As we enter 2022 with the coronavirus continuing its treacherous path – many of our returns to the workplace are delayed yet again. Some of us are back in a reduced capacity – two or three days a week – but many of us won’t return at all.
So if we’re staying at home, why would we need a private office pod like those offered by Zenbooth?
Let’s explore.
Space for work is extremely important for mental stability and productivity
When it comes to productivity, location is everything. According to a British study, “employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are not only happier and healthier -- they're also up to 32% more productive.”
Taking control of our workspace gives us a sense of meaning and purpose – which is why it’s so important to have a delegated space to get into “work mode.”
A quiet office pod provides the exact type of area you need. Plus they’re portable and easy to assemble or disassemble if you change your mind about its location. The booths also plug into nearby outlets so you can charge your phone or computer while you work.
Having a main place for getting things done – even if it’s a few feet away from where you sleep, eat, hang out, etc, is enough. Our brains are coy, and building good habits is the best way to give ourselves freedom to create what we want to create.
It also allows us to go to a place where physical items from home are not in our line of sight, which can pull our attention into the past or future immediately. I.e. if you see a piece of clothing you forgot to put away, or a magazine or a book, your thought process can be quickly hijacked in the same way it is when your phone dings with an unhelpful notification.
And while a routine can make our emotional or personal lives boring, studies consistently show that having a routine (working in the same place, at the same time each day) improves stress levels and productivity.
Work tasks inevitably change every day – so if your space does, too – it can soon get overwhelming. The National Geographic states that repetition is associated with importance in our brains.
Plus, when the habit becomes automatic, we then give our brains space to focus on the actual work at hand. “Eliminating the need to constantly make decisions about a particular set of activities reduces cognitive load,” clinical neurologist Daryaneh Badaly says.
Your work from home space shouldn’t be your bedroom or communal space.
Working from bed can create sleep issues – physically and emotionally. Working from bed is bad for your back and posture – your spine is curved and shoulders hunched – which will affect your productivity.
Plus, when your bed becomes a work space, you’re training your brain to be thinking about work there in the morning and evenings, which means bed no longer equals rest. It’ll be harder to shut off at the end of the day, which can lead to insomnia.
Working in the dining room or kitchen does the same thing – what is known as a communal space is now being used for work. So instead of allowing yourself time to sit, eat, drink water, rest – you’re bringing all of the mental baggage and stress from your day job into the room.
Professionalism and control over zoom meetings
The neutral backgrounds of a Zenbooth – plus the ability to customize it as you see fit is also appealing and helpful in our current climate, where most of what we’re seeing of each other is a little box on zoom.
I speak from experience when I say it can be extremely jarring when people comment on my changing zoom background (depending on where I’m able to work in my home.) When I change locations, the lighting shifts, too, and occasionally, due to my roommates, I find myself in an area with a less than ideal background – or with someone coming in and out.
This is distracting not only for my colleagues but for my mental health/anxiety about how I’m being perceived.
Designing your own space gives you autonomy, which empowers you to do your best work. Dr. Craig Knight from the University of Execter did a survey of 2,000 workers that assessed levels of control over their offices/workspace.
Results “consistently showed that the more control people had over their office spaces, the happier and more motivated they were in their jobs. They felt physically more comfortable at work, identified more with their employers, and felt more positive about their jobs in general.”
Not to mention, with a privacy booth like the Zenbooth Solo, Duo, or Quad… I have complete control over my environment for meetings, which reduces stress and allows me to use my brain power on the meeting at hand rather than worrying about professionalism or appearance.
And this might’ve sounded silly a year ago, but after 18 months of hybrid working environments and zoom meetings, we all understand now how easy it is to become focused on what the lighting is doing, how your background or hair looks, or what people are wondering about your significant other as they sneak behind you to grab an extra cup of coffee!
To learn more about our Zenbooths get in touch with us here.
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