Are you missing your daily commute? This time last year you’d never have thought it possible to miss those early morning starts, waiting on windy platforms before cramming into carriages with LinkedIn fixated business-folk and makeup-applying executives. Working from home sounded idyllic back then but now the distractions, the balance dilemma, the fridge and the lack of tech support are all starting to grate.

You’ve probably already set up a space to work from that can be classed as an office – you’re not daft, you need somewhere you can close the door on and you’ve likely invested in some tech to help you through these Zoom-filled days. You’ve accepted that these challenging/unprecedented (there are only 2 adjectives allowed on this topic) times require sacrifice, but when you’re working a full workday, perhaps even longer than normal, it’s just a bit more difficult than for those sitting around baking sourdough bread and doing jigsaw puzzles.

There’s not a one-answer-fixes-all here. You know that. You’re going to have to think ‘athlete at the top of their game’ here rather than ‘starters for ten’. These are our top 5 tips for working remotely and keeping your sanity. We are talking tweaks to build a compound effect. None of them is earth shattering but their united effort will make a difference. So, make the effort.

1. Create a commute 

Don’t just walk downstairs and start your day in front of the news with your laptop in your PJs. Recreate the schedule you normally follow. Eat, get yourself informed, have a shower, put on some work clothes and then leave the house. Even if it’s just a walk around the block or the garden, create the mental space between being at home and going to work.

I’ve been working from home for 15 years. I use the school run as my ‘commute’. Don’t take a phone, just walk and breathe and think about your day. This commute does not need to be your usual 90-minute horror, ten will do.

2. Create a working space  

You’ll need:  

• a desk and a work chair that will support your back 
• shelving for files (the floor does not fit into this category)  
• something inspiring to look at – out the window or a piece of art. Do not recreate the cubicle. At the very least put a plant on the desk 
• Natural light is key, as is fresh air. 
• Correct lighting for evening work is also needed, don’t rely on the back-light from the laptop/screen

3. Create a breakout space from the working space 

This sounds odd as the rest of your house really should be the place to relax but when we’ve created breakout spaces in offices, they don’t look like living rooms. They’re upbeat and full of inspiring images or information. Can you create a space where you can sit away from your desk and have somewhere to contemplate? You need thinking space. Where do you normally go to think?

4. Network 

You would ordinarily have a coffee with a colleague and catch up over odds and sods that prescribed, agenda-based meetings might not cover. Are you networking? Business owners meet frequently not only to create strategic alliances and share best practice, but just to mull over the week, to have a quick moan or better still, to celebrate with others. Have you got the opportunity to do that online? If not, can you create one?

5. Stop 

Create a time when the workday is over. There will always be a ton more work tomorrow, you know it never actually ends, so it’s up to you to create those boundaries and respect your own health and well-being. I know your work is crucial, I know there are stakeholders and bosses and clients, but they’ll always be there, and this time won’t be. So, stop, get your hour’s exercise in and be grateful that you’re earning and you’re healthy. 

We hope you find our tips for working remotely useful. Check out our recent blog on how to create a stress free space of your own that will help you detox and relax too.

While my plumber can’t install your bathroom via zoom and the builder hasn’t pivoted to an online business model, Sarah and I are still able to work on design projects.

We arrange a convenient consultation with you and then provide room layouts, fabric and colour schemes, furniture and lighting ideas. Everything can be ready in time for installation when the lock down has been lifted.

Contact: niki@nsid.co.uk or sarah@nsid.co.uk for details.