A BETTER WAY TO WFH
HOW TO USE THE ‘THIRD SPACE’ TO MAKE THE WORK-TO-HOME LIFE TRANSITION SMOOTHER
Doing your job from the comfort of your couch or home office has its benefits (all day PJs) but it can make it hard to switch off and be present in your home life when the working day is done. In his book The Third Space, Dr Adam Fraser explains some effective strategies you can use in the transitional space (which he calls the Third Space) between finishing your work day and wearing your friend, parent, housemate, partner or even your me ‘hat’ with more ease. “The work-to-home Third Space can be anything. For some people, it used to be the car ride home, but now they create a commute with a simple activity that signals the workday is done such as a walk after work. Other examples are cooking dinner as a family, reading a book, engaging in a hobby you are passionate about or listening to a podcast on public transport,” he says. I believe that an optimal workto-home Third Space is anything that involves any of the following four things: 1 Physical activity
When we exert ourselves physically we reduce the level of two hormones in our brain called adrenalin and cortisol. If you go home with a head full of these two chemicals, you can guarantee fireworks at the end of the day. These two hormones are the reason you can be driving home thinking, ‘I can’t wait to see my family’, yet the first thing one of them says when you walk through the door makes you want to headbutt them. Moreover, physical activity elevates our mood, clears our thinking and allows our brain to focus. 2 People we like
Humans are inherently social animals and we love to bond and interact. If we can bond with people and laugh between work and home it dramatically improves our quality of life. 3 Relaxation
By doing something that significantly relaxes us – yoga, walking home, meditation, reading, music – our emotions, thoughts and behaviour become calmer and composed, allowing us to bond with the people in our lives or simply unwind at the end of the day. 4 A type of task that we get lost in
Activities can include reading on the train, doing Sudoku or the crossword, playing a musical instrument, attending to pets, playing sport and so on. When the brain becomes focused it also becomes calm and less stressed.