It has been quite the year with the pandemic. We have been in and out of lockdown and at other times in small 'bubbles'. Children are receiving their education virtually and with parents stepping in a lot of the time. Adults have in a lot of cases been working from home. Very different from past years where employers were a little less on board having employees work from home. In some cases it is not practical but in many it is. People have been getting used to it and find it less stressful not travelling and fighting traffic etc. On the other hand when day cares and schools were closed it made working from home a little difficult with having the children with us. Many of us miss the socialization that comes from working with other people as well. It does appear that in the near future we will continue to work from home.
In looking at this model of working we have to adjust our homes to offer designated space for children and adults while attending school virtually and attending to requirements of our own work.
We have seen a vast amount of homes being opened up as people wanted the open plan in order to have what seemed to be more space and also so we could be with our family and friends. It seemed nice to be part of the group while entertaining rather than stuck in the kitchen and those with younger children could keep a watch on them with the open plan.
We are now re-thinking the open plan and how divided spaces could work much better now. We have to carve out spaces within the homes we are living in so that they will work with this new lifestyle. You can create a designated work area where it can be quiet in any room in your home. People are asking builders or designers for designated offices and dens to work from. Children will need to have their own quiet spaces to do their school work. It is important to look at how comfortable the space will be, for example lighting, temperature. Light is very important to our sense of wellbeing, however there must be a way to cut down on glare. Windows really make the space much more pleasant to work in rather than no windows. Good air quality is important since people working from home could be in their office all day
We have also had to live with gyms being closed and if we consider working out a priority we can designate a spare room or space in the basement to create a fitness area to work out.
Another change is "dining". We are not going to restaurants these days so we are spending way more time preparing and cooking in our kitchens and. Addressing any aspect that makes this difficult may be corrected by a simple adjustment. It is important to have a designated dining area where there are no school books or audit sheets.
I think all in all we are using our homes better than in past years. This is the time to look at any improvements you would like to make if you have the time and money. We are spending so much time inside we notice more that should be updated.
Looking ahead and listening to updates on this horrible virus I feel we may continue to be more or less homebound so lets make the best of it. Vaccines are on the way. Stay well and stay safe.
