Most of us find it hard to switch off at the end of a working day, but working from home can make that line feel almost invisible.
The pandemic may have kicked the door open for remote work, but hybrid and home-based working are now part of normal life for many of us. And while there are definite perks — no commute, comfier clothes, better access to your own fridge — there is also the tiny issue of your laptop staring at you from the corner of the room at 8 p.m.
Having a stress-free zone away from your home office, plus a bedroom that actually feels restful, can make a real difference. Here’s how to make working from home feel a little less like living at work.
When you travel into an office, there is usually a built-in transition between work and home. You shut down, leave the building, walk to the car or catch the train, and somewhere along the way your brain gets the memo that the workday is over.
At home, that transition can disappear. To reduce stress and anxiety, having some kind of work-life balance is key — even when your “office” is also your dining table.
Try to create an area that is just for working and does not take over the rest of your home. That might be a proper home office, a desk in the spare room, or even one corner of a room separated with a screen, bookshelf or potted plants.
Not everyone has the luxury of an extra room, and that is fine. The important part is giving your brain a clear signal that this space has a job, and that job is not also “relax here while thinking about tomorrow’s emails.”
Research on working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic found that home working could affect physical and mental well-being, especially when boundaries, workspace and routines were not well managed. In other words, the setup matters.
There’s lots of inspiration out there to help make your home office more stylish and stress-free too, if you need a little nudge in the right direction. But truly, it does not need to look like a Pinterest board to work well.
Tight on space or using the same area for work and everything else?
Make sure to tidy away once you’ve finished your working day, so you don’t have reminders of work sitting there while you are trying to rest and recover.
Sticking to a routine can help you distinguish your home life from your work life. Sounds simple, and a little boring, but boring is sometimes exactly what the nervous system ordered.
Having a set time to wake up, start work and finish work can stop the day from stretching into one very long blur. It can also deter you from working late or starting unreasonably early just to “get ahead,” which may lead to an unhealthy relationship between your mental health, work and home.
As noted in research on psychological detachment from work, mentally switching off during non-work time is an important part of recovery. Translation: closing the laptop is good, but closing the laptop and then mentally rewriting emails in your head all night is not quite the same thing.
One thing that can help is creating a short “fake commute” at the end of your workday. Take a walk around the block, stretch for ten minutes, make a cup of tea, or do anything that tells your brain, “We are done now.”
You should also be able to enjoy your evenings without dragging work worries into every corner of them. Set aside time in your daily or weekly routine for something relaxing, enjoyable or completely unrelated to your job, such as:
When it’s something you can fully immerse yourself in, or where you can get lost in the moment, it can help your mind step away from work.
This is the part many of us do not love, because it means admitting that checking one tiny email at night rarely stays tiny. One email becomes three, three becomes a task list, and suddenly you are mentally back at your desk while sitting on the sofa.
The American Psychological Association notes that work stress can affect mental and physical health, including sleep, mood and overall well-being. Being available all the time does not make you better at your job; it often just makes you more tired.
Try turning off non-essential work notifications after hours, or at least setting a “do not disturb” window. Better yet, keep work apps off your personal phone if your role allows it.
It also helps to end the day by writing down what is done, what needs attention tomorrow and what can wait. I know, not exactly glamorous, but there is something very satisfying about moving tomorrow’s problems onto tomorrow’s list.
Once you have finished work, creating a calming environment can make it easier to relax and also help when you are trying to go to sleep. Your home does not need to become a spa, although I would not complain if someone handed me a robe and cucumber water.
Start by changing the mood of the room after work. Clear away papers, close the laptop, dim the lights, or move into a different space if you can.
Try to avoid too much bright light later in the evening, as light exposure can interfere with the body’s natural sleep-wake rhythm. The Sleep Foundation highlights the importance of a comfortable, quiet, dark bedroom environment for better sleep.
Lighting a scented candle can create a softer atmosphere, and it may also bring in a pleasant, fresh aroma such as lavender. Just remember to blow it out before bed — relaxation is the goal, not a 2 a.m. panic.
Keeping noise to a minimum is also an important part of creating a positive, stress-free zone, especially if your brain needs a little encouragement to slow down.
Try listening to soothing sounds through an app on your phone or online. Rain, ocean waves, gentle music or brown noise can all be useful, and headphones can help if the rest of your home is not exactly giving peaceful retreat.
Working from home can seriously reduce how much you naturally move in a day. No walk to the train, no stairs to the office, no stroll to a colleague’s desk — just you, your chair and perhaps far too many trips to the kettle.
Movement can help create a mental break between work and home time. It does not need to be intense, and it certainly does not have to involve burpees, unless that is your thing, in which case we are very different people.
A short walk, gentle yoga, stretching or a quick tidy-up can all help discharge some of the stress that builds during the day. The CDC recommends adults aim for regular physical activity, including aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening activities, but even small movement breaks can be a good place to start.
To feel fully functioning the next day, and to help reduce anxiety and stress, getting enough sleep matters. Not in a “sleep fixes everything” kind of way, but in a “life is much harder when you are exhausted” kind of way.
Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night, as stated by the CDC’s sleep guidance. Yet when work and home life blend together, bedtime can easily get pushed later and later.
Your bedroom and the bed itself can have a huge impact on how easy it feels to unwind. Ideally, your bedroom should not feel like an extension of your office, even if your laptop occasionally tries to sneak in there.
Your bedding also plays an important role in how comfortable you feel and may help you settle into a better night’s sleep. A high-quality, luxury bedding set can make a bed feel cosy and inviting, and breathable fabrics may also help regulate temperature during the night.
Colour can also affect the mood of the room, especially in the place where you relax the most. Shades of green, with their association with nature, can evoke a sense of rest and calm.
Try a bedroom colour palette of greens, aqua and duck egg to create a more serene feel at the end of the day. Add soft lighting, comfortable bedding and fewer work reminders, and you are already giving yourself a better chance of switching off.
Switching off after working from home is not always easy, especially when your home and office are sharing the same Wi-Fi, walls and coffee mugs. But small boundaries — a designated workspace, a routine, fewer notifications, a calming evening atmosphere and better sleep habits — can add up.
More importantly, you do not need to get it perfect. Just start by giving your workday a clear ending, because even when you work from home, you still deserve to come home from work.
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