After a year and a half of turmoil caused by COVID-19, finding a balance between work, social and family life is still tricky.
Working from home blurs those lines as your home becomes the place where everything happens – sometimes all simultaneously!
And it isn’t easy when you have kids running around during the summer holidays, or not able to concentrate in online classes.
In this post we offer our top 3 tips and suggest some ways that a converted conservatory could help.
It’s hard enough to keep an interesting, active social life when you have a family – especially if you have young children. Now that things have opened up in the UK, many of us are inviting friends and family round to our homes again.
But if you’ve transitioned to remote working, you might realise that there’s no longer a separation in your home between your workspace and places to relax.
This blending of multi-use spaces can be helpful, but it can also be confusing and make it hard to switch off from work mode.
A home office is a gift if you can set it up, but if your space is limited you just don’t have anywhere to unwind and destress at the end of the working day.
Luckily, we have some solutions.
It might not have occurred to you, but transforming your conservatory can actually solve a lot of issues to make you feel and live better in your home.
The additional space is one thing, but the way you use it is really the key.
Here are our 3 tips for managing your home life:
It sounds obvious – of course you do this, right? However, if you really think about it, how often do you look up from your emails and realise it’s gone way past 6 o’clock? Sometimes you’re even going into the night, or you haven’t stopped for a break all day.
No matter what work you do, this isn’t sustainable or healthy.
Time management is critical for your psychological wellbeing and for achieving a good balance. Plus it’s actually more productive to fit tasks into specific hours rather than picking things up piecemeal, as and when.
If you want to work in a conservatory office, you can make a quick switch at the end of the working day with a conservatory transformation. Put your papers and computer away and rearrange a bit of furniture, and you’ll suddenly be in a conservatory living room without having gone anywhere else.
When working from home, it can feel like you can take a break any time. Simply close the laptop and go into the kitchen for a cup of tea or a snack.
But in reality, this lack of separation means you’re more likely to keep working through your breaks rather than actually stopping to rest.
Our biggest recommendation in this area is taking a proper lunch break. You’d do it if you were in the office, so give yourself a lunch at home too! Your brain needs time off to process the tasks, decisions and information you’ve been working on in the morning.
Moreover, if your family is at home, it’s one of the joys of working from home that you can catch up and bond with them in the middle of the day, over a salad or sandwich.
Prepare lunch for your kids, watch some TV with them, or ask your partner how their day’s going. That’s the secret to managing personal and business at home – but it can be made even easier with a conservatory transformation.
Of all the possible conservatory uses you can think of, combining your work space with your children’s play area might not be your first choice.
However, a conservatory transformation to merge office and playroom can solve several issues at once.
How often have you been trying to work in your conservatory office or other room at home, and been called out to another part of the house by your kids? Either they’re misbehaving, they need some help with homework, or they just need parental attention.
Having a conservatory playroom in your conservatory office allows you to share moments of your daily routine, but also to keep an eye on them if needed.
This combined space means you don’t have to stop and go to another room to look after youngsters. You can just say a quick word, and make sure they’re getting on with their online classes or playing nicely, all with another eye on your work.
A conservatory roof conversion makes your conservatory a comfortable part of the house to do anything you want. After a conservatory transformation with a Guardian Warm Roof, you’ll find you have more space that’s usable all year round for whatever conservatory uses you like.
The key to the Guardian roof system is that, unlike polycarbonate roofs, it gives you a fully waterproof, insulated conservatory. Since the temperature then stays consistent, you can work all day in the conservatory office, let the kids let off steam in the conservatory playroom, or relax in the afternoon or evening in your conservatory living room.
Or a combination of all three is possible – balancing your family, work and social life all in the same space of your solid roof conservatory.
Whatever uses and activities you decide to blend together in your converted conservatory, a Guardian Warm Roof will keep you safe, warm and comfortable for years.
To discover why Guardian roofs are the best solution for your new conservatory, see our other helpful blog posts, or get in touch with the Projects 4 Roofing team.