We're all working from home. Now what?!

SO, Like the rest of the planet, you now find yourself working from home?! It has been a rough week for all, including the Bees. This blog isn’t the typical pretty but it is honest and we hope you find it helpful and uplifting! So how do we cope in the new normal, how do we function, how do we stay organized, how do we stay employed and most importantly…………….how do we stay married?!

We all have very different situations: some are blessed with ample square footage and private work areas. Lucky you/me! But what about those that are space challenged? Keep the faith; there are plenty of solutions. Just this week, we loaned our son portable tables and folding funeral home chairs, shhh! (warned you, not so pretty) He and his roommates needed to set up temporary workspace in their Southie apartment. Four young men, all squeezed into a small and overpriced apartment…..yeah, have fun with that. (Haha, I am sure they will; although, hopefully not too much fun! Oh to be young!)

My daughter howled when she saw this, her comment to her brother; “your computer to square foot ratio is wild!” And don’t you just love the little string of lights, it adds so much to the ambience of the space…but the key is they are laughing and making the best of a situation they will remember for the rest of their lives!

In Somerville, our gal is coping well with her roommates, though the setting is a bit more refined. Their dining room table is now a dual-purpose work/art therapy area - creatives need their outlets too! The living area offers plenty of cozy seating and a sunny perch that is perfect for laptop work.

Hmmmm, let me think, which space would you prefer to work from?!

Then you have my right-hand gal, Kylie, the not so easily daunted dynamo, who along with her soulmate, needs to figure out a way to corral their two young smart, sassy, and energetic firecrackers! I don’t care how much you love your children - there comes a point in time when too much togetherness is just, well, too much! Based on what has happened elsewhere, there is going to be a whole lot of togetherness in the near future! What did she do?! She employed the help of her 6-year-old, Penny, to create a “snuggle nest” (as she called it). Penny grabbed all of the blankets and pillows in the house and created a makeshift area to snuggle, watch some movies, play with her sister, and just hang out. Of course, the designer in Kylie feels the need to tidy up as she always does, but in this odd circumstance, Kylie’s going to leave the snuggle nest for a while. And Penny’s pretty excited about it! She thinks it’s an adventure! (PS - can you spot the dog, Crouton, in the picture below?!)

Can you spot our dog, Crouton?!

This situation is not going to resolve itself overnight so everyone needs to get a little creative...

Desks/workspace…

Many of our favorite local haunts are closed; of course, we can’t wait until they are back in action, remember to support small and local! Facebook marketplace also has a wealth of treasures, from which one can find some amazing bargains but that window is getting smaller as lockdown looks inevitable. Don’t forget to check your attics and basements! Just two file cabinets and a plank, and viola, a new desk! There are all sorts of online resources for DIY desk projects and Pinterest is also a great resource for ideas and inspiration. Check out this idea below - so simple with two file cabinets and a plank of wood!

source: Ballard

If that strategy fails, you can shop your Big Box stores online. Ikea has plenty of budget-friendly options, particularly for tiny spaces that need apartment-sized solutions. You will find all sorts of great options at Ikea here.

Organization

Being organized is the key to surviving and thriving! If you have to work from the kitchen table, make sure you have storage and filing solutions. This little set up from The Container Store is ideal.

Another great source is Ballard - they have a ton of cute organization tools - check out a few below!

Good Lighting

Everyone knows a very important key to a successful workspace is good lighting! If you’re lucky enough to have awesome natural light - good for you!! If not, task lamps are essential! (And even if you do have good lighting, nothing beats the ambiance of the warm glow of a lamp! There are ample online options, for all different budgets from inexpensive finds at Target to higher end options at Visual Comfort.

Ideal Workspaces - What Does That Mean These Days?!

My hubby frequently works from home so he occupies our ideal workspace. So I have taken over the dining room. No complaints: it is a comfortable and functional space that perfectly suits my needs. At the end of the day I clear away the clutter and paperwork, anything I need can be quickly retrieved. Cloud based storage is also a great solution. Much as I curse navigating Dropbox (!@&*$%@#) it does enable myself and my teammates to share work efficiently. Particularly handy when we are on a job site and need to retrieve drawings or documents, ahh the good ole days. Check out my temporary home work space in the video below.

Healthy body = healthy mind

At this age and stage I have learned that some type of daily workout is essential. I can really feel my stress level increase when I skip those AM workouts, they are key to my survival. And another bright note in all of this mess is that my husband and I now have time for long walks! Thankfully we still like each other, a lot, best decision of my life! Our favorite trek is a long walk thru the woods, around the local reservoir. It is peaceful and tranquil, and it gives us a chance to talk, move and meditate!

Personally one of my biggest challenge is walking away from work. My nest is empty, and hubby is also working long hours and so I bury myself in work. Like most small business owners I often let the business consume me, and too much of anything is not a good thing. It eventually leads to burnout, been there, and it is not a good place to be! Creative thinking all day long sounds dreamy but the reality is quite different. My best creative thinking/work happens when I am taking care of mind and body, and paying attention to signs of burn out. Small business owners put their heart and soul into their businesses but unplugging and walking away is essential. I did not see that in the early years, live and learn.

Sunday ritual, take a walk in the woods, its good for body and soul!

We would love to hear from you! How are you surviving, share your genius! And in the meantime we will leave you with a few photos of some fave client work space projects. Future goals to look forward to! The Bees are staying optimistic and looking at this time as an opportunity to fine tune our game plans for life and business. Clear out some clutter and set new priorities, and most importantly keep our friends and family safe and healthy. So get outside and breathe in all that fresh spring air, keep laughing and stay healthy!

Wanna a little extra dose of laughter?! Check out this hilarious video we made about working from home. Dedicated to all you working moms out there! You’re killing it, hang in there, you can do it!