As more Canadians settle into working from home for the long haul, the time has come for many of us to turn that temporary work space at the end of the dining room table or the desk in the corner of the spare bedroom into something more organized.
With approximately 40% of the Canadian workforce working remotely since the pandemic took hold last winter, creating a suitable space to work from home has been one of the unexpected hurdles of 2020.
While some may simply adjust to the space around them, others may decide to adjust the space, taking that storage space and turning it into a mini-office. What about timing? Are workers all still bound to the same schedules? Or is their time as flexible as the space they have? Regardless of your situation, here are five key organizing tips from JUSTJUNK® for home or remote office spaces that should keep you on track:
1) Comfort is Key
This applies to any work environment, but ensuring you’re comfortable in your workspace helps reduce stress and boosts efficiency. If you’re new to working at home, try out a few work setups that you think may work for you. Do you have a spare desk and chair? Make sure the desk is at an appropriate height and the chair is adjustable – ergonomics are still important. If you’re looking for used home office equipment, always try it out first if you can – the last thing you want is to be stuck with something that can have a dangerous impact on your body. You may be able to delegate certain tasks to certain rooms depending on what each task requires. Phone calls or focused tasks for the home office, creative tasks to a more open room, menial repetitive tasks can be done in a space where you could listen to some music to help aid the task along.
2) Separate Your Space And Time
It’s more difficult to “turn off” work if you work in your home space, so it’s important to set a cutoff time, or set breaks or a lunch at certain times to ensure that your time at work doesn’t expand into your personal life. Making sure that friends and loved ones are aware of your important work hours and respect those boundaries will go a long way to ensuring that your work gets the time it needs and your family gets the time they deserve without the scramble of unclear work hours.
3) Avoid The Clutter of Distraction
No matter the work, you’ll want brief reprieves, but it’s important not to get too distracted, either. Working in your home space can be radically freeing from restrictions. Your hobbies are readily available, your home isn’t restricted by workplace firewalls, so it’s easy for a casual web search to turn into an hours-long wormhole of distracting information, forcing you to lose work hours that may have to be made up elsewhere. Clearing out physical clutter can also help, as any housework that’s hanging on your mind can easily distract you from important tasks that keep the lights on. Planning for and managing these tasks that impact home and work life in a single space is important. If you know you’re prone to distractions, consider either clutter removal services or apps on your devices that can limit website traffic to specific work-related tasks during work hours.
4) Group Work Can Still Happen
Working remotely doesn’t necessarily mean working in isolation – and often shouldn’t! Projects that require collaboration don’t have to be limited necessarily to group chat or Zoom so long as safe work practices are observed by everyone. If meeting in person can’t happen and video meetings are your only option, even a loose structure may help lend your remote work setting that office “aura” and help keep you focused. Talking with your co-workers during work hours just as you might in the office staves off the distractions and keeps the gears of commerce greased while also helping keep work time separate from home time.
5) Use That Extra Time
The average commute – one way – can average from 30 minutes to over two hours. Working from home offers you ample new time to help adjust your new work-life balance. Taking on an extra chore to keep the house tidy can make all the difference to a smoothly run home, or the extra time you gained from saying goodbye to commuting can translate to more time at night for a new hobby, family activity or safe socializing.
About JUSTJUNK:
JUSTJUNK removes junk and unwanted materials/items from residential and commercial properties including furniture, appliances, garden refuse and construction and demolition debris. The pricing rates include all labour, loading of the materials from anywhere on the property, clean up and all disposal or recycling fees. Customers are provided with an up-front, written estimate before any work begins.
To learn more, please visit: www.justjunk.com.