Working From Your Apartment
Whether you are new at working from home or a WFH pro looking to level up and maintain some healthy balance, we’ve got some expert advice to keep you productive and sane. COVID-19 has forced many of us to change our working habits, but we’ve been able to rise to the challenge. The pointers below will keep you from blurring the lines between home and work, whether it be forgetting about taking some necessary downtime, or being tempted to stay in your PJs all day and watch Netflix while halfheartedly responding to emails.
Designated Work Area
Boundaries are one of the most important factors in establishing a healthy remote work lifestyle. Ideally, you will have another room to set up as your home office – as well as two computers – one for work only and one for personal use. In some cases, this is just not realistic, but what you definitely can do is set up a specific place, like a desk or a tabletop where you will be able to set up your laptop and do your work. Personal screen time is reserved for your couch, where you can be on your phone or put your laptop on your lap.
Your work area should have ample space for all your equipment – and this means your various chargers. One thing to always keep in mind is wire management. The last thing you want to do is trip over your cables when getting up to fix yourself another cup of coffee. You will always want to make sure that your space has ample and appropriate lighting. Natural light is nice, but if that’s not possible, make sure your laptop is placed in a space where video conferencing won’t be embarrassing or unflattering. Lighting is everything when it comes to zoom meetings.
It is essential to keep your work and living areas physically separate. In a perfect world, your home office should be in a room or a space as far away as possible from the place where you relax and sleep. This will ensure that your brain associates your office area with productivity and work.
Home Office Essentials
First and foremost, get yourself a good, ergonomic chair to show your back some love. Inquire with your company to see if they have an allocated budget you can utilize for ergonomic tools for your work from home space. If that’s not possible, put a pillow behind your back to give your spine the relief it needs. You could even get yourself (if you don’t already have one) a yoga mat to stretch out on every few hours. People with back problems should consider looking into getting a standing desk if space and budget allows. It is important to keep your body safe and comfortable during your daily work routine. Regular exercise will help immensely and living within an apartment complex that has fitness centers or pools onsite would be ideal for anyone working from home. Or even figuring out ways to exercise within your apartment.
A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones would also be a wise investment, especially if you have roommates or live in a busy area. An additional monitor works wonders as well if you tend to have a million tabs open at once. It not only saves you precious time but it’s easier on the eyes, and eyesight is extremely important. If you are doing a lot of Zoom meetings, you might want to look at getting a better webcam if your laptop doesn’t come with a good quality one. A whiteboard or pinboard can come in handy for brainstorming sessions, setting goals, and developing post-it note mantras.
A crucial part of creating a home office is to create a comfortable space. We often find comfort in a delicious scent or being around nature. Get yourself some nice, scented candles and adorn your space with plants – keeping in mind the plant’s needs. There is nothing worse than being surrounded by wilting, brown plants. If you need some in-door gardening tips, you can read more about that here. And don’t forget to de-clutter daily. It is hard to be productive when your space is disorganized.
Dress for Success
Your mindset is half the battle. It is hard to get into work mode if you never get out of your PJs. Motivational speakers often talk about the importance of acting as if you’ve already got the job, or acting as if you have already reached your goal. This reasoning also applies to trying to be productive while staying in your pajamas. Even if that means wearing a business casual shirt with comfy sweatpants and slippers (there must be some advantage to working from home after all!)
Take Advantage of the Perks
On that note, it is important to take advantages of the benefits from working from home. Every now and then you should take your laptop and work from a café if possible. Take meaningful breaks and do something like bake cookies, go for a walk, take an afternoon nap. Do something you wouldn’t be able to do if you were working at the office.
Work from home from one of our luxury Garden Community apartments, surrounded by first-class amenities within a resort-like oasis.