
It is not only the house that needs to be adapted, life in general as well. Determine a fixed working hour and, in your spare time, try to spend energy in the best way you can. Clean the house, tidy up the shelves, listen to music, watch TV, find fun movies and series, read good books and study.
Think about all the things you always wanted to do, but never had time, because you spent most of the day away from home. Do you like playing the guitar, drawing, writing short stories, painting, cooking or making ceramic pieces? This is the moment!
Be sure to fulfil any of your obligations, but also find the best way to spend your free time inside your home. Remember that no formula works for everyone. The recipe is for each person to do what they like most.
If you can find the balance between setting up your home office and reserving other places for the activities that you enjoy most, for sure, this quarantine time will be very productive.
Consider our tips and take advantage of this period!
