This article is a bit different from all my other, but I hope it will be helpful for you in these difficult times.
If you are following my blog you know that my husband and I travel a lot. This is because of his business and because of our agreement to not separate. A lot of relationships have been destroyed because of the separation you know. To follow him, I had to leave my job and to organize my own business. My hobby has become my work.
So, at this moment our main “base”, our “home” is in Europe, but we actually live there less than two months before the next flight comes along. Four times per year we travel to Australia for one month and all the other times we are in different countries in all the continents except Antarctica -for a week or two or only for 3-4 days. And because I am a small craft business owner, I need to organize my craft space in all these Airbnb places or hotel rooms we stay in. And do you know what? It is not difficult. You just need to follow some simple steps.
See Part I where I am sharing simple advice how to choose the right workspace and how to easily measure it…
Do not work in the bedroom
Do not organize your workspace in your own bedroom! It is your place to relax! Some people do have bedroom workspaces and it’s worked well for them for years. But, if you have to create your first home workspace, do not choose the bedroom. It’s quite possible you’ll find it impossible to relax and sleep and also impossible to work.
Why not the dining room or the lounge room?
Normally there you can easily find or reorganize space to put your computer, diary and everything you need. But, if coming home after work, you spend a lot of time in the dining or lounge room, it’s better to choose an area you use less. And reorganize it. Change the furniture around. Consider a proper “desk” space. The biggest potential distraction here is a TV. My suggestion is don’t have one in your workroom and, if that’s not practical then switch it off! Our family has lived without a TV for almost 10 years and believe me – this was the best decision we ever made.
How to separate your work materials and documents
It is very possible to not have as much space as you have in your office. But still try to organize your home workspace to look like the other one as much as possible. If you have a special method of organizing your documents and notes, keep it. The most important aspect is for your brain not to be shocked by large, sudden changes. It’s much better to introduce them slowly.
If, once you start working from home, realise that some procedures are better than the ones you were following previously, invite them into your work routine. But slowly. The situation is already stressful enough without stressing yourself more with different little changes. Less change means more efficient work – at least initially.
Create strict rules at home
First you need to separate out the whole day – from early morning to late evening into specific periods. Time for exercise, time for breakfast, time for self-care, time for work, time for rest, time for work again, time for rest, time for the family, time for house-keeping tasks, time for yourself. Do not mix them just because you can stay home now. This will impact your work and maybe your boss and colleagues will not be happy.
Keep your weekend schedule as normal. Probably it will be impossible to travel, to visit friends or parents and to do your normal shopping but you can use this time on different home and family projects. Do some gardening – all those little jobs you’ve been putting off. Reorganize and clean the wardrobes. Mary Kondo methods will help you a lot to relax your mind and stop thinking about the stressful news that inundates us daily. Try something new – online you can find a lot of ideas. Start drawing, start learning a new language. Even better if you can do these activities together with your partner and children. Try out some new recipes. Experiment with cookie decoration or, if cooking is not your thing, maybe try learning a new dance.
During days of quarantine your children will be also at home. Reorganize the time. Create a special time to do family projects and special times to “work”. Work time is both for your business and for your children’s homework and online lessons. Consider some rewards for a job well done. Kids of every age love this and it teaches them that good work will be rewarded.
Create a rule that when you are in your workspace you are not be disturbed.
Start working with the Pomodoro method or, at least, keep your normal office routine.
If you need to work online, delete all the social media from your work computer and keep it only on another home one.
Create a fitness routine
If you are living in a house, you probably have a garden, where you can walk in the “lunch time”. But if you are living in apartment, I suggest you start doing stretching and aerobic exercises in the morning before “work”. It is very important for your physical and mental health. It is better to do it before breakfast.
Some suggestions
Here are some suggestions which will help you to keep your productive routine, to not get stressed and to strengthen the relationships with your family and partner.
Recognize that there is time for work and time for pleasure.
Consider which is your most productive time. For me, for example, this is the early morning hours between 5 and 9 am. Try to work in your most productive time at least once a week.
When you start doing something new on weekends or in the evenings, shout about it to your friends on social media. People’s support will lift your mood.
Start an electronic or physical diary about the steps you are taking to improve yourself and your family life.
This post may contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and buy something, I may get a portion of the sale at no cost to you. With these links I promote products and services that I am using and think are excellent. It also helps me make a living off of this site so I can keep creating content for you.
Thank you for helping me! ♥
If this situation makes you think more about starting a home based business, maybe my book Work from home will be interesting for you.
