What to do when your work from home space is the same as your sleep space, and how to not confuse the two!
Many Americans have been working from home for about a year now. If you are working from home and are not fortunate enough to have your own separate office space, there are steps you can take to avoid burnout, and ensure you are keeping your work space and your sleep space separate.
Studies have shown that working from your bed, especially over the course of an entire year, can cause long-lasting damage. 72 percent of Americans studied said they had worked from their bed during the pandemic. Ahh!! As tempting as it may be, avoid work-from-bed life at all costs! Working from bed negatively impacts your sleep hygiene, and slowly trains your brain that your bed is not a space for sleep, but for all sorts of activities! This means that when the time comes to actually go to sleep at night, it may be more difficult and your quality of sleep may suffer.
Here are some work from home tips in order to maintain your bedroom as your sleep sanctuary:
Create a separate work space - While you may not be able to create the space for a full office, even just setting up a separate table in your room or living room can be beneficial. Get creative by using even a TV tray, a coffee table, an ironing board, or other makeshift desk ideas.
Get ready for the day - Getting ready for the day is one of the best ways to trick your brain into thinking you are still going into the office every day. Getting dressed and changing out of your pajamas will make you feel better, and therefore be more productive throughout your work day.
Stick to a routine - One easy way to avoid working from bed? Get out of it, and make it every morning! Do you exercise in the morning? Shower? Make breakfast and coffee? Create a routine that does not involve getting back into bed in the morning, and try your hardest to stick to it. This will ease temptations to crawl back under the covers before that 10am meeting. Additionally, as a way to avoid working too much while you are at home, create a clear schedule. Choose something to do each day at 5pm that forces you to put the computer away, and enjoy a healthy work life balance. Cook a new recipe, take the dog for a walk, play a game with your children, and separate the work from the home!
Get up and move! Once every hour, get up and move around a bit! Put on your favorite song and dance it out for 3 minutes. Do a quick walk around the block. Get your muscles moving and your blood flowing to avoid falling into midday burnout.
If you do these things, you will trick your brain into thinking you are going into the office, and you will soon be working at your peak productivity levels. When the time comes that it finally is time to go to sleep at night, your body will thank you that it is time to get the much needed rest you deserve. Rest your tired head on the Polar Point Memory Pillow from Pottery Barn for added comfort. The technology in the fibers absorbs heat, and the memory fiber fill can be easily adjuster to support all sleep positions! After a long day of working from home (at a separate space in your room) you can FINALLY crawl into bed and fall into the deep sleep that you earned.
About Inventive Sleep® by Tracy Miller
Tracy Miller is a trusted inventor and innovator of dynamic, technology driven, and comfortable products for the home, and founder of Inventive Sleep™. Her engaging brands are found in millions of homes and hotels across the country. As a Sleep Products Innovator, Tracy is dedicated to helping people realize their dreams and goals starting with a great night’s sleep. Her reputation for combining proven and modern materials in everyday products including sheets, pillows, comforters, blankets and mattress pads, adds exciting new comfort and performance qualities consumers love to incorporate into their homes. Tracy is also the author of the weekly sleep blog Sleep Secrets and Inspirations. In it, she shares her expertise on materials research and design, and demystifies the sleep experience with an informative and fun-filled conversation on how sleep helps people with daily living, as well as some of her tips and tricks on picking your favorite products. For more information, visit www.inventivesleep.com. Sleep Tonight. Create Tomorrow.™