Covid 19 coronavirus: Kristin Macfarlane separates work from home in lockdown

Separating work from home while working from home. Photo / Getty Images

For those lucky enough to still have work in the lockdown the once infrequent task of working from home has become a normal reality for many.

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New Zealand has entered a state of emergency and Covid-19 alert level 4, meaning apart from those working in frontline essential service industries, we're now required to live in complete lockdown.

We shouldn't be leaving our homes or communities unless we need essential services such as food from dairies or supermarkets, or healthcare. This means the ultimate in bringing work home with you for others not on the frontline, journalists included.

But if you're like me, there needs to be some level of separation between home and work to be productive in either setting. In my case, that means taking steps to trick my mind into believing the two – even though they've merged – do not clash.

The mug I use for my morning work coffee does not match the set in my home.

My lunch is pre-packed and sits in the fridge in a storage container – as it would in a fridge at work.

If I listen to music, it's through headphones and not on a speaker, just like I would at work.

My desk faces a wall, with my back towards anything in my home.

I do my hair and face and get changed into work clothes, albeit with a more "casual Friday" approach.

These steps allow me to fully focus on work, in work time, even if it's from home.

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I've done the same for my children. They have their own (very small) dedicated learning space, a packed lunchbox and drink bottle like they would for school, and a list of educational tasks and physical activities they have to complete before they can head back to their "home space" for some free time aka PlayStation games and Tik Tok.

Their tasks also help my working from home because without them, I'd be dealing with children wanting my attention.

As we face a new reality, it's important we find what works for each of us to get us through these uncertain times. If you have a job you are juggling with home life, it's something to be thankful for in our current economic climate because it's probably a 'problem' some would prefer to be dealing with.

Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website