Make a Getaway without Leaving Home: How to Rest and Work From Home

Do you work from home? Over the last two years, homes have become the Swiss army knife of buildings. It’s your office, your school, your restaurant, your gym, your hair salon… the list goes on and on. One thing that never seems to make the list these days? Your space to rest.

Reclaim your right to relax in your home this year! With a little imagination and a lot of intentionality, it is possible to both rest and work from home.

Work from Home Zones

Pick a space in your house where you will not work under any circumstances

WFB (working from bed) might sound like a good idea some days (or a lot of days). But resist the temptation! As far as rest goes, bed is the first location that comes to mind. If you implement only one of these tips, let it be this. Now that the weather has turned colder, make your bed a snuggly safe haven with a handcrafted quilt and plush pillows.

If you live in a tiny apartment or with roommates, and your bedroom is the only place where you can work, separate your workspace from the rest of your room any way you can. Consider even marking off your workspace with tape as a physical reminder that when you are out of that space you are off the clock. It may feel silly, but it’s pandemic life. Do what you need to do. You can also add little touches to the designated resting area, like hand-rolled incense or tealights, to make it the more relaxing side of the room.

If you have more space to work with, pick another room where you won’t work. Not working in the kitchen is a good way to set aside a space where you can rest and enjoy a full meal. Keeping work out of the living room might make it easier to enjoy movie nights with your family without feeling compelled to check your inbox.

Build a safe, quiet space

When you were a kid, transforming your living room into a secret hideout was as easy as creating a pillow and blanket fort. We highly recommend revisiting this genius idea.

Creating a safe space to rest doesn’t necessarily require constructing a whole fort, however. Your safe space could be a seat at your kitchen counter where you spend 10 minutes every morning enjoying a cup of coffee without checking the news. Or it could be a comfy chair where you can rest and read a good book in cozy mood lighting. A simple way to create a safe, quiet space is to try hygge, the practice of turning common tasks and ordinary moments into joyful rituals.

Declutter: Physically, Digitally, Mentally

Take control of your devices

One way our home has become overrun by work is the increase in devices. Chargers, work computers, headsets, more chargers. It’s quite easy to feel tangled in a web of tech gear. Get your cords in order and regain a sense of control with the Leather Cord Organizers, made from eco-leather in India. When it comes to managing screen time, remember that it is possible to delete apps and reinstall them later. Consider deleting or muting your work email after hours. You can even set a kind away message to signal to your coworkers that you are taking this work-life balance thing seriously. The only way to work from home and maintain your mental health is to maintain balance even without a geographical change as a cue that work time is over.

Saying it’s been a hard set of years would be an understatement. Prioritize your wellbeing in this season by creating a getaway without leaving home.