Why you need a Workspace
Posted on : 29-05-2009 | By : Lyndon | In : Organisation
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Working and living in the same space can be difficult, it can sometimes appear that you are always “at work”. Whilst there are certain benefits of working from home, there are also as many drawbacks.
I love working from home, I love the flexibility of being able to spend time cooking in the kitchen with a laptop on the dining table, tweeting, stirring, blogging and chopping! However there are definately times when the work part of the work life balance spills over into my private life when I wish it wouldn’t.
To counter this, I also have a workspace setup in the corner of my bedroom with a PC and a phone. Not an ideal solution but better than constantly working from my dining table. The most ideal solution could be a seperate room where I could close the door and work with some peace (I have 3 children), however some may argue that this would defeat the object of working from home. The most important thing to my mind is to create the perfect work life balance and this is where setting aside a perfect workspace for you is important.
Notice that I said setting aside a perfect workspace for you, what works for me may not work for you. As I have said, sometimes working from my kitchen table is the perfect solution for me, whilst other times I need to shut myself away in my bedroom office to get a bit of quiet time. But what is apparent is that to effectively work from home you need to designate a workspace. It need not be the most regal of offices, but simply somewhere to switch off from home life and focus on the work life.
The benefit of working from home is you can spend more time with your family and do whatever you want at any time you like.
We need to set aside a workdspace to avoid distraction and focus on your online business. We also need to balance our working and social time.
To Your Success
Bryan Hee
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I’ve worked from home for going on 22 years now and having a separate work space is essential. Not so much to get away from anyone (I have six children whom I homeschool — there’s not getting away from that!), but so that I can get away from my work!
I love my work, but it’s important to be able to have a non-work life as well. The physical distance of being able to close the door and walk away helps me to focus on the many other things I love as well.
A separate work area is vital just as designated times for work. It’s easy to let domestic tasks distract you from working. A separate work area helps remind you that you’re in work mode and not in mommy, taxi, maid, or other modes that we tend to find ourselves in regularly.
Love your blog, and posts like this really illustrate why. Thanks for sharing, and keep up the good work!
The good thing of working from home is you can spend more time with your family and do whatever you want at any time you like & save gas.
I used to work from the couch with my laptop but whilst it was comfortable, my productivity was less than it is now that I have “office space”. All the important aspects of working a 9-5 in a down-town office still apply, time management, organisational skills, diary management etc.
It is a job, albeit a much better job
I agree having a room just for my work is very important for me and without it I would be distracted very easily. I call it a “home office” but it is nothing more than a computer, desk, and a phone.
Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that there must be balance and separation for working out of your home to be successful. The hardest times are when our daughters are home from school for the summer or any extended time off school. When they’re home, they see the house as their space and NOT a work environment, even after 10+ years of seeing me working out of the house.
We now have a system where if they see my office door closed, it means I need quiet!
Regards
Chris
I like to work from home cause I can spend my time with my family, I agree with you, we need to set up workspace to make us enjoy working in the house, anywhere in the house it will be good as long as we can enjoy working in that spot.