Home. It’s where friends and families gather, memories are made and children are raised. We all have our favorite spots in our homes, that little oasis that beckons to us. Maybe it’s the kitchen breakfast nook where you enjoy your first morning coffee, the back porch where you curl up with a good book or your guest bedroom where you practice yoga or do crafts. These places provide respite, a sense of calm and they are “your spaces”. Well, not anymore! The breakfast nook? It now does double duty as your son’s classroom. The back porch? It’s the backdrop for your weekly staff zoom call. Your guest bedroom? That’s now your husband’s office.
Instead of sprinting through the front door with minutes to spare… you are now rushing out the bedroom door to navigate rush hour in the kitchen in search of a quick breakfast, then leaping over the dog on the way to your “office”, which doubles as the dining room. At one time that room was for holiday meals and where you used your fancy dishes. Now the good china has been replaced by your laptop, double monitors, and that printer you borrowed from the office.
Families are clocking more together time than ever before! Our houses are no longer just our homes. It’s more like a command central. Work, school, family time – it’s all in one location. It seems the backyard is the only quiet escape and you share that with the dog!
Many of us are feeling a little overwhelmed. I have relished this extra time with my family, but admittedly, we need to get organized. Homeschool and working from home are not going away any time soon. So how do we make the most of this “new normal”?
In our home, we previously all shared one office. This worked well when we were all on different schedules, but this spring we quickly discovered that we each needed our own space and cobbled together temporary solutions. Note… TEMPORARY!
Now even that temporary solution won’t work. I had to start thinking about long-term solutions and not quick fixes. We have been reworking our home to create separate spaces for each of us. My son will have a niche in his room, my husband will remain in the original home office, and my daughter and I are headed south! We are moving to the basement. I was a little late to the shopping game and the basement desks are backordered until mid-October. Desks are now as hard to come by as toilet paper was this past spring!
Creating these individual spaces in your own home can be easy, affordable, or even free!
Step one – declutter. Have a “no pile” rule and invest in storage options. Bins and baskets are my favorite way to organize and store items. Here are the CB2 and Crate&Barrel bins we are using for our school supplies plus extra office storage. I’m not saying that you need to “Marie Kondo” the whole house but take a day and declutter closets, donate old toys, organize the guest room, and give yourself more space!
Step two – assign everyone a dedicated workspace. Don’t overwhelm your “living areas” with your “work stuff” and school projects. Consider stackable storage containers or rolling carts with multiple drawers so you can tuck away “work and school” when it is time for family time. As I set up each of our workspaces, I knew they were going to be permanent – or at least as permanent as homeschool! I made storage a priority and selected pieces that felt like they were always part of our home.
Step three – make each space functional and fun! Invest in good lighting, a comfortable chair and colorful boxes for essentials like pens, pencils, and rulers. If there are not enough tables that can serve as desks, consider a folding table. Also, let the kids get involved and pick accents that work for them. Maley loves her new desk chair and my husband hung a few of his grandfather’s paintings to make the old shared office feel more like his own. Paint-safe wall stickers, bright throw rugs, and fun accessories can also make a difference. (Selections by Sweet Space Design)
Step four – “shut the door” on work and school when it’s over. Turn off monitors, tuck away laptops, close the guest room door. Don’t blur the lines between work and home. With no escape, this is more important than ever. This is particularly important if you’re working in your bedroom. The blue light from electronics can disrupt your sleep and that work pile in the corner… it can keep you up at night. It is a visual reminder of all you need to do and makes it hard for you to unwind and get the rest that you need to tackle tomorrow. I myself am still working on creating that perfect work-life balance.
What I’ve always loved about my home are the feelings it gives me. I enjoy relaxing with a cup of coffee in my overstuffed chair by the fireplace when everyone is still sleeping, a glass of wine on the front porch in our swing in the evening with Jim, entertaining friends and family in the kitchen, or cuddling with the kids on the sofa watching movies. Even with the upheaval we are all feeling, let’s try not to lose those cherished moments we all enjoyed before.
Hoping these tips are helpful. We all got this! And once it’s all over… what a story we have to tell our grandkids!
