The #1 Thing You Need To Know When Creating A Home Office In A Shared Space

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The rise in remote work has led to an ever-increasing demand for home offices. However, not everyone has the luxury of dedicating an entire room to a place where they can work uninterrupted. Plus, in many households, more than one person may work from home, which means they now have to share an already shared space. Yikes!

Sharing an office is challenging since you don’t have total control over your work environment. You’ll likely deal with endless interruptions, distractions, and background noise if you don’t take the time to put certain safeguards in place, dampening productivity and sidetracking your goals. Whether you share a desk with your spouse or need to carve out a home office setup in your bustling kitchen, here’s the number one thing you must know about having a home office in a shared space.

1. Choose Your Office Location Wisely

When setting up a home office in a shared space, do your best to choose the least frequented area of the room. For example, if you must set up your workspace in the kitchen, consider the possibility of a small desk in the corner, instead of using the kitchen table. This simple adjustment eliminates the need to clear all of your work stuff every time your family sits down to a meal. Another suggestion to limit distractions is to face your work surface away from the main part of the room or others.

2. Set A Defined Work Schedule

It’s hard for other members of the household or people who share your workspace to honor your privacy if you’re jumping in and out of work mode whenever you feel like it. Create a defined schedule for when you go to work, take breaks, and end work for the day. A clear schedule helps others identify when they have the all-clear to move freely in the space, and it also helps you draw a line between work and personal life.

3. Add Privacy With Shelves, Curtains, Or Screens

Set up a standing screen between your work zone and others in the space. A screen provides an easy, portable privacy option when you need to keep an office area flexible. If you desire a more permanent solution, hang curtains or create a divider wall out of bookcases to add privacy and storage. Place two sets of shelves back to back, with one side facing your work zone and the other side facing your partner’s work space or the rest of the room.

4. Stay Consistent

If you must share your home office with others, consistency is critical to keep everything running smoothly.  Following a schedule is excellent, but only if you stick with it. When you start work promptly every day at 8 am, it leaves no room for doubt or what-ifs to others using the space.

5. Have Clear Transitions Between Work And Personal Life

When you’re working, only work, and when your schedule says it’s time to wrap things up for the day, stop. Don’t call your friend to chat during work hours, and don’t reply to business emails when you’re in bed at night. These boundaries are important for your well-being, but they also provide a clear delineation between work and play to others.

6. Dress For Work

The idea of staying in your pajamas is extremely attractive to a lot of people. Imagine getting to kick back in your PJs all day as you click away at expense reports and data sheets. However, psychologically, dressing for work, even if you’re simply walking a few feet into your dining room, helps boost productivity. Changing clothes also provides a visual cue to others that you’re currently “at work.”

7. Don’t Do Chores During Work Hours

It’s hard to resist multitasking when you work from home. The idea of all the laundry folded and dishes put away when you’re finished with the workday sounds appealing. However, doing chores while working hinders your overall performance. It also gives others in the home the impression that you’re free, signaling to them it’s a good time to chat, ask you for help, or turn on the TV.

8. Create Zones For Multiple People

Even in a shared work environment, it’s essential to have your own space to keep your papers, thoughts, and supplies organized. Discuss the room layout with anyone who’ll be using it to determine the most effective design for everyone involved. Depending on the size of the space, you might divide the room into zones using screens, or a small space may restrict you to a simple double-sided desk.

9. Keep Your Work Space Organized

No matter where your home office is and how many people you share it with, staying organized is vital. Organization improves your productivity, but it also makes it much easier to switch between office and home mode. If you’re using a space that frequently needs to flip between work and personal life, consider a portable storage solution, like a rolling cart.

10. Post Your Work Schedule Where Everyone Can See It

Don’t expect people to remember when you plan to start and end work each day or when you have a critical Zoom meeting that requires absolutely no interruptions. Once you come up with a schedule that works for you and everyone in the home, post it where everyone can see it. If other people work in the home office, a visible agenda is especially important so you don’t schedule conference calls or meetings at the same time.

11. Include Defined Breaks On Your Schedule

Distractions are inevitable when you work from home. Even when you work in a traditional office, you’re likely to become distracted now and then. However, depending on your home life situation, it could be even more challenging to keep your focus, especially if you have young children. To help accommodate everyone’s needs and maintain your focus as much as possible, include designated breaks on your schedule. Let everyone know if they need you; please wait as much as possible for one of the breaks.

12. Make Sure Everyone In The House Is On The Same Page

None of these tips will work if you don’t ensure that everyone in the house is on the same page when it comes to the home office. It doesn’t matter if you’re the only one who works from home or if someone else works with you, or whether your office is in the kitchen or a spare bedroom. When you create a home office in a shared space, everybody needs to be on board with the plan. Everyone in the home has to define and agree to the terms, schedule, and boundaries.