Home Sweet Home Office
It’s official: wherever you are, you’re probably being encouraged (or forced) to stay at home and work. We’re here to show you how to survive home office in style.
We’ve all spent days in the office dreaming of the cozy couch and cute dogs awaiting us at home. Nothing sounded sweeter than staying in our PJs during our seemingly endless shifts. We’ve all watched the clock creep slowly towards home time, listening to the tapping of our coworkers’ keyboards in our fluorescent-lit work cubicles. What would we have given to be home, far from the sound of chattering colleagues? Well, the dream has finally come true – just not quite in the way we’d all hoped for. As they say, be careful what you wish for.
The truth is, in such a stressful time, working from home also takes some getting used to. Here are some not-too-professional tips for maintaining your sanity in home office AND still managing to look good for all those video conferences.
1. Create Structure
So for the first week everything was okay, but now you’re slowly starting to lose it? We can relate. Your stapler is in it’s usual place, but where has your four-year-old hidden your mouse? And what day is today, anyway? Here’s an easy life hack: Days of the Week T-shirts. Experiment with different colors to enhance memory and productivity. And the best part? Your colleagues will be able to keep track of the days, too- just by video conferencing with you!
Even Morrissey felt it when he was still sane.
2. Break? Break!
How many times have you wished you could trade in your team lunch for a snooze? Or leave your Tupperware box of leftovers and curl up under your desk for a power nap instead? More than once? Then home office is the right place for you. Make yourself comfortable on the couch, sink into your custom-designed cuddly pillow and forget your workload for a short, relaxing moment.
3. Functional Style
Yes, yes, Karl Lagerfeld issued a strong warning – sweatpants, loss of control – but let’s be honest: nobody can see your suit pants online anyway. This is where everybody’s favorite legwear comes into play: comfortable, robust and ready for a little jog during your lunch break if you’re feeling motivated. These days, slipping into comfy sweatpants or leggings definitely counts as getting dressed.
4. Delegate Responsibility
No idea who keeps leaving all those dirty coffee mugs scattered around your home office? Or who hasn’t cleaned up last week’s greasy pizza box in the conference room (aka the den)? Time to file a complaint. Invent an imaginary colleague and give them an easy-to-remember name, like Karen. Blame any complaints from your roommates, partner or children on Karen from now on. “Ugh, Karen! You left the milk out again!”
You’ll soon see that nothing eases the tension at home better than having a scapegoat.
5. Beat Cabin Fever
For days, you’ve been seeing the same faces and the same rooms – at work and at home. That could well be because work and home are now one and the same. Every day. 24 hours a day. And if you live on your own, that means you’ve had no one but yourself (oh, and Karen) for company. Stir crazy yet? Then pour your (now lukewarm) coffee into your thermos cup and get some fresh air. In these times of COVID-19, of course, keep your 6-foot distance from others and only go out for approved activities. Take a deep breath in, exhale, and enjoy the simple pleasure of an evening walk. You’ve earned it.
We hope we were able to entertain and maybe even inspire you with our suggestions. And if everything goes wrong, just blame it on Karen.
I’m off to the board room (aka the Kitchen) to read the rest of the blog