Defining boundaries for the new normal

Before we had our second child, we had a home office. Our smallest bedroom in the house had a desk, bookshelves and a big, comfy chair — with plenty of room for Liz and I to work on projects or just read. But when our second child was born, the home office was converted into a nursery. We tried to carve out space for me to have an office somewhere else in the house – in our bedroom, dining room, kitchen, living room… We moved the desk around, but I didn’t use it consistently and we needed the space for the family. When I went back to grad school, I carried my “office” in my Timbuk2 bag and set up wherever I needed, most often in a coffee shop.*

Two weeks ago, with the Coronavirus outbreak, I started to work from home and desperately needed an “office” somewhere in the house. (For me, working from home involves both the day job and grad school.) Our bedroom was the only option. It has a door so I can keep the kids out when I need to be on a conference call.** I set up a folding table in the corner, stole a chair from my son’s room that he didn’t use and scavenged an old lamp from our attic. I found a monitor that I used previously that I could plug into my laptop. A couple of cables and adapters from my bin of discarded tech and I was off and running.

Everything worked, but I quickly realized I needed to make a few changes. Over the next two weeks, my workspace evolved. The square folding table was sturdy, but it was too deep for the corner that it needed to fit into. I was able to order a small, simple desk from Target and pick it up from a local store. I found a taller lamp and a more comfortable chair that worked better with the new desk.*** I used a couple of my wife’s pottery pieces to hold pencils and other stuff and even put up an old shelf so I could display some of my knick-knacks and old toys.

Now I have an office again, even if it’s just a corner of my bedroom. I’m enjoying having one spot with all my stuff and it makes going to “work” easier. But I’m also concerned about the impact of working from home on my work-school-life balance. I’ve been reading a bunch about intentionality and mindfulness over the last couple of years and I’ve been trying to balance my job, my classwork and my family. Having a full technology set up a couple of feet from my bed isn’t ideal. Given the new situation — and assuming that I’ll be working from home for a little while — I’m trying to create some helpful boundaries and form some good habits:

Lights out. When my desk lamp is on, I’m working. When it’s off, I’m not. It’s a simple little thing, but I feel like that literal flipping of a switch triggers a mental flipping of the switch.
Tidy up. At the end of the work day, I take my coffee mug or glass downstairs and put it in the dishwasher. It’s just another attempt at habit formation that indicates the work day is over.
Intentional spaces. For the last year or so, I’ve been trying to keep my iPhone and iPad out of our bedroom to build better sleep habits. (It was completely working by the way.) Now the challenge is a little different — I’m worried about being connected all the time. I’m intentionally trying to leave all my tech at my desk. This way, when I’m not working, the devices are upstairs and I’m able to be fully present with Liz and kiddos.
Notifications are off. If I’m at my desk, I’m working and I will see the email or message. If I’m away from my desk, it can wait until I get back. Plus, no random beeps or buzzes in the middle of the night. (I’m still working on my computer’s tendency to wake up in the middle of the night for a few seconds at full brightness. Sigh.)

In addition to these, I’m also trying to reestablish some old habits that have been demolished over the past couple weeks with the Coronavirus pandemic:

No devices within an hour of bedtime. I can’t help that my computer is parked in my bedroom, but I’m still concerned about a healthy night of sleep. When I’m getting ready to go to sleep, I try to avoid technology and focus instead on reading or sketching.
Limit social media. I’d really worked hard to build some boundaries for social media. It’s been an ongoing theme for a couple of years, but with the pandemic, it’s gone out the window. I’m actively looking at Twitter and Instagram and even take a look at Facebook sometimes. I’m ignoring all of the iOS Screen Time limits I set up. Those limits were helpful and while I need to recalibrate my expectations given the fact that I’m home all the time, I need to set some new, reasonable limits and stick to them.

I imagine when all this is over and everyone gets back to work, I’ll keep my little corner office. My plan is to move on to a Ph.D after I finish my Masters degree and having a dedicated space for writing will be essential. But establishing some clear boundaries and developing helpful habits will be essential to making this work over the long term.

* I actually miss studying at the Starbucks near my house.

** The door, in reality, does little to stop the kids. And really, that’s fine. No one on the call minds when Ryan pops in to give me a quick hug.

*** When the kids were little, we redecorated several times in a mostly futile attempt to childproof. A few things ended up in the attic or garage that we liked and just couldn’t get rid of. The tall lamp wasn’t steady enough with toddlers around and found its way to the garage. The chair was an old teacher desk chair that someone was going to throw out. Solid wood, sturdy as hell and surprisingly comfortable. I always felt a little foolish for not getting rid of this stuff sooner, but now I’m glad I kept them.

Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create.