This post may contain affiliate links
Many of us are now working from home due to the outbreak of Covid-19. If you’re not used to spending lots of time together during the day, it could be quite a challenging time, especially if you throw having children into the mix too. While we’ve never worked from home together, my husband and I did work together at the same business for over five years, so I am certainly aware of the difficulties it presents.
Work out how to co-work
Working out the best strategy for working from home together can be tough. You’ll likely be used to different environments and setups, even if you both usually work in an office.
Personally, I like quiet while I work. I’m an introvert and I struggle if there’s a lot going on around me. Occasionally I’ll have a little bit of radio in the background but that’s it. My husband likes to work to loud rock music. Figuring out what is going to best for each of you beforehand, rather than daily arguments is the best way to go.
Decide whether it’s better to work in separate rooms to get some space from one another – or maybe work the mornings apart or the afternoons together.
Set Boundaries
If you need time and space without being disturbed then be clear about this. I usually work from home, so I’m used to be able to do my own thing. On the odd days my husband has been off work he annoys the heck out of me with content questions and lots of ‘oooh look at this funny tweet/meme/Facebook post’.
Decide if separate or together breaks work better
Taking breaks is important is something that can be easily missed when working from home. If you feel like you need some quiet time to yourself then it might be worth taking your lunch break at a different time to your partner. However, if you want to catch up or have a rant together is the way to go.
You could also take a walk together to get some fresh air. Open spaces are recommended and contact with others should be avoided.
Do the housework the night before
There’s nothing worse than working from home in a massive mess. And then trying to sort it while your partner carries on working, oblivious. Things that would normally be left and not worried about while one or both of you are out during the day, can become really annoying quickly when you’re stuck looking at them every day.
Agree to have a good tidy and putting away session each evening so you can both start work the next day in a clean and calm environment.
Stagger your hours
If there is no escaping working together in the same room and you’re worried it’s going impact your relationship, try staggering your hours if your jobs allow you to do so. This could give each of you an extra hour of me-time to relax before spending the day together.
A few other tips
Here are a few more tips for surviving working from home in general.
- Social media can be a great way of staying in touch with colleagues but it can also be a massive time suck. Make sure your time on there is enjoyable and isn’t just endless scrolling.
- Working from home it can be hard to get going in the mornings – try taking a walk or run first thing to get your energy levels up.
- Make your lunch, as usual, each morning and pop it the fridge. This will mean you can spend the whole of your lunch break actually taking a break and knowing you have a good lunch ready to go should help prevent the temptation to snack.
- Remember to finish on time and put your laptop away at the end of the day.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself – this is a new and difficult situation for everyone – it’s ok to be worried and find things hard, especially if you have other things going on.