Joy At Work
As we make our way into the warmer months of summer, we are coming close to three months following the Stay Home order. The other day I heard a great comment that got me thinking about our “new normal”. So here it goes: “remember you are not just working at home, you are working at home through a pandemic, and all the life stresses that this adds is significant.” Let this sink in… This is an extraordinary time, be gentle with yourself, and those around you, and it will soon pass into a new normal.
I hope you are all healthy and mindful of your mental well-being during this crazy moment. Being in client homes helping them to apply the KonMari Method™ to their lives is something I truly miss. For those that have completed their tidying festivals, I hope you are experiencing the benefit of being #konmaristrong and honing your skills of maintaining the method. Most importantly, I hope it’s helped you find joy in your home now that you are there full-time.
Lately, I have been enjoying Marie and Scott’s new book, Joy at Work, and it seems to have come at a perfect time for us all to reconsider what we need to create as our work environment. Whether it is a work environment for assisting your younger children with their online learning or your own work projects, this book has something for everyone to learn and expand on. Finding an optimal place to work at home is key. Since you all have been at this for several weeks now, I hope you have found a good spot that works for you.
Being a professional organizer, I myself have been making adjustments over the past week, discovering new and improved ways I can create an ideal workspace for example. At first, my work station was our dining room table. It is a beautiful room with good lighting, airflow from the backyard, and initially, I thought it would be a perfect alternative to the kitchen counter which I used to use. I didn't consider that I usually was working from home alone… now I realized the kitchen was definitely not going to work anymore.
The dining room option was good, but over time I realized that it was too exposed to the greater areas of the house. I could hear other family members on their calls. Chez Grodem is currently at capacity with my husband working from home, two high school seniors, a college student, and recent grad all trying their best to be present to their own work and studying duties. Needless to say, the dining room location was too exposed as I had no idea how much activity really goes on with the sounds and smells of each person's snack and meal preparations. So, I decided to pivot and make a work station in my bedroom, which has become a peaceful secluded option especially for zoom calls and focused time. I now look forward to reporting to my desk and getting the day started, so it seems that I have found a new place to experience Joy at Work.
In my example here, I moved across my home finding my ideal workspace. It took a couple of attempts before I settled in my bedroom. I encourage all of you to also keep working on where you want your workstation to be. Keep trying different corners of your room and rearranging your furniture to get it just right for you. Use available resources at your disposal like blogs (like mine!), social media, virtual assistance, and books including Joy at Work.
If you are having difficulty finding a suitable workspace in your home, let me know and I'll be happy to FaceTime chat and help you figure out how to carve out a space that can work for you until we go back to our new normal. Virtual lessons have been fun with clients who want to continue to tackle KonMari categories. A few of my recent sessions covered stationary, gift wrapping supplies, pantries, new workout equipment, and gardening supplies.
If you have any questions or need assistance embarking on your “Joy at Work”, feel free to email me directly at jane.grodem@gmail.com!
