Working from home has its pros and cons. Many people find that working from home means work and life become more entangled. You may be working from your kitchen table or from your bedroom so these spaces start to become work places when before they were private family spaces. With this can come noise and interruptions, challenges focussing, and even things like learning to work with your partner / family member / house mate who is also working from home now! You may find that you miss out on the small amounts of incidental physical movement you get from commuting like walking the bus, getting a coffee, crossing town to get to meetings.

Where possible create a workspace that is separate from your living or private space. Discuss openly with others in your household your needs and how you can collectively make working from home work! Schedule in time to get out of the house – a walk around the block, through the local park or to get a coffee from a local café (especially as restrictions ease). Likewise schedule in breaks from sitting and perhaps to do some stretching.

Some Unexpected benefits of Working from home:

As we get used to working from home some of us have seen that it can have its benefits – here are some unexpected benefits that have been relayed to us.

1. Simpler lifestyle with less rushing around and more time to focus on deep thinking on work issues.
2. Escaping the ‘Rat Race’ including saving time (and money!) by avoiding commuting.
3. Spending more time with immediate family and prioritising care for family members and friends in need.
4. Becoming more comfortable to sharing feelings with others and know that ‘we are all in this together’.
5. Seeing compassion in the community and connection more with neighbours.
6. Increased attention to hygiene and awareness of how to reduce transmission of airborne diseases.
7. Time to reflect and rethink values and lifestyle choices – what really matters to me?