The new normal is far from over. Going back to experiencing and doing things we used to do seems a far-fetched reality with the rate at which infections are increasing, new variants popping up, and people refusing to wear a mask.
This new reality has made us adapt by implementing the stay-at-home setup. This is true for many industries in many countries around the world. You and I may also be the ones doing it right now.
Hence, having a dedicated workstation is a must. Why? Because as it may seem trivial at first, having a workstation or not can literally tip the balance of how productive and motivated you can be for work.
Why separating spaces matter
Humans like to order. It’s by making sense and recognizing patterns all around us that our early ancestors were able to navigate the world, avoid predators, and hunt prey. We may now be far from our hunter-gatherer days, but the part where we recognize patterns and put things in order still hold true.
This is why dedicating spaces and assigning them to each role matters. Would you go to your kitchen to sleep? Would you go to your child’s room to cook? And would you take a shower in the backyard? The answer is most probably no.
Hence, you need to separate and assign a space specifically for working.
Doing so drastically improves your focus and efficiency in many aspects. Knowing that space is designed specifically for work helps add to the sense of urgency of needing to get things done. Likewise, the people in your house such as your kids and spouse will most likely respect the boundaries and know not to disturb you when working.
In addition, you literally can get things done easier when you have a dedicated workstation. Compare having all your office supplies in one place to not knowing whether you dropped the stapler when you were working in the kitchen, bedroom, or the living room. So much time is wasted!
Furthermore, as we’ve mentioned that having a workstation increases your discipline earlier, this does not just apply to work itself. It also applies to how you work. Letting yourself work at the bed, couch, or anywhere else most likely compromises your posture more than anything else. So if you’re among those who are sitting like a banana right now, please straighten up.
Finally, having a workstation helps you create a clear distinction between work and life thus creating a sense of work-life balance for you. You know exactly when work starts and when it ends. This has become quite difficult to achieve especially as most of us were used to going to the office and relaxing at home.
Hence, if you want to upgrade your stay-at-home lifestyle, then you should all the more consider building your own dedicated workstation. Make sure to set it up clearly as being for work only and do not do anything you wouldn’t do at the office in your workstation in order to not lose the distinction between it and your home!