The coronavirus pandemic has sent millions of workers around the world into a pandemonium of working from home. Conference calls, discussions with clients, and emails between team members are all being handled from our kitchen tables. The house pulling double duty makes for a hectic life where it can be hard to relax. We must still cook, live, and relax in the same space that has become a second office. It’s unlikely to end any time soon either, as cases keep rising. Home improvement projects during this time might seem like a no-go, but some renovations might be best served by going ahead, even while you work to navigate the pressures of office demands while sipping coffee in your pajamas.
Plan for the interruptions.
Learning how to plan multiple home improvement projects at once is a great way to minimize chaos. The responsibility of your work while at home operates as a second requirement—much like organizing work with multiple contractors at the same time—while you plan and conduct the renovation process.
Many of these renovations are naturally going to have a sense of immediacy to them, such as installing a new effective and efficient cooling system during the scorching late summer or the installation of a new appliance to replace the busted heat pump or compressor. These jobs must take precedence over all else because they affect your ability to work efficiently in your home. Planning the interruptions to your day is a great way to get these projects done while also maintaining your workload evenly throughout the day or week.
Speaking with your contractors about the time expected to complete the job can give you a good sense of the commitment required from start to finish. This way, you can schedule the work during a full day or two, or at certain hours of the day, for an extended period of time. During these hours, you can evacuate the house and take a step away from work to clear your head all at once. Go for a long lunch, or get your run in during the late morning hours while the brunt of the loud renovation work is being done. If you plan these interruptions into your schedule, you’ll be less likely to find yourself derailed and falling off track in your work as the project steams ahead.
Take vacation days during the remodel.
A home renovation can be a daunting task that takes weeks. The installer will be able to give you information on this time frame for putting in new flooring or appliances, and you may be unnerved by the answer. A great workaround for impossible focus conditions is to take your vacation time during this period of renovations. It will take less energy to relax in a new home forming around you rather than to fight it and work sporadically through the subcontractor’s drilling and hammering.
Americans are chronically bad at taking time off. Workers throughout the United States routinely forfeit around half of their days off each year. Taking advantage of these otherwise unused days can help you find some peace of mind while the renovation process goes into high gear. At the end of the break, you can get back to work in a new home complete with luxurious upgrades that you’ve had scheduled or in mind for years. A kitchen renovation or patio extension is a great way to increase your home’s value and add a new level of comfort that you’d never have thought possible.
During this time of increased stress, a home that feels brand new can help you find the energy you need to tackle that work schedule from home and still have some in the tank for all the remaining tasks that must be done around the house.
