Reclaiming Your Work Life in a Persistent Pandemic

So, you’re (still) stuck working from home during a pandemic, and you want to change (or finally build) your dream home office. Great! That want is what will drive you through this journey of redesign and renovation. In most cases, a journey isn’t about the destination. This journey, however, is entirely about where you want to go.

Still not sure where to start with your redesign or renovation project? Download our FREE Timeline and Budget Guide for more information on what it takes to take on an interior design project.

When designing your personal workspace, it is critical that you consider its purpose, as not every home office is meant to look the same as the next. That is to say, your work is unique, which means the place in which you work must have individual functionality. 

 These three questions should be at the forefront of your mind:

1. What kind of work will I be doing in this space?

2. How do I work best?

3. What makes this space my own? 

You may find that your answers to these questions are overlapping or the same, but this means you’re on the right track!

Read more about the above space in our blog post, How Mindfully Designing Small Yet Functional Spaces can Change Everything － The Harness Story.

Define what the space can do for you. Identify not only the work you will need to accomplish but the best ways to accomplish this work. As an architect working from home, maybe a tilting drafting table or standing desk will suit your work needs better than the desk of a teacher.  

Speaking of teachers, online learning due to COVID-19 demands a new way of teaching. A teacher may do better work with a home office that offers a professional yet engaging background for all of the Zoom teaching they’ll need to execute.

All in all, your profession and the tools necessary to be successful will inform the roadmap to your dream home office.

In other words, we could all be teachers or architects, and yet no two home offices would look quite the same. This is because, as individuals with unique preferences, we all do good work in our own ways; your home office should be a place which caters to the way you do your best work. 

Are you a minimalist or do you thrive in a busy environment? Do you get a creative boost when visually stimulated? You could make your home office a blank slate or an inspirational toolbox. It could be a place of quiet or of vibrancy. No matter the road you choose, make your workspace work for you. You’ll thank yourself when you’re done.

There are a handful of critical details to nail down before diving right in, such as the location of your home office. Choosing a room with a window facing east will ensure that you’ll spend most of your work day with the rising sun’s light pouring in. If you work later hours or prefer to see the sun set, then a room facing west may suit you better.

But what about the light you can actually control day-to-day?

Creating an environment in which you can focus on the work at hand may be the most important piece of the work-from-home puzzle. Inadequate light, perhaps from an overhead fan with weak brightness, can produce harmful health effects, such as eyestrain, joint pain, headaches or even depression over time. 

We’ve all had those days working at home when something simply doesn’t feel right. You lose focus, a headache ensues, and somehow your eyes feel overworked. Suddenly, finishing your work seems like an unlikely feat. Perhaps consider the lighting around you; it affects us more than we realize.

There is a difference between ambient lighting and task lighting. While ambient lighting fills and illuminates the entire room, it can also be harsh or too dim. This makes focusing on one task more difficult than it has to be and can result in mental exertion that leaves you fatigued. Task lighting, usually produced by a lamp with a direct beam, encourages you to focus on the work in front of you while the rest of the world melts away long enough for the work to be completed. 

Alternatively, working most of the day by the glow of your computer screen (as most of us do nowadays) can also be harmful to your mental and physical wellbeing. 

The light from your computer screen, commonly known as “blue light,” contributes to eyestrain and the deterioration of light-sensitive cells located in the retina. Too much exposure to blue light, especially as your sleeping hours draw nearer, can lead to vision problems similar to that of age-related eye issues. To put it simply: Exposing your eyes to screens can weaken and impair your vision over time. In addition, it can lead to restless nights, which produce more strenuous days.

You can remedy this issue with occasional breaks from your computer and phone. This will allow you to get some fresh air before diving back into your daily tasks, and with a full day of work cooped up inside, your body will thank you for a chance to feel the sun.

As for remedies within your home office, use natural light from windows and a desk lamp to weaken the glow of the screens around you. And really, what is a home office without a good desk lamp?

Looking for some great ambient or task lighting? We’ve got you covered. Check out our blog, the Top 10 Most Thoughtful Gifts to Give in 2020, for a great light therapy product and much more!

Many of us live each day heavily influenced by the colors around us without ever realizing the effects they hold over the way we process information and emotion. Without diving too deep into the science behind how different hues instruct our behaviors, or color psychology, we want to touch on the importance of the colors you choose to incorporate into your workspace.

Here’s a breakdown of colors that typically produce positive effects: 

• BLUE – This cool color can promote efficiency while boosting your ability to intelligently process information. Shades of blue are typically found in offices involving work that requires high levels of concentration.

• YELLOW – Use a cheery yellow to inspire creativity, increase optimism, and strengthen your positive outlook on the day.

• GREEN – As a color most often associated with life, it’s no surprise that green can bring balance and serenity to your space. It is also a color that tends to be easier on the eyes.

You don’t need to paint your home office walls a bright yellow nor does your desk need to be blue or green. Tiny spots and splashes of color – through artwork, desk décor, or even a throw blanket – can persuade your brain to feel and behave in ways it just couldn’t in a dark, colorless room. Let’s do the hard work of designing a colorful and inviting space while you trust your brain’s knack for processing color, no matter how minimal.

Your splash of color could even come from plants. Check out our blog on The Emotional Power of Plants on Our Lives!

When all is said and done, we are still existing within an ever-evolving COVID world. As is the case with any persistent pandemic, doing what you can to stay safe when roaming public spaces is of utmost importance in keeping others and yourself healthy.

This remains true even while quarantining and working from home, even if you’re only leaving the house for a quick grocery run or coffee break. It’s hard to feel productive when you’re too sick to get out of bed, so it’s important to routinely wipe down the surfaces of your workspace to ensure you’re maintaining a safe environment. 

In general, even in a pre and post pandemic world, there is value in taking the time at the end of each workday to tidy up your home office and prepare it for the next day’s work. Your future self will thank you for being so considerate! You should work as though you are still sharing a workspace with your coworkers; this means keeping more than just what is visible through Zoom presentable.

Achieve Maria Kondo-like tidiness with desk organization décor, such as file dividers and pen holders. If you’re an avid list maker or sticky note connoisseur, invest in task organizing tools, like a bulletin board or dry-erase scheduler.

Working from home is a privilege in itself, and those of us fortunate enough to have the means to stay away from crowds during this time should take advantage of this opportunity without taking it for granted. 

Maybe you don’t have your boss overseeing every minute of your workday anymore, and that may feel like a relief. But it becomes increasingly easy as we progress deeper into this quarantine to become negligent of our work and wellbeing. 

Allow the pandemic to be an opportunity for rest and reinvestment into your needs as an individual, as a professional, and as a human being. To believe your health matters is to believe your space matters, both of which always matter to us.

Read our blog, 3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Space Today, for more tips on quick clutter fixes!

Are you currently working on a space and need some help? Schedule a 15-minute call and let’s get started on making you feel like the boss you are.