How to work well from home
WFH can make us more authentic and adaptable, but home must also be where we unplug, power down and switch off
Living and working under one roof tests any space to the limit. It forces a reappraisal of every previous design decision, from knocked-down walls to the size of the dining table. After all, most homes, are simply not designed for work.
Indeed, my priority pandemic update was the re-instatement of a door. Although I was lucky enough to have a separate room to use as a study, it sits within a largely open plan ground floor. As I'd always been home alone before when writing, shutting myself away wasn't necessary. I preferred the free flow of air. But when that was no longer the case, a requirement for quiet became a major issue.
The thing is, silence is what enables me to concentrate. It's not so much a complete absence of sound — birdsong and clocks, even the distant hum of traffic are fine — as no additional artificial noise like a radio or TV buzzing in the background. And this isn't just a personal foible. Medical studies have shown that silence encourages new brain cells to grow, specifically in the hippocampus, the region of our grey matter devoted to memory, emotion and learning.
It also relates to the thorny (aka intensely irritating) issue of being interrupted, a real bugbear of most regular workplaces. According to Gloria Mark, professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, it takes some 23 minutes and 15 seconds precisely to return to full focus after being distracted. As she puts it, "Attention distraction can lead to higher stress, bad mood and lower productivity."
Thus, companies that offer employees flexibility will have a competitive advantage; a study co-authored by Stanford University suggests that people value it as highly as an 8 percent pay rise. So, because we are innately social animals, the demise of the office is over-stated. We need to come together to get things done. But having the right basic kit at home will allow you to appreciate the benefits of WFH as well and adjusting our homes to accommodate such a basic functionality, is overdue.
I’d also argue that merging work and home can prompt an element of fully owning ourselves. By attempting to harmoniously weave together the varied threads of our interests and occupations, do we not become more authentic? And pushing our homes to be more flexible and supportive with spaces that segue easily from one task to the next, pushes us too to be more adaptable and efficient in the way that we use them?
Admittedly, if you don't have a room of your own, an over-sized shed or a fancy garden study pod to retreat to, then WFH could feel less exploration of the intricate tapestry of life than imminently unravelling disaster! However, it really is time to bid farewell to the ironing board as impromptu standing desk and come out from seeking solace in the loo.