All over New York and indeed across the world we are seeing a boom in the number of people who now work from home. For many the benefits are welcomed, however, working from home does not come without its unique set of challenges.
- Loneliness
- Work Distractions
- Domestic Distractions
- Keeping Your Edge
- Being Your Own Office Manager
In this article, we will look at the role of Feng Shui and how it can assist in setting up your home workspace for success. But first here is a quick overview of some of these challenges from Katie Kelly Bell from her post on https://www.virgin.com/disruptors/five-challenges-working-home-and-how-fix-them
Work distractions
My desk is always there, like a siren song, calling me to take care of some small thing at all hours of the day. Mitch Leff, president of Leff & Associates Public Relations in Manhattan agrees, “Separating work from home is a challenge. It’s very easy to find yourself down in the office getting ‘just one thing done’ in the evening, when you realise it’s midnight and your family has all gone to bed!”
The fix: Franklin made a point of setting aside dedicated office space at home. “It’s been a huge help to have a dedicated office space and to create some defined working hours. That way, when it’s time to work (hello deadlines!) I’m fully engaged in that and when it’s time to spend time with my husband or friends, I’m 100 per cent present in those moments as well.”
Domestic distractions
In between call and emails, one might make the mistake of wandering into the kitchen where the dishwasher beckons, or the laundry room where piles of laundry lie in wait. Doorbells and barking dogs always go off during the most important of conference calls. It’s a juggle of a different sort.
Rather than office politics, you have home needs competing for your attention. Adam Whitehurst, Vice President of Sales, East Region for Scientific Games, has worked from home for years and will never forget when his dining room started flooding through the ceiling. “Of course I just happened to be on a contentious phone call with a high profile customer.”
Working from home makes you a sitting duck as well. If everyone knows you are there, observes Goodman, they tend to feel free to drop in. “Friends and family often assume because you work at home, you don’t have a “real” job. They feel free to call or stop in at any time. No one would ever do that if you worked at an office.”
The fix: Schedule a specific time into each day to address household tasks. If the ceiling floods, well, hang up the phone and call it a day. Dedicated office space and a good door will do wonders for keeping distractions at bay.
So what is the cure, how can we address these challenges beyond these simple fixes?
This is where Feng Shui steps in with practical advice. Check out this video from Carole Hyder Carole present good solid, easy to implement practical advice.