drawing the line: marking the divide between workspace and home
If you are WFH, you can close the door at the end of the day and walk to the rest of the house. Some of you, who were WFH before 2020, may even have an office at the bottom of the garden, where you squat, gnomelike, till dinner when you emerge as human and chat to the rest of the family.
But maybe your workspace is a corner of the lounge room, a section of the study or the laundry room of a Doubleday trailer with a typewriter balanced on your lap, which is how Stephen King wrote his first two novels.
Whatever it may be, we can all agree that since you don’t have a separation between work you and relaxing you, there is a need to create one. Here are some ways to draw the line so you can switch off, slow down and sleep well.
Fake a journey
It sounds a bit bizarre, but some people physically walk around the block to get from their home to their home office.
This idea is full of possibilities for play; I’m guessing you’ve already thought of some.
A commute to mark the start and end of the day can take any form you can create; a ritual, a dance, a meditative moment. What might work for you?
Change your clothes
Another weird one. We all know that we used to get dressed up for work. Whatever it means to you, it’s something to pay attention to. Marking the end of the working day could be symbolised by exchanging a smart top for a tracksuit one.
Close it off
Any way you can, shut your office away so you can’t see it. If you have a separate space, close the door and turn the sign.
If not, you may have to bundle it into a cupboard, erect a screen or pack it into a big box or trunk. You might cover it with a jazzy tablecloth.
How ever you can, put your files, computer and accessories away, so they are out of sight, not distracting or calling to you.
