People are spending a lot more time in their homes. This is for various reasons. For a start, the second wave of coronavirus has swept across the world, with experts predicting a third and even more up until a usable vaccine is developed. This means people who are vulnerable, or who are under local lockdown are going to be spending more time at home. When you couple this with the fact that a lot of people now have to work from home due to office closures, or, unfortunately, people who have been made redundant, you can see why so many people are there. On top of this, with schools shutting intermittently, it means children are spending a lot more time at home. Even when they’re in school a lot of extracurricular activities have now been stopped, or at least severely limited and your children going and spending time with friends isn’t always possible depending on local lockdown legislation. Because of this, it makes sense that a lot of people want to change things in their home. People have the money to do it because they aren’t going out as often to eat, nor are most of them going on their yearly holiday. Here are some top tips for getting your home in the right shape to ensure everyone remains happy. People are different, though, what works for one won’t for the other. Be sure to think about your circumstances first.

Sort the outside out

If you’re staying home more, you want it to look good. Each time you step out for a walk, you’ll see it—the garden, patio, door, etc. If you’re working from inside and can see a mess of a garden, it won’t help your productivity. So try to sort it out as best you can. This might mean getting out and sorting the patio out; you could use Purity Pressure Washing if you didn’t have the time. It also means getting stuck into the garden. You don’t need to be doing anything special. But if your children haven’t got an outlet to burn off their energy, then it might make your job a little more challenging. So ensure that you at least cut the grass back and make it safe for them to play. With it looking good and it being a bit more functional you might be able to live life a little easier. It will probably be a lot easier to sort out too.

Be clear on energy

With you spending more time in the house it’s only natural that you’ll be spending more money on electricity and gas. Especially as winter draws in. To get the best deals, you might need to look into changing your provider. If you have been with them for a long time, it might be time to change. Especially if you’re on an expensive tariff. You might also be able to save some money if you move to greener energy. There are a lot of government initiatives out there at the moment which can help you use solar panels or other green energy in your home. Take some time to ensure you’re getting the most for your money. This is really important if you live somewhere that gets quite cold. A warm jacket can only take you so far and for so long. Remember, you may be able to claim some cost back from your employer, who after all are insisting you work from home. Be aware of the benefits you can claim and be sure to push for them. If you’re looking into saving energy, you might want to think about insulation. You can get loft or cavity wall, maybe both. Try to work out how much it would save and whether it would be worth the money. Same with new windows. The benefit of these kinds of decisions means you can raise the value of your home at the same time while benefiting from the energy saving.

Sort out a place to work from

If you’re going to be working from home for the foreseeable future, you’ll want to ensure you have a place which improves or sustains your productivity. If you have a spare room to turn into an office then great, your job will be fairly easy. If you don’t then you might have to get fairly creative. One of the main things to remember is that you shouldn’t be working from your bedroom and if you can help it, from your living room either. The situation may dictate otherwise, but this isn’t a long term option which is tenable. The reason being is that the bedroom is to be associated with sleep and relaxation, not with work. It will make getting to sleep a lot harder, and it’ll also make switching your mindset from one of relaxation to work harder too. The same applies in a broader sense to your living room. However, you can get away with this if you manage to slip a little desk into the corner somewhere, so it doesn’t feel like you’re there. Working from the kitchen table is usually okay too. If there’s two of you working from home and the kids are home too, it can get crowded, and you may need to get inventive. You may need to consider some kitchen shutters to control the glare coming in from the window while working.

Work from a good chair

You need to make sure that you work from a good office chair. This applies even if you’re working from the kitchen. The reason being is that when you swivel in an ordinary chair, like a kitchen chair, you’ll be moving your body at unnatural angles. If you’re in an office chair, then the chair will do the work for you. This is especially important if you’re often moving from a laptop to a phone or notepad etc. Make sure you invest in a good chair. If you don’t, you may end up with shoulder and neck pains which can make working tough and hammer into your productivity. Different chairs suit different people. You might like the one at your office. In most cases, offices will help stump up the cash for an office chair because they know how important they are for your physical health. Make sure you do some research before buying one though. For example, some move to different heights, where others won’t, and others have support for the head and neck. Get it right the first time to stop a lot of annoying back and forth. That being said, if it isn’t right for you get rid of it because it might make you worse off.

Make sure you get out

Although there are various lockdowns in effect and it seems like there will be for a long time, getting some exercise isn’t frowned upon. Try to make sure you get out and about as much as you can. For a start, it’ll give you that disconnect from work. Sometimes it pays dividends to be able to take a step out. It’ll refresh the mind, and you’ll feel much better for it when you come back to the desk and work, ready to offer a new perspective. Of course, it’s also really good for exercise. Sitting down all day every day is never going to be good for you. You should realistically be aiming for around ten thousand steps a day. You can bring the family in on this as well. It’s a way of making sure everyone stays fit and also provides some good family time. You can start simple if you’d like by going on easier walks. Once you’ve gotten bored of these, you can start upping the pace or going for longer walks. You don’t need to keep going to the same place too. There’s no harm in driving to the local park or out of the city to get some well earned fresh air.

Set Boundaries

If you’re working from home with others doing the same, or if you’ve got children at home, then it’s important to set boundaries. Young ones won’t understand and won’t realise there’s a disconnect to when you’re normally at home compared to when you’re working from home. Make your workspace sacred if you don’t want your productivity to plummet. This isn’t always easy. Tell people that you’re not to be disturbed for certain periods and interact with them when you’re making a drink or having a break. Simply closing a door and telling people not to enter is a great way of going about it but if you don’t have the spare room, this won’t be possible. Listening to music or relaxing sounds is a good way to do this because you won’t hear people easily when they see you’ve got your headphones on they’ll know you’re not to be disturbed. If you can afford a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones, then all the better. Again, different approaches work for different people who are all in different situations. You’ll know what will work best, especially when you take into consideration the age of your children.

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