You didn’t move to the mountains because you hate winter. Both Banff and Canmore come alive during the colder months with events.
Remote and hybrid work exploded during the pandemic, but its effectiveness across various industries has continued this reality for many workers. This has allowed people to live further from their physical place of work, including moving to scenic locations like the Bow Valley. The key to a successful work-from-home situation is creating a space in your home where you can actually work. Here are some great ways to create a home office, so you can focus and get the job done.
1) Dedicate Space for a Home Office
A dedicated spare bedroom is an ideal home office, but with the tight living spaces in the Bow Valley, that may not be possible. Repurposing a closet may be a solution, or even setting up a garage office if there’s one attached to your home, but most often spaces are going to have to serve more than one function. Maybe the kitchen will double as an office, or a corner of the living room will have to serve as your work space. This doesn’t mean you can’t be effective, but it does help to dedicate part of this space as an office once its set up for the day.
2) Find Multi-Functional Furniture
If your space is your living room, kitchen, or bedroom, you might need to get furniture that doubles as both living furniture and working furniture. A coffee table with built in storage can be a desk while working, and have a convenient place to keep your computer, files, and other work things when you’re relaxing at the end of the day. An island in the kitchen can be a great space to work, and if it’s on wheels, you can put it in a productive space during the day, and back in the kitchen at night.
3) Consider a Divider
Maybe you need more separation to create a work-life balance? Even without enough space to dedicate a separate room, a screen divider or shower curtain can be a quick way to section off some space during the workday, and they can block home triggers like your bed or kitchen or TV. A screen can also be folded up and put away when it’s time to live in the space. These can also make a great, neutral background for zoom meetings too, in case you forget to update your filter.
4) Clean Up Your Space
No matter where you decide to put your home office, it’s a great excuse to do some purging and de-cluttering. Maybe it’s time to donate some old clothing to a good cause? Or maybe your outdoor gear needs a good audit before packing it away for another season? Clearing and organizing your space will make everything seem bigger, and it might inspire some home office potential that you didn’t initially see.
