... and staying sane. Study our guide for a productive space
If you’re suddenly earning your crust from home, by choice or otherwise, carving out some dedicated office space is essential. Study our guide and all you’ll ever miss about office life is the water cooler convo…
The ONS reports that, thanks to coronavirus, working from home has become the new normal for almost half of British workers. For many, working from home has been a lifelong ambition, thwarted only by untrusting bosses hell-bent on monitoring every move. However, chances are they weren’t planning for it to happen full-time, overnight. The reality for many lockdown-enforced homeworkers has been makeshift office spaces (read: kitchen tables), a battle for desk domain and bandwidth with their partners, and carrying on the day job with children underfoot/ home-schooling. All while under the unprecedented mental and financial stress of a global pandemic.
On the bright side, many companies have finally realised the benefits of not shelling out for corporate HQS, which means thousands of former office drones can celebrate never having to sit sweaty-faced on the Northern line again. Whoop! And now things have eased a little, and shops and schools (please, God) have reopened, it’s time to create a bone fide home office. In the event that your house hasn’t miraculously sprouted an annexe during lockdown, this will likely require some creative thinking. A spare bedroom is an obvious target, especially with sleepovers still unappealing. Often the smallest, darkest room in the house, it might be possible to add a window or sun-tube to prevent complete depression.
For many, a light-filled garden office is the perfect ‘working from home but out of the home’ solution. It requires reasonable investment, and outdoor space. If it takes up half your garden, or more, a garden office can actually reduce your home’s value. A well-insulated loft conversion has similar benefits in terms of peace, quiet and separate space. Again, you’re talking money, at least £15,000 for a small conversion.
If both space and spondulicks are lacking, don’t despair. The benefit of the digital age is that we can now work happily in the smallest of spaces – no more dustbin-size PC towers required. An area big enough for a laptop and notepad will do for part-time work, but for 40 hours plus a week, find somewhere that can host a monitor and keyboard. Add coffee and Spotify and you’ll be golden, living the work-life dream.