The Best Ways To Establish A Healthy Working Environment In Your Home

With more of us working from home than ever before, our home environment has never been more important. As these two parts of our lives become increasingly blurred it is essential that we establish healthy habits, organise our spaces and compartmentalise work and home, so that we don’t feel overwhelmed and can take care of our mental wellbeing.

Scientists have pointed out the importance of differentiating our working space from our home, to provide clarity and mental wellbeing. Failing to do so can lead to work filtering into home life and preventing us from having a space in which we can truly switch off and recharge.

Several psychology experts have put together a paper which looks into the benefits and challenges of working from home. They suggest that although home-working provides plenty of positives such as greater flexibility, comfort and fewer interruptions, the “increased flexibility can easily lead to multitasking and work-family role blurring.”

They explain that WFH comes with “the need to develop work-life boundary control tactics and to be skilled at self-discipline, self-motivation, and good time management.”

So how can we best zone these too parts of our lives and create these important boundaries, wherever we might live and however much space we might have?

Set and stick to a routine.

In a post created to give guidance for those working from home, the NHS highlight the importance of establishing a pattern to your day. The advice states that “without steady schedules, the lines between work and personal time can get blurred and be stressful to get right.”

Creating a routine to you might mean keeping a planner and attributing different parts of the day to different tasks, or breaking down big tasks into smaller, more achievable goals. Analyse the way that you work best and create a routine which is tailored to you - adapting and improving it as you go.

It is also important to create a disparity between when you wake up and when you start working. Similarly, where possible, mark the end of your working day. You might choose to get completely ready for work and then walk around the block before you start work at 9. Listen to a podcast or music on the way or just enjoy the silence.

Treat this time as a commute and even a time to be meditative before you switch on for work. Having a gap between getting ready and working is bound to put you in a better mindset which will, in turn, give you focus and productivity.

Create a dedicated and tidy workspace.

This is such a valuable step and is the most important key to creating a work/home boundary. Try to keep this space for work and work alone. It may well be your kitchen table but ensure that the space is organised and that you don’t have too many things to distract you. The NHS advice is that we should get comfy but ensure we have good posture and sit at a desk or table.

desk tidy — The Desk Tidy Kit in Natural

Just like the satisfying feeling of watching Marie Kondo tidying someone else’s house, decluttering our spaces has a proven positive effect on our mental wellbeing. Although it can sometimes be fairly overwhelming, according to Calm Moment, decluttering gives us clarity and the tidy space makes us feel calmer - something that you may already probably recognise in your day-to-day living.

Give yourself regular breaks.

Whilst the first two points are very important to help us separate out home environment from work, it is equally important to give yourself regular breaks, stay connected to others and take care of yourself.

Make these changes to your home environment and routine, but also recognise when you need to stretch and step away from the screen to give yourself a break.

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