If You're Working From Home, You Need to Create Your Workspace

If you’re like me, and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you know that it comes with challenges. A lot of us had to drastically change the way we worked in a short amount of time. I had a few days to prepare and make the transition. I had to find a way to do my full-time job at home, which is a place that normally isn’t suited for it.

Since this is a huge disruption of your normal daily life (we are in a pandemic after all), it would be helpful to build some consistency. Having a set place to work at home would help with your adjustment to working from home.

One tip that will help is to make your home workspace a place just for your job. That way, you have some sort of physical differentiation between your work space and your home space, even if your work space is now in your home space. It isn’t much, but I have a desk in the corner of my bedroom that I use as my home office. I have my computer, paperwork, and a modest amount of office supplies. That’s enough to get me through my work day. As tempting as it is to work in the living room and the kitchen, it’s nice to compartmentalize my workday. When I’m at my desk, I feel like I’m at work. If I worked on the couch or at the kitchen table, I know my mind would associate those with work, so I would feel like I’m at work even if I was watching TV or eating dinner.

Another tip that will help you with the adjustment is to make your home workspace work for you. Personalize it to your needs. You know what you need to take care of your duties, so set up your work area to help you establish a workflow that you are comfortable with. It may or may not be as productive as you would be if you were back in the office, but if you’re not comfortable, you’re probably not going to be very productive (and you’ll probably have a negative experience while doing so).

It’s okay to adjust your workspace as necessary, but keep it as consistent as possible. Consistency is the key that will help you build a daily routine as you work from home.

Roderick Conwi is the Executive Editor at Nourishment Notes. He is also the author of The Procrastinator's Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights that enhance your day, join his free newsletter.