Let’s face it – we have all been burdened with so many challenges in the last few months and preparing for vast changes as we gear up to enter a new school year. For one thing, many of us find ourselves both working and educating from home and struggling with how to balance both work and homeschooling. Need more tips for working at home without building an office or trying to share your kitchen table? I’m happy to be sharing tips for not just working at home but also for sharing space with your family and creating venues for as much quality as your home can accommodate at-home education.

How to manage working from home and homeschooling

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a dedicated office space like my client’s sweet office above? It gives me so much office envy! Just like with this office set-up, sometimes how you arrange your spaces can help you cope better and keep all of our materials in their rightful place. Today I’ll show you some of my solutions for clients’ home work (and homework). You may not be remodeling immediately, but I’ll give you some takeaway ideas for sharing spaces at home fit for both at-home work and school work friendly options.

How to make a comfortable work space with little space

First, here’s my breakfast nook with mini office alcove. Could you turn your own space-sharing into a positive by using a similar arrangement? The kids could do schoolwork on the table while you supervise them and complete your own work tasks nearby.

Or you could reverse that (with a couple more degrees of separation!) with you at the table…

…while your student works at the built-in desk across the room. You can still (ahem) monitor the monitor.

Practical ways to use little space for a comfortable work space

1.  Turn wasted space into a homework station – This client used extra space in the master suite for a work station
2. Put a desk area in their room with great lighting and fun decor elements that makes it feel like “theirs”
3. If using a common area like a table, put the supplies in a caddy or a dedicated space that makes it easy to move it when needed.

How to handle kids while working at home

For little people, even a table and chairs in a bedroom would provide a dedicated spot for lessons or kid play…

…while you work elsewhere in the house. No home office? A dedicated bedroom corner will do, too!

This photo is of a bedroom we designed to create a fun play area, but this could easily duplicate as a work and play area that let’s the kids feel more relaxed and enjoy their environment. How would you use this fun space?

WHY A DEDICATED WORK SPACE?

1. You train yourself to shift into WORK mode when you go to that spot.
2.  You train your household to recognize that you are WORKING when you are in that spot and to hopefully disturb you less (unless there’s blood).
3. Your WORK supplies are gathered in one spot so that you can make the most of the time you spend there.

For the kids, a dedicated study corner keeps focus on lessons when it’s lesson time, but converts to craft space when school is done.

In a playroom, a desk setup is great for now, and for homework when school is back in session. Don’t you love this playroom we created for this client? Not only does the desk multi-task for play and schooling, but the window nook pairs really well for reading and story time.

One final thought.  Is there an underused spot in your home you could convert to needed work or study space? Consider, for example, a nook or closet conversion.

Or a re-purposed under-stair hideaway. (For the kids, not for you!)

As cute and fun as it is, no locking the kids in while you work.

Is working at home better for you?