Get rocking in your new, improvised, or fully functional home office
By now, everyone has been affected in some way by this pandemic, and we’re all wondering how will this affect us, and when is this going to be over. No one knows the answers to these yet, but we have discovered that we are all connected, that nothing in our world exists in isolation, we are stronger than we realized, we can work together better than we knew, and that we are resilient as a community, country, and people.
SQFT Studios is not immune to this – quite the opposite. We are a Design Build firm so as a construction company, we are currently not building, which as you can imagine, makes it hard to generate revenue. But as an architecture firm we are working, which is great. It’s keeping us busy, and helping us keep in mind that there is an end to this and that eventually, life will continue.
We realize that a lot of people are hurting, wondering if they will be able to make rent or mortgage payments. I have seen marketing from our compatriots suggesting now is a great time to buy a home office, and there are reasons it may be a good time, but it feels wrong to capitalize off of this pandemic.
When this is over and life can continue – changed in many ways, whether by the loss we’ve suffered, or by the gains we’ve made as a community, we will be here to design and build your custom, customized, or standard accessory structure. Finance rates will stay low, and there will be time for that work. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you want to dream of the future with us, we’re happy to talk on the phone or a video conference. We’ll be here for you – now, and once we’re all through this. Together.
In the meantime here are some tips and tricks for working from home – something I’ve been doing for years and I hope my experience can help you during this unprecedented time.
- Establish a standard, whatever it is. I ‘commute’ every day by walking our dog to work. I walk out the front door, do our circuit, and when I get back, I’m feel that I am at the office and go straight to work. If you can and it’s safe, take a walk before (and after if you can!) work and when you get back you’ll be ready to rock. Set your office hours for when you are working so that everyone else knows what to expect.
- Create a sense of professional space. This can be as simple as acoustic or visual isolation from the rest of your life. This can be difficult if you aren’t set up for it or don’t have a dedicated space, but it can be done with the right equipment and architecture. Sometimes it’s just turning away and getting your non-professional life out of sight. A pair of good headphones can help create acoustic isolation. For me it’s all about maintaining concentration and that sense of separation is key.
- Take healthy breaks by going outside, getting a glass of water, and drinking enough to stay healthy and hydrated. I recommend installing an eyecare agent on your computer to remind you to look outside, blink, and rest your eyes (I use EyeLeo). Working in an office environment includes certain breaks from staring at a screen for extended periods and you may need to create that at home.
- Communicate with the outside world. If you work in a social environment recreate that through phone calls or other means – you don’t have to talk the whole time or even have a purpose, but if you are used to having others in your daily life, it is helpful to have this connection. I’ve been co-working remotely with friends for years now. Check out one of them at Ovenlight, a digital marketing agency.
- Be flexible with your expectations for yourself and for others. This is a new and unexpected circumstance for most people and working in a new environment is unsettling and it will be a different experience than you are used to – so cut yourself and everyone else some slack (oh slack is a good way to connect!).
As the world recovers from this pandemic I anticipate that working from home will be more accepted and even encouraged for many people. There are lots of reasons for this including; personal preference, and potential cost savings on expensive office environments. So when you are ready, we’re here and excited to design and build your home office. We specialize in flexible, freestanding, high performance, accessory structures that add value, opportunity, and extra SQFT to your property.
Our Home Offices and Guest Suites are adaptable, flexible, robust spaces. Contact us when you are ready for a free consultation and virtual on-site visit.
