Creating A WFH Sanctuary: Step 1
Before we begin, full disclosure- every time I read WFH, I actually read WTF.
My brain is not accepting new acronyms at this time.
Maybe replacing WFH with WTF is more accurate right now?
Anyway, let's start working on that WFH sanctuary to protect you from all the WTF happening outside your doors.
Step 1: Dedicate Some Space to YOU.
Find a great spot and call it yours cuz we’re gonna make it special just for you!
Is your computer located in a room that you even want to be in? If it isn't, IS there a room you can move to that would be better? Preferably one with lots of natural light?
If so, unplug and move! Act like your life depends on it because right now, it kinda does. Especially if you’re sharing space with anyone that is also working from home. That can get really messy really fast.
Move furniture from other rooms if you need to.
You're much less likely to lose your marbles if you put yourself in a spot with lots of natural light. Preferably facing South or Southwest so that you can see and feel the sunshine when it decides to bestow it's rays upon us.
My office windows face South and West. Before all of this craziness I was spoiled and reacted to the sun like a vampire but now I press my face against the glass and hug the sunshine and beg it to never leave me!
I don't know about you, but I need all the Vitamin D I can get to keep my spirits high and all the icky-scaries away.
Keeping the shades open can keep the indoor angst at bay. Staying connected with the outside world will help you forget that you're mostly stuck in a limited inside world.
If you're in a space that doesn't get much sun…Add your own!
The color yellow is excellent at tricking your brain into thinking it's seeing sunshine. Pretty sure that's why Mother Nature invented it. She knew we were all gonna lose our minds if we didn't get enough sunshine so she created the next best thing…Yellow.
The best shades of yellow come from nature herself…
Our faces will be blooming smiles like these daffodils in no time! Running down the street, hugging strangers, kissing random dogs, and popping our heads into all the finally reopened stores like The Beatles singing "HELLO HELLOOOO!!!" and it will be the BEST THING EVER!
The second best form of yellow is found on beautiful and witty book covers.
Especially, The Upside of Being Down by one of our favorite WW, Jen Gotch, founder of ban.do and advocate for mental health and emotional well being.
We think her hilariously raw book came out just in time to help us all survive this thing and maybe even come out mentally and emotionally stronger!
Jen’s not afraid to tell us the messy truth about being an entrepreneur and all that goes into establishing a brand that encourages joy and personal growth. That’s why she’s one of our favorite sheros!
She was one of the very first women on social media to declare publicly that “It’s okay to not always be okay”. That took major guts. That’s why we love her guts! Spilling her truth opened doors for so many others to do the same and that’s just down right beautiful.
Being open about our struggles turns them into gifts that help others…
We can all use a few gifts right about now.
Don't have anything yellow?
How about gold?
Similar color with very similar, happy side effects.
Like this frame holding my daughter’s portrait of a happy potato family.
Happy potato family says:
“Wash your hands!”
(How would they know anything about washing hands???)
P.S. A few yellow accents here and there will do the trick. While yellow is a super happy color, it's also considered the most fatiguing color of the spectrum. That doesn't mean yellow will make you feel tired. It just means that the little cone-thingies inside your eyeballs that perceive color will get tired really fast if they’re focused on the color yellow for too long. Too much bright yellow can lead to eyeball fatigue and eyeball fatigue might leave you feeling irritated and over stimulated. Over stimulation = sanctuary violation.
Keep the yellow to a minimum for maximum impact!
We hope that Step 1 will get you one step closer to a more sane and happy WFH space!
Stay tuned! Step 2 is coming in a just a couple short days! You won’t want to miss this once in a lifetime* opportunity where I admit to doing something that I once made fun of.
*This actually happens a lot. Just ask Megan.