Hi and we both hope you are doing well.
We are all having to reevaluate the way we work and because of the dreaded ‘c’ word, this might mean schooling the children from home, adapting to working remotely, or juggling both.
You’re probably looking forward to not spending time in heavy traffic every morning and staying in your pyjamas until noon and that works for the first day or two!
But if you’re planning to work from home for a prolonged period, there are a few ways to make sure you can be productive at your job, whilst still enjoying the perks of not having go out of the house. The most important thing to remember is to find what helps you stay focused, while keeping your work separate from your home life.
What works best will vary from person to person and here are some ideas to get your mind and body right:
Get dressed
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Try to get dressed and do it around the same time every day.
One of the biggest selling points of working from home is that you can wear what you want. This is true, and some days, especially if it’s miserable weather or you’re not feeling 100 percent, indulge a little and wear sweats and comfy socks. But to keep a sense of routine, try to get dressed and do it around the same time every day.
This might sound a little odd, but in addition to jeans and a comfortable shirt, wearing shoes (instead of slippers or just socks) helps keep that sense of work vs. relaxation.
Know your body
What will make your new workplace comfortable and productive?
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A good desk chair when working from home may be something to consider; it’s hard to work if your back is bothering you or you’re not comfortable.
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Make time to get up and walk away from your desk at regular intervals to stretch your legs.
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Make sure your work area is well-lit, so you don’t strain your eyes. Ophthalmologists recommend the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes look away from your screen and focus your eyes on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
You decide what your work area consists of, looks like now, and feels like now. Make it your own.
The psychology of working from home is now the work in progress. Once you’ve decided what this brand-new world of work looks like, you can build it.
As with most things in life, once your mind knows you’re serious, there are no limits, and we are learning this too.
Alongside other businesses, we announced the temporary closure of our physical store, but we are still working, and there is a lot to do.
We are putting the final touches to our new website, looking into different ways of working, and generally thinking about how custom kitchen design is going to change for the future.
Stay positive and we are looking forward to share our thoughts with you.
Take care,
Clinton and Fiona