Work From Home? Or Live at Work?
When I did an AMA recently, several people asked how to separate work from life when you work from home. This post builds on my last one about setting boundaries, but focuses on what that looks like when home and office are the same place.
I’m not just a therapist for people in this club, I’m a card-carrying member. I’ve worked remotely for nine years, and exclusively from home for five. So this isn’t armchair advice. It’s reimbursed from a tech company Aeron Chair advice.
Studies keep confirming it: people want the option to work from home. It makes work more accessible for folks with disabilities, caregiving responsibilities, or simply the need to live far from an office. Employers benefit too. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, employees who work from home are the most engaged.
But there’s a catch.
That same report found that people who work exclusively from home are also more likely to report sadness, anger, and loneliness. It makes sense. When your home becomes your workplace, it’s harder to fully disconnect. So let’s talk about a few practical ways to keep work in its place.
Protect your physical space
I get the appeal of working from your couch or bed, but those spaces already have jobs. Your couch helps you unwind. Your bed is for rest and Sexy Times™️. When you blur those lines, everything suffers. When you work from your bedroom you can associate the space with work. Have a bad day at work? See how that impacts your relationship or sex life. Worried about a project you were just working on from bed? See how you sleep that night.
If possible, set up a dedicated work zone. Even a small table or a sectioned-off corner helps. A door you can close at the end of the day is even better. This helps your brain associate that area with work and the rest of your home with life.
Minimize unnecessary tech overlap
If you’re working from home, do you really need Slack or work email on your phone? Unless you’re expected to respond during non-work hours (which is another conversation entirely), give yourself the gift of separation. Are you conducting business from the toilet? I mean, that opens up a whole other can of worms that we also won’t be covering today.
Create transitions between roles
Your brain benefits from signals that tell it when you’re working and when you’re off duty. Something as small as having a “work mug” and a “weekend mug” can help. Or maybe you wear different slippers.
When you finish for the day, shut your laptop like it’s a ritual. Power it down, watch the light fade, and say something to mark the moment. “That’s all, folks!” is a favorite amongst my Gen X friends.
Then, physically move away. Go to a different room. Step outside. Shake it off like you just came in from the rain. Do this at the end of the day, and ideally a few times throughout.
Make use of your home base
One big upside to working from home is that you’re already home. You can do things you used to save for evenings and weekends. I like to pair my work tasks with home chores using a loose version of the Pomodoro technique.
I work for 45 minutes, then do something small around the house for 10, like emptying the dishwasher. The last five minutes are mine for whatever I need. After a few cycles, it’s almost like productivity starts multiplying and I feel good about getting so many tasks done. Dopamine ✅
Change of scenery can change everything
I’m messing around with the idea of doing a whole post on loneliness, especially for remote workers, what do you think? For now, as long as we’re talking about helping with the transition and context switching of work and life, let’s talk about getting out of your home when/if you can.
Everyone’s brain works differently, but if it’s possible to go to a library or coffee shop to work, it might help both with productivity and isolation. For some folks, constant, low-level ambient noise and the presence of others can help with focus, creativity, and memory.
Speaking from inside the WFH Club, If I could get paid to research, I might look at how the absence of novelty impacts our mood. At the moment, no one’s throwing money at me for that, so you’re stuck with me helping individuals and teams directly. But, my theory is that when life looks like this:
we lose out on the social interaction and NOVELTY that helps us remember we’re human. It’s the little things in life like watching turf dancing on the train, meeting a new dog, or flirting with your favorite barista that help keep our synapses nimble.
If you’re curious, here are a couple of articles on this topic that I like:
Ambient noise might boost focus and creativity
How low-level background noise affects cognition
I hope this helps you set up a work-from-home routine that protects your mental health, your relationships, and your productivity.
If you’re in California and looking for a therapist who gets the WFH life, I’ve got virtual sessions available. I also have limited in-person spots in Oakland, because I’m trying that whole work from work thing.
And if you’re a company leader thinking about psychological safety and collaboration hacks for your team, I’d love to chat.