Creating a Stress Free Home Office Environment

Working from your home office is a great way to have a little more control over professional life. That said, it may not always be plain sailing. Just because you’re not surrounded by traditional office elements doesn’t mean you might not be subjected to occasional workplace ailments. Among the most common of these is stress.

Stress can be a disruptive and destructive influence. The good news is that there are things you can do to mitigate it. With some consideration and mindful adjustments, you can make choices that provide you with a stress-free home office environment.

Understand the Impact and Influence of Stress

So, why should you create a stress-free home office envronment? Well, for starters it makes for a more comfortable and positive experience. In addition, stress is known to impact workplace safety. When people are exposed to lot of pressure, this tends to affect their decision-making, which can lead to accidents. Stress also presents significant distractions, which can disrupt both your well-being and your productivity.

In many ways, though, stress is a quite individual experience. Yes, there are common factors, but these don’t apply to everyone all of the time. The best place to start is by recognizing what your personal stress influences and impacts are. Use your experiences not just of home working but also your history in traditional workplaces.What triggered challenges and how did these affect both your professional and home life?

Formalize these in a working document. In fact, creating a flow diagram that links the outcome of stress to their causes can give you a greater sense of clarity. Occasionally revisit the list to make additions that you discover as you spend some time in your home office environment. This gives you some solid data to build on. With information on your experience of stress, you can adopt the most relevant resources for your home office. Not to mention that it can motivate you to keep making improvements.

Maintain Physical Boundaries

Working from home can be a convenient way to navigate your career alongside your personal duties. That said, when the lines between work and home becomes blurred, this can be a recipe for stress. You may fid yourself gradually working longer hours, which affects your work-life balance. Similarly, distractions from your family can disrupt your productiivty, causing you to stay longer in the office.

Your home office in itself can be a good tool for maintaining solid boundaries. Having a wall between you and your distractions can prevent htme from disrupting you. Choose a room where you can shut the door to maintain a little privacy while working. Make sure you communicate with your family about this boundary, too. They should know that when you’re in that room, you’re only available on urgent matters. Importantly, make your office a place that can easily leave behind at the end of each working day. Lock the door if it helps, so you’re not re-entering unless absolutely necessary.

You should extend this approach to the equipment in your home office. Consider outfitting your space with a separate laptop or desktop computer. This means you’re not exposed to work elements when conducting your personal duties and vice-versa. Leave your work phone in the office when you leave, so you’re not answering business emails and calls.