COVID-19 has forced millions of American students and office-based workers to adapt to remote work and learning set-up as a way of minimizing transmission risks to bring down COVID-19 cases and flatten the curve. While there have been many remote workers and distance learners pre-pandemic, experts agree that remote work and learning is the New Normal setting that people just have to live with.
If you happen to be among the millions of work-from-home employees or if you have kids who are required to complete their distance learning tasks, you must ensure that you have a dedicated area in your home for such purposes. While it may cost you a considerable amount of money, as well as time, you just have to look at the brighter side: that this kind of arrangement will lessen your exposure to potential COVID-19 carriers, and give you a flexible schedule so you can spend more time with your kids.
Here are five ways to build a remote work and learning hub that would be conducive for everyone in your household:
Hire competent design and build teams.
If you have the budget to spend and you intend to make a dedicated place where you and the kids could work and study comfortably, then there’s no point doing things DIY-style. Instead, you should leave the hard work to a reliable and licensed architect and building contractor to guarantee the best results.
With skilled design and build teams working on your distance learning and work hub, you’re assured that everything will be built to specifications and according to relevant building codes. Additionally, it will ensure you that the hub will have the right amenities to optimize productivity, so you and your kids can easily satisfy your respective deliverables.
Mind your ventilation and lighting.
It’s almost next to impossible to become productive in an environment that lacks proper ventilation and lighting. Just imagine trying to finish your office deadline while constantly wiping away sweat dripping from your forehead due to poor cooling inside your home office. You should also try picturing your kids struggling to work on their school projects because the lights are flickering or too weak to give proper illumination.
As such, be sure to maintain excellent ventilation and lighting conditions in your home office and learning hub. You might need to hire a professional HVAC and electrical contractor to take care of the installation and maintenance tasks, but it will surely be worth your money.
Invest in the right gadgets and peripherals.
Distance learning and remote work demand some tech tools to guarantee a smooth workflow each time. Among the most basic tech gadgets you should have are laptops or desktops, tablets or smartphones, and a WiFi modem with fast internet. Depending on the types of work that you do or school tasks your kids work on, you might also need a fax machine, plus a printer-scanner-copier.
Aside from the main gadgets that you have, you should also consider having backups, like a tablet for the laptop you use or pocket WiFi for your main WiFi modem. This ensures continuity of work and learning in case your main devices encounter a technical problem.
Remove distractions.
If your dedicated spot at home takes in too much noise from the streets or your next-door neighbors, you can’t expect to maintain your focus and stay productive. You can avoid this by soundproofing your home using cost-efficient materials. You don’t need to hire a professional for this since you can do it yourself by following these steps.
Meanwhile, if there are other distractions inside your hub such as loud music or a TV set, you should get rid of them. You can play music but you should not turn up the volume; better yet, just use a headphone so others in the room won’t get distracted.
Consider some relaxing interior add-ons.
If you want to feel relaxed while working and your kids while studying, you can simply buy some inexpensive items and put them in your remote work and learning area. Among these relaxing items are essential oils (plus a diffuser), a mini water feature (such as a pondless waterfall), and some potted indoor plants.
All of these items are proven to have a calming, therapeutic effect on people. By investing in them, you’ll be in the perfect mood and groove as your family works and studies together, so everyone will be as productive as possible.
Working and studying from home need not be stressful and hard. With these five tricks, you and your kids will be in your best elements to hit your deliverables and thrive amid the pandemic.
