Many offices have decided to adopt a work-from-home or flexible schedule that finds more people than ever working from home offices or home workspaces. But how do you manage to keep a calm home when you’re also using it as a workspace? Some of our favorite experts gave us their tips and tricks that you can use in your own home as you create a calm home and work environment.
Shades of Serenity
It’s been known that certain colors are better for creating calming environments and incorporating these colors into your home can help you maintain a calm space whether you’re working or enjoying some downtime.
“Research shows that color can relax you. However, this doesn’t mean you’re restricted to shades of white when creating a tranquil space. Calm looks different to everyone, and it comes in a rainbow of colors and emotions”, says Dino Ha, CEO of Kaja Beauty. “Peaceful blue is a soothing color that reminds us of gentle water and helps calm our minds and reduce blood pressure. Green symbolizes nature, encouraging harmony and easing anxiety. And pink is a delicate color that, in feng shui, is believed to soothe energies and promote balance. But whichever color you select for your at-home workspace, surrounding yourself with the color that’s right for you can help you keep calm and carry on.”
Separate Spaces
Creating a separate space can come from physical boundaries or other sensory tactics to help your brain differentiate one space from another.
“Not everyone is able to have a separate room in their home for their office, but there are other ways to break up the space and train your brain to identify one area as a workspace,” says Daniel Seehoff CEO of Sophistiplate. “You can change the lighting in your work area to be lighter and brighter while leaving your “home” space dimmer and cozier, play certain types of music in your workspace, or even keep the temperature a bit different. Another avenue is to use scents from candles or diffusers to help your brain identify these separate spaces.”
“While working from home can allow for flexibility, I’ve found it can also create challenges like finding a balance between designated work and living spaces,” says Hannah Skvarla, Co-Founder of The Little Market. “I’ve been fortunate to set apart a room in my home to physically separate work and non-work activities, which allows me to be more present in the moment. I love to light candles from The Little Market in my favorite scents for extra inspiration. Of course, there is always some overlap, but this has helped me improve my focus and balance my daily priorities, professionally at The Little Market and personally for my family and myself.”
Beautiful Boundaries
Boundaries are something that we should be enforcing in our personal and business worlds, but they’re even more important when those worlds are sharing space inside of your home.
“Learning to apply boundaries when you are working from home is something that has to be done in order to maintain sanity and functionality,” says Ted Toledano, Founder of Modloft. “This is even more true if there are others living or working in the same home. Learning to respect these boundaries will help everything in the house run a bit smoother. This only works with consistency so that means you have to enforce these boundaries regularly and not just sometimes.”
“When working from home, it’s imperative that you set boundaries. This may include certain areas of your home being off-limits during working hours, as well as defining what those hours may be,” says Marc Atiyeh, CEO of Pawp. “Explain to family and friends that you’ve set aside certain spots and times for work, and then continue with your tasks and projects in a calm, motivating environment.”
Start Self-Care
Self-care has become a bit of a buzzword over the past few years, but it really is something that can help create a calm home when you’re also using the same space for work.
“Find something that you love that you can do during your breaks. Don’t get into the habit of scrolling through your social media or vegging on the couch during your off time. Find a new hobby, go for a walk, take a relaxing bubble bath, or dive into a new novel. Whatever it is you like to do, give yourself something to look forward to treating yourself with at the end of a workday or in between projects.”
“Do something related to self-care before you begin working,” says Bill Glaser, CEO of Outstanding Foods. “This could range from doing a quick workout to meditating. Then, to lower your stress level try not to do too much multitasking. Focus on one task at a time to ensure you get it done well. Also, make sure to take regular breaks in order to give yourself a chance to return to your work refreshed. Clean up your workspace, so that you will not be surrounded by clutter. This can help you be more productive when working from home.”
Regulate Routines
Routines are something we often don’t even realize we rely on to create a productive or calm work environment, but rearranging your day every day leads to decision fatigue and stress over deciding when to do everything. Create a calming environment by following a routine each day.
“Routines help us in creating a productive flow in a physical workspace, so it makes sense that this will help you in a work-from-home environment too,” says Alex Czarnecki, Founder & CEO of Cottage. “When your morning commute doesn’t exist to help you get into the mind space of preparing for the day, it can be difficult to kickstart your workday on a productive note. When you don’t feel productive, you’re more likely to feel stressed by the things you need to be accomplishing.
“Routines are something that we tend to have a harder time with when we’re working from home,” says Nathalie Walton, Co-founder, and CEO of Expectful. “When we’re working in the office, we get into a routine whether we realize it or not. We park in a similar area, grab a cup of coffee in the kitchen, then check our daily calendars. It can be hard to remember to follow a routine when you’re working from home and there are more distractions and no coworkers around to help prompt those actions. Setting alarms to help you establish a routine can be helpful in training your brain to enter the workday.”
Seek Social Situations
Humans are not supposed to be isolated from the world for extended periods of time. Even if you’re a diehard introvert, you still need social interaction to maintain a calm and healthy mindset.
“Mental health plays such a big part in your ability to create a calm environment. If your brain is stressed or unhappy, you’re going to struggle with maintaining a calm home and work environment,” says Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic. “When you’re working from home, it’s much more difficult to have social interaction with others. Make regular plans with a friend to grab lunch together or find a nearby friend that you can walk the neighborhood with at lunchtime. Some social interaction is sometimes all we need to get out of a funk and help our home and workspace feel calmer.”
“I think the part of working from home that I didn’t realize would affect me so much is the social isolation,” says Gabrielle Mustapich, Co-CEO, and CMO of Hardpops. “I realized pretty quickly that virtual meetings and calls just aren’t the same as being in the same space as someone else and I really missed that. I try to make sure that I’m spending time with friends and loved ones as much as possible outside of work so that I don’t end up feeling depressed or stressed by the lack of social interaction while I’m at home. Instead, I end up valuing that precious time with the people I love even more.”
Conclusion
It sounds like structure and keeping your own mental wellbeing in check are some of the most important things about working from home. Creating a space using colors, scents, decor, and other things that bring a sense of calmness can help the space feel physically calming.
Understanding your mental needs during the workday can also help your home feel like a calmer workspace. Knowing when and how to implement self-care and social interactions within your daily routines can promote overall wellbeing and calmness for you in this work-from-home environment.
Joseph Yaghi
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