Practical lessons learned from a pandemic.

Most people it appears are taking a negative attitude in the wake of the recent quarantine measures; I for one am trying to maintain a positive outlook.

Working from home is for some a foreign scenario, for me it is something all too familiar, I have been undertaking the practice for almost half a decade, so not a great deal in my routine has needed to change (aside from my new duties as a pseudo home school teacher and daddy day carer role).

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is the importance of maintaining a routine as well as a dedicated space to work from that is removed from other spaces, distractions and home activities.

Separation is key both in practical terms for solitude and pragmatic ability to work un-interrupted and also psychologically to maintain a professional environment free from the daily detritus of a busy household.

Dirty dishes in the sink can quickly feel like an extension of a cluttered desk and unnecessarily over load your senses. Even partial divisions between a study and other living spaces such as: book cases, batten screens, furniture or half height dividing walls can be enough to maintain a sense of disconnection.

The other significant lesson is the biophilic principal of incorporating as much natural light and greenery into your workspace as possible.

Aside from supposedly filtering the air, house plants can add a calming effect to otherwise stagnant spaces, natural light and the addition of greenery to offices is said to have many correlations ranging from increased productivity levels, reduction of stress and even a noticeable decrease in the amount of sick days taken from employees.

The addition of plants and natural light is reportedly able to assist in contributing to the visual amenity, transforming an otherwise small space into an area that feels less confined and overall more comfortable.

Flooding a work space with natural light can visually brighten an office and also reduce the requirement for artificial light, which have been attributed to feelings of fatigue and anxiety.

 

*Please note I have avoided my previous temptations to overload the content with unnecessary SEO keywords such as : Building design, sunshine coast, new house designs, modern house plans, architectural designer, coastal modernism,contemporary beach house etc. Instead adding it as a foot note which you can either read or ignore.