Work from home is great. No long commutes, no fast-food lunches, and no dealing with coworkers at 6 a.m. For most people, the idea of working without leaving the house is a dream, but that dream can become a nightmare when your bedroom doubles as an office.
Getting a good night’s sleep is already hard enough without those assignments you didn’t quite finish staring you down from across the room.
For students, those living in studio apartments, and anyone with roommates, there’s no easy way to always keep work out of the bedroom, but it doesn’t have to stop you from getting that all-important eight hours of sleep.
Separating Sleep and Work
If you’re stuck resorting to the office-bedroom hybrid while working from home, creating separate spaces in your bedroom is an important first step to take. Setting up clear zones of distinction between your workspace and your sleep and relaxation space will help you truly clock out when the workday is over.
This work-leisure delineation can be as simple as a room divider. Curtains, partitions, cork boards and frosted glass are all options that look great while remaining effective. Once your workday is complete, or it’s time for a break, step out of the work zone and into your relaxation zone.
Make Work More Comfortable
If room dividers aren’t an option, tweaking your sleeping arrangements may be worth considering. . If space isn’t an issue and you want to marry both sleep and work without the pitfalls, consider the benefits of a sofa bed mattress. Picture this: a sofa bed mattress that doubles as a sofa during moments of pure leisure and productivity, and a comfortable bed when you want to get work done during late nights or want to relax during boring Zoom meetings. A sofa bed mattress can make work far more tolerable and enjoyable, especially if you have an old office chair that hurts your back. A sofa bed can be treated as a middle ground where work can be done at a more leisurely place without compromising the importance the mattress in your bedroom holds. We can create custom beds, either foam or coil, that can perfectly suit your existing or soon to be purchased sofa bed.
If space is an issue, how about ditching your bed? As sacrilegious as that sounds, a sofa bed with a custom mattress is a perfect substitute for a typical bed. Or how about a space-saving Murphy bed? Both are great options to separate work and sleep without compromising on space. A sofa bed mattress that doubles as a sofa during work hours and a bed at night or a space-saving Murphy bed can both make setting up an office as far from your bed as your room allows easy. Even better, custom mattresses make these options more efficient and comfortable than ever .
This distinction will help train you to leave work at work, even if your workspace is your home.
Put Work Out of Sight, Out of Mind
If your bedroom features a large closet, another strategy to combat work-from-home fatigue could be to pack up your office at the end of the day and hide that workspace clutter.
When it’s time to log off, simply store away your computer and documents for the day. Couple this with some stylish storage containers for anything left over and it will be much easier to stop your bedroom from turning into a cubicle.
The key to making this effective is combining style and utility. Don’t just cram the clutter into an open box or hide it under your bed. Find a method that maintains the calming presence a bedroom should have.
Dress Like You're at the Office
Working from your bedroom can disrupt sleep, but it can also disrupt productivity. Instead of those projects and deadlines keeping you up, daydreaming of napping and lounging around watching Netflix may stop you from getting work done in the first place.
A straightforward way to curb these disruptions is to prepare for the day as if you’re headed to the office. Instead of rolling out of bed 10 minutes before it’s time to clock in, give yourself time to get ready and switch out those pajamas for a button up
This doesn’t mean you have to put on a suit and tie but having a distinct difference between loungewear and workwear is a surefire way to remind your brain and body when it’s time for work and when it’s time for relaxation.
Never Work in Bed
If there’s a cardinal rule of working from home, it is to never work from bed. Working from bed is the worst possible thing anyone working from home can do. Not only is it an extremely uncomfortable way to work, but it is also bound to cause sleepless nights and unproductive days.
If separating your bedroom workspace and sleep space is not an option, at the very least having a desk or table to work from is key. Being crammed in the corner is still a better option than working from bed.
If the dimensions of your bedroom leave you no options, it’s time to think about other solutions for a home workspace. Making an agreement with roommates for shared spaces, commandeering the kitchen table, and even working from the living room couch are all better options than taking on a day's work from your bed.
Setting Boundaries
It may seem obvious, but too often remote work means your boss may expect you to be always on the clock. While this can be frustrating no matter where you’re working from, it has the most potential for damage in the bedroom.
The last thing anyone needs to do is check their work email right as they’re preparing to lie down for the night. Establishing strict boundaries between your time on the clock and your time off will help eliminate the possibility of sleepless nights.
Shutting down all your devices, leaving late messages for tomorrow, and ensuring your coworkers know you are logged off for the night should be a consistent evening routine for anyone working from their bedroom.
Of course, working from home may come with a few long days or some extra work that gets done outside of office hours, but this should never become a habit. Mental health and sleep should always come first.
Working from home can be a wonderful aspect of modern life. If it’s right for you, it can be a truly life-changing approach to your career. However, taking these extra steps can ensure the experience is positive and not overwhelming. It’s always important to prioritize sleep as if it’s your mission. One of the best ways to maximize your sleep so you stay fresh and concentrated the following day is replacing your mattress with something that is custom-fit to your needs. Is it time for an upgrade? If your productivity is declining and your body isn’t responding well to the standard 8 hours of sleep needed, maybe you need to reinvest in comfort.