Why You Need to Set Up Your Home Office

Although The Get Smart team had transitioned into working from home full-time earlier this year, several of us already worked from home, while the rest of us did it part-time. It wasn’t a rough transition. However, for those unfamiliar with working from home, having to shift to a home office due to the pandemic was a bit like having the rug pulled out from under them. How does one work when the kids are asking questions about homework? What’s the point of getting dressed for Zoom meetings? Where do you work when you’ve never set up a home office space because you had your work office for that?

As a recent addition to the GSG team, working from home in marketing for the pool and backyard industry was a new experience for me. Sure, I had a couple of side gig hustles I did from home, but I never had an “office space” for them. I either worked at my kitchen table or sat on my couch. Aside from that, all of my day jobs since I entered the workforce required me to leave the house to work. 

Now there’s nothing wrong with the kitchen table or the couch. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do with what you got. And that’s OK.

However, I highly recommend taking some time to set up your home office. Here’s why.

When my boss made the announcement about transitioning to working from home full-time, he said the only requirement was to have a dedicated office space at home. Now, many of my co-workers already had their home office set up.

I, however, did not. Since I worked more in the office than from home – three days a week in the main office, two days at home – I hadn’t taken time to set up my workspace. I just did what I did for my side hustles and used my kitchen table. Plus, I live in a 1 bed/1 bath “vintage tiny house” that’s maybe 600 square feet. There’s no spare bedroom to use for an office.

I had my desk in my living room, but I used it mostly for storage of random things, and I did not want clients to see the inside of my house. Nothing personal, but I just really like having a bit of privacy. Additionally, I certainly didn’t want clients to see my sink full of dirty dishes or cat toys scattered across the living room floor – which they would have, had I kept my desk where it was.

So what did I do?

I turned my desk around. That’s it. I carved out a little corner of my living room just for my office space. I cleared out the clutter, hung some funny wall art, and set my laptop squarely on the clean surface of my desk.

And let me tell you. It worked wonders.

My workflow at home improved. It was easier to attend meetings because I wasn’t constantly shifting my laptop around. I became more focused on my tasks. It changed my entire mindset about working for home. I’m sure there’s some kind of psychological explanation for it, but setting up a designated workspace works.

And it’s not just me. Just the other day, my boyfriend decided to set up his own workspace to pursue his woodburning hobby more seriously – we are in quarantine, after all. He’s no longer cramped at my tiny kitchen table, hauling all of his woodburning tools and projects in a little ice chest. He now has a sturdy metal desk to hold all of his materials, books that inspire him, an area to take pictures, and best of all, more space to actually do his woodburning. He’s been working like crazy.

Creating the right environment for you to do your job makes working from home easier during a difficult time.

So if you’re a business owner who has found that they’ve needed to transition to working from home, or just flat out have had to change how your business operates, know that we know what you’re going through. We’ve helped all of our clients cope through this time by amping up their marketing for pool service, focus on local marketing for pool chemical delivery, and promoting perfect staycations at home with hot tubs. And we’ve done it all from working at home. We can help you, too. If you would like a marketing consultation to help develop your business plan moving forward during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, feel free to contact us.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to work from my home office, just like the rest of my team, to help our clients get through this crazy time. Take care, all.