5 Tips For Creating A Functional Home Office

How to Integrate Your New Home Office with Kiddos

Like many others, our daily routines have drastically changed since the coronavirus outbreak. Overnight we transitioned from sending our daughter to school to homeschooling. Fortunately for me, I already worked from home. Trying to maintain both my work and teaching my daughter at the same time has been a real struggle. I reached out to my friend Samantha from StruckSured Interiors for some advice on creating a multipurpose home office. Samantha kindly shared these 5 tips for creating a functional home office during the coronavirus outbreak.

Here are Samantha’s 5 Tips For Creating A Functional Home Office:

work from home — Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

Create a functional home office space that is accessible to your children and (if possible) include them in your zone (a bit).

Right now, the world feels upside down. I know in my household, my kiddo certainly feels that. He longs for some attention and to feel included in my life while we wade the waters of working at home as a unit. For my desk, I have 6 LF (linear feet) and I reserve about 18” on the right for him to sit at a bench and do his schoolwork at. He knows I am right there to help when needed and it makes him feel like we are “working” together.
If you do not have a dedicated space for a desk, I would consider doing “work time” together as a family. This way the kids and you all get to have some quiet time and feel like you are doing the same thing at the same time.
If you can create dedicated space, help show your kids where the limits are. My son knows he cannot go beyond the first couple feet of my desk because I need it for my work space. He occasionally asks to sit on my lap but in general, he knows and respects that this space is dedicated to the work I need to do.

Work in a place that allows you to close off work mentally and physically when it is done for the day.

One of the biggest challenges when working from home is that the lines become blurred when work starts and stops. It becomes more difficult to unplug mentally and be present with our family when the timecard stops. A helpful way to avoid this is to physically close off the space & computer, or pick up what you can as soon as you are done for the day. Leaving it out visually will act as a subtle reminder of work yet to be done. It may take a few more minutes to put away and have to get it back out. However it will be so worth it for the sake of being mentally & emotionally present for your family.

Try to avoid doing work in your bedroom.

Your master bedroom is your sanctuary space. It is reserved for you (and your partner if present). Carrying work into your room brings with it all the frustrations and sometimes anger that comes with work. When we carry that energy into the room, it can subconsciously become the attitude that is cultivated in that space.
As a side and as a designer, I also advocate that your master space be void of any photos of anything besides yourself and/or your partner. This keeps the feel of the room more romantic and dedicated to your personal self/relationship. It also subtly tells your kiddos that the room is, in fact, yours.

Create a space with little visual clutter and a clean background if you work in a profession that requires video chatting.

This can be an exceptionally vulnerable thing to do if you are not accustomed to peers and clients seeing into your home. Try your best to provide a clean space and background. Even if you are rocking your PJ’s under your desk, the background and your desk space will show that you are organized and on top of this whole working from home thing.

uncluttered home office — Photo by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

Know that this is a season

Everyone is trying to wade through these waters together. Have grace for yourself as you navigate the change of pace and workflow. Add truths or affirmation to your workspace if you find yourself getting frustrated or stuck with little motivation. This way you can glance at these throughout the day to keep motivated.
To Stay motivated I have to get out of bed and get fully ready (dressed, hair and makeup). I commit to myself each day that I will do this to stay on track and focused. Find whatever you need to do to stay motivated and commit to it. Reach out to a friend and ask for accountability on this.

StruckSured is a full-service residential and commercial design firm. Samantha assists clients with a wide range of challenges, including CAD drawings, the selection of architectural details, products and finishes, and collaboration with contractors as needed.

Visit: https://www.strucksured.com

You Can Follow Samantha on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/strucksured/