Bored or stressed out at work? Consider changing your environment

While an adaptive workplace is important for employee morale, changing the physical environment you’re working in can also provide a surprising amount of benefits.

From working at home to working in coworking spaces, to working in far-flung locations, your working environment is now a thing in motion. While it used to be that you spent your time in the morning preparing lunch and going on your commute, now it’s more likely that most office workers simply roll out of bed and head to their “office” down the hall.

But how does your working environment really affect you? And what can you do if it’s starting to bring you down?

When the WFH setup doesn’t cut it

The COVID pandemic has effectively killed the office as we know it and experts are pretty confident that even when the pandemic finally winds down, our way of working is forever changed.

So what does that look like? For many people, this will mean permanently working from home. The issue for some people working from home is that their lives might not be set up for a permanent office to suddenly get dropped into the living room. Whether it’s children, space, or amenities, or lack of coworking software, working from home can become taxing.

If you don’t have the option of going into the office, consider joining a coworking space. You can use it on the days when you need access to things like printers or conference rooms, or when you just need to get away from your house and focus.

With the best coworking spaces use coworking software to make booking desks and spaces seamless, you can be out the door and ready to go faster than at your old office.

When your motivation is flagging

Our brains are hardwired to take the path of least resistance. That’s great for survival, but not so great for pushing yourself to achieve big things in your career. If you’ve been stuck in a rut on a project or aren’t getting ahead the way you’d hoped, you may need to change up your work environment. 

It may seem like all you need to succeed is sheer willpower, but our environments shape a lot of our habits and staying in the same one day in and day out could set you up for failure. To avoid this, try having multiple working spaces throughout your home, or try taking your computer to a cafe or even to the park (if you can jump on some WiFi).

When your stress is getting the best of you

A lot of things have suffered due to COVID, and our work-life separation was one of the first casualties. Suddenly, the place you work, sleep, eat, rest, and play are all in one environment. That can spell disaster for controlling our stress levels. 

While focusing on implementing firm boundaries is essential, being able to separate yourself from your workspace is also important. If you have the luxury of a dedicated office space, close the door a the end of the day. If you live in a small space or an apartment, physically concealing your workspace has been shown to have some benefits. Put away your computer or cover your desk area with a movable screen so you don’t have to constantly see and think about your work.