I'm IKEA'd out.
It has been ten hours straight and while I have only done around 6000 steps, I have been in the same room the whole day. Other than when I walked to the kitchen for lunch. You'd think that with all of this time spent it would look pretty good by now.
This is the result.
Ok, the handles aren't on yet and they will make it look less plain. But it is plain.
Just the way we wanted them to be.
The handles are black and long, so they will stand out, otherwise, it is quite understated and is a similar color to the wall - beige-ish.
Sexy.
This office room is relatively large, even with the cupboards in. And, because they are so bland, they feel like they don't take up any space at all. We should have two full desks in here, but currently it is just mine. I am hoping to pick up another electric one from my office, as they are getting rid of some and that way, we can both have adjustable tables.
When I deliver sessions, I am always standing, as it is far more dynamic.
My wife is not that keen on sharing an office space, but I am hoping to reclaim our house. One of the problems with the work from home flexibility is that the "home" gets lost and it all becomes a workspace. In my opinion, we should be working more from the office anyway, as it is more productive, but more importantly, you get face time with people, which can be vital for many reasons - including, increasing opportunity.
As Smallsteps is walking to and from school alone now, it also gives us a bit more freedom to both work from our company offices, as we aren't in as much of a rush to get her in the afternoon. It might only be a half hour or so, but with meetings and what not that are often scheduled at the end of the day because of scheduling needs to consider the US, it can make quite a difference for us.
But yes - "reclaiming" the house is high on my list now that the office is closer to completion. Rather than having work stuff spread throughout, we will be able to get organized and keep it contained, so that the rest of the house becomes for living again. Not that it hasn't been, but when we are spending so much time at home, I would rather there be more division between work and personal life. We are of course lucky in the sense that our home is large enough to create this division, but I do think that those who work a lot from home would probably benefit in creating more separation, so at the end of the day it is possible to just "switch off" from work, not even seeing it. Maybe it is just shutting down the laptop and putting it out of sight - but some kind of "end of day ritual" can help the mind shift gears.
As this is the "last room" to renovate (before the next starts in an endless loop), I am hoping that we are able to "reset" our homelife and create some better habits as a family unit. Find a new groove of a kind. I have been trying the last few days to rope my wife into some of the conversations that I find important to have and discussions on random complexities, but she is not all that keen yet. It will take time, but thinking down the track, if we don't start now, we will likely just grow apart unless we have more in common than a child and a house.
I think a lot about the various relationships I have, because I believe that relationships are the most valuable thing in this life. We can make purpose out of a lot of activity, but if it doesn't improve our relationships, is it actually valuable? And, if we are doing things that destroy relationships, are we good people?
Governments, social media, news, corporations... they all create division and breakdown relationships for profit and power.
However, if we don't improve our relationships at the personal level, they win. It really is up to us, and that includes what we might do to take back power within the economy. The division is something that keeps us from becoming organized enough, but if we were to shift our activities to become more direct interpersonal transactions, we build relationships that reduce middlemen and, form more lasting bonds. Even in trustless networks with strangers, there can be direct transactional relationships formed without the need for government or corporation at all.
But, I am getting off track.
I blame the long day of IKEA'ing!
Lucky, I have half a glass of wine left to finish the weekend on.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I love working from home. Drinking my own coffee. Lunch in my kitchen where I control the prices and ingredients. Rush hour is the time that the dog wants to get down the stairs at the same time as me. I can work extra hours when it is convenient and have a nap during business hours if it fits the bill.
There are drawbacks though. Meetings out of the house are essential for new clients and are expensive. No public branding visible. Then there is the shutting off that never happens as you mention.
For me, the office is tucked away downstairs and the “how way your day?” conversation happens in the family room upstairs. The disconnect is when I turn off the monitor, grab sir fuzzyface and head to the park for an hour of fresh air and no screens. Works well and it improves the universe through a little k9 (and otherwise) interaction.
So great you recognize the need for those borders and thresholds. Work is hard and so are relationships. Keep them simpler by defining those separations and maybe Ikea can help!
This is definitely a benefit. When I am home, I take a nap at times too :)
For my own business, we would always meet at their office/place of work. But like you say, getting new business is a bit harder.
Do you know all the dog's names in your area, but none of the owner names? It is common here.
Hey mate, haven't pinged you in a while!
I love assembling Lego.....I meant Ikea. Makes me feel like I am good with my hands even though I am not. It's just the Ikea instructions are so easy to follow. Never done something as big as cupboards, biggest I did was a reclining sofa bed by myself.
Physical separation is very important, but I think mentally separating is just as important. Keep the work phone aside and actually packing up your laptop, unplugging everything. It's more tedious to set it up the next day, but that is kind of the point of telling your brain the work is done. Everyone is different in that sense, so you just got to find that ritual as you say. That is also the beauty of working in the office sometimes as we have been accustomed to associating leaving the office or the drive/train/bus/cycle home as our end of work and we can leave that all behind before we get home. Lastly, only half a glass? Ten hours of trying to be handy is worth then that for sure!
:)
I have done many, many meters of them, as well as two IKEA kitchens, and countless other pieces. The kitchens are great btw. Thoroughly recommend them.
I have two monitors that are connected to both a laptop and my personal (business) desktop. It is a flick of a switch, but once I flick it, there is no going back.
For sure! I listen to interesting podcasts on my commutes - that way it is something different from work, but also something I can think about actively, rather than dwell on the day too much. Most of my days are okay though.
It saddened me greatly. I had drunk too much the night before...
I'm a full week behind! Just left the club at 5am and getting caught up while waiting for the subway home. Should be sunrise by the time I get home. Thank goodness I got another reprive with my partner! I wasn't ready to give up on this relationship.
Was it a good night?
It was great! My friend from Arizona and the DJ he manages were in town to play at one of Manhattan's newest clubs in support of the German DJ Marten Horger before they flew over to Holland for the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). So I got a free guest list spot for the artist Ekonovah and got to hang out at the DJ table up by the booth all night. Much different perspective than being down on the dance floor with the packed crowd.
As much fun?
Definitely NOT! I liked the free soda water and it was nice talking with my friends about their upcoming trip for ADE, but the vibes are always down on the dance floor with the people. And I'm there for the vibes for sure!
My favorite club in Brooklyn, Elsewhere, doesn't have any VIP spaces which I love about it. We are all on the same playing field. No luxury boxes!
The earlier parts of my life had some unnecessary struggles because I failed to understand the place of relationships in our daily living as humans. One important thing I realized is that to some people building and maintaining relationship comes so natural, while for others, alot of work has to be done. Maybe I fall into the second category, kind of self sufficient, preferring not to show a face even when I'm involved. But alot is changing really.
From my experiences, I think this is true as well
Self-sufficient is good, until it stops good relationships forming. We can all learn to live like hermits, but is it living?
Ready, a goal successfully achieved, now or produce to recoup the investment, but beware, work at home can easily distract you from the family relationship, heh, heh, heh.
I have been working from home (my own business) for about ten years already, but in the last almost five, I have had another job that has an office, so I should use it :)
I think that is smart idea to have a separate space like that for your office. I think it helps you focus a bit better. I think a lot of people probably find a hard time claiming that space in their homes though. I don't think I could share an office with my wife. I have enough trouble focusing as it is!
I am not sure I can either! But we will try, once we have a second desk. The trouble is we are both often on calls.
Yep. This is the trouble for many, especially in Finland where apartments are quite small.
Oh, yeah, that could be a problem if you both have to take calls. We managed during Covid with me being downstairs and her upstairs.
It took me a week between job and other stuff to put together a few kitchen cupboards and some useful top surface. It should also be a step towards reclaiming the house. Some of the clutter should flow into new open space and make space somewhere else for other clutter to move and free yet someplace else... Right?
Or - you will just find new stuff to clutter the free space, and then there will be no space anywhere again ;)
History bound to repeat itself? Perhaps. Or perhaps we should start applying the rules we have for the kid upon ourselves as well. Want a new toy? Have to get rid of three old ones, first. Works for her...
Does she get to pick the new toy?
"I'll trade you three teddy bears for a Tesla, Dad."
Anytime, I love those. In our language, that is also an instrument that it turns out they call an adze in English. You can never have too many adzes in your shack.
That's the best treat for a long IKEA'ing day!
If we consider the time we spend assembling IKEA's furniture on top of the purchase price, some may decide they prefer to pay for the difference of an assembled product. Not for small furniture, but when it comes to big stuff, it is not that easy and you hardly can do it alone.
We were talking about this today. They do have assembly services, but the prices are ludicrous here. Perhaps I could do it as a side hustle for cheaper :)
The problem with assembled is that it still has to be transported and potentially stored for a time, but it doesn't necessarily fit anywhere. However - if I had endless money...
I agree that this is a primary concern I encounter while working from home. This blending of work and personal life can indeed result in challenges when it comes to disengaging from work, potentially resulting in burnout, a diminished work-life balance, and the erosion of the traditional sense of home as a sanctuary. Nonetheless, I do miss the days when I could enjoy staying in without the lengthy daily commute to the workplace 😅
I am lucky I guess, as I am able to normally choose where I work (even before Covid) - the flexibility is good. However, when working from home too often, it becomes oppressive.
Yeah a change in environment is much needed from time to time, being confined within the same space (home) for 24hrs or more might seem a little too depressing! 😢
I actually like it. I'm a boring guy, so I guess me liking a boring cupboard makes sense. It's in an office area, so having something simple is nice. It can even be used as a background during meetings and it wouldn't be distracting.
I'm glad that you were able to finish it, and I'm happy that you had a celebratory wine at the end of it.
My wife doesn't blur her background apparently and her colleagues asked where she got the image - it was our kitchen! :D
It is great news that you will soon get your home back. Like you, I feel that working from home runs the risk of losing our home and seeing our home as an around-the-clock work environment.
It is reassuring that you are separating work from home as this will help you spend quality time with your family. Of course, you have to be determined that once you get home you will not mention anything about work so that you can have a family life as it should be.
We must not allow the trends or movements of this world of damaging relationships to affect our family. We must prioritize and family is the most important thing.
I wish you a lot of success 🤗🤗
I think this has been happening the last 100 years though.
Unfortunately this is the case, which is why it is so difficult to find the balance. However, with good organization we can prioritize and give due attention to the family. Let's strive to make a difference 🤗
I won't deny that sometimes I have enjoyed the pleasure of working at home, but it definitely can't be a prolonged thing, even if we have the ability to separate work and home. Too much of everything can cause discomfort and really most of the benefits are in the office itself where it's all face to face business. My work necessarily has to be done in person, although thankfully it's in a concert hall, but we still get to see it as an office for non-music business which is quite a bit.
I still hope you keep a space for work issues that have to migrate home and even if your wife doesn't like it very much, she is a great woman for allowing it because not every day is the same. That's the way life should be, getting together with the right and supportive people. Happy beginning of the week Taraz!...
A concert hall sounds like a great office and I am guessing, lots of energy from other musicians too :)
I have a friend who works from home and when you enter her house, you'd begin to see files everywhere. Home tends to be the whole working space when you begin to work from home but we never can tell if there is a way we could discipline ourselves from making the whole house a working space
Office spreads, as does the time spent working. It is part of the plan of convenience. Flexibility is good, but at what cost?
I feel that work from home is good to some extent, not good if you are trying to burn calories and reduce sugar. Because sugar cravings go high when you are not away from house. I feel I have reduced more sugar cravings by intentionally going to the office.
On the design, I usually like such designs and instead of handles I feel having the little cut in a side to open up the door looks good. I won't be surprised in near future we have like the touch system for opening the cupboard.
For sure! And there is more opportunity in the home to snack. Less structure generally means worse habits :D
We have these in the kitchen and they are good, and we almost had them in here too, but the only color door they had with them was white. So, it would look like our kitchen and, we have a lot of white.
There are the mechanical pump openers which are good (we had them before) but we wanted something different this time round - so handles. They should look ok.
Few weeks ago, I talked with my collesgues about working from home. We all agreed that if it wasn't productive or didn't serve for the interests of our company, we would already turn back to normal instead of hybrid working.
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Weaponising our energy against us; like splitting the atom.
This is a great way to visualize it. Sad also.