If you find yourself in the situation where you are both working from home to reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus and this is not your normal setup, here are our top suggestions to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible.
Relationships on Female First
Stick to your usual working routine: Get up at the same time, shower, eat breakfast- do whatever you usually would in order to keep a sense of normality. If you change how you do things on a morning- the moment you are ready to go back into the office, you will have to relearn it all over again, which can cause clashes and arguments. Keep to what you know. You and your partner are probably like a well oiled machine now when it comes to harmonious morning habits so why break something that works fine?
Try to create separate working spaces in your home: If one of you gets the office, the other could work from the dining room or kitchen table. If you try to work in a shared workspace and haven’t before, you might distract each other, especially if one of you has to make a lot of phone calls as part of your job. This will also give you some time apart even if you are working under the same roof so there will be the same sense of coming back together once your work day is over.
Don’t feel compelled to eat lunch together: If your partner would rather work through lunch or take it at their desk, don’t be offended- remember that they need to do what works best for them and their commitments each day. Similarly, if you would rather eat your lunch on the couch while scrolling through Facebook for a well needed break- that might be better for your afternoon productivity. Do whatever works best for you but be sure to talk about what your usual routines are first so no one gets upset.
On the flipside, if you both take lunch at the same time and see no problem in sharing a bite to eat together- do it if you know your relationship won’t suffer from the extra time spent in one another’s company.
Finish at your usual time: Don’t let the fact that you are working from home be an excuse to work past five (or whenever your shift ends)- thus taking time away from your partner. Even if you are working out of the same location, your partnership still needs active nurturing rather than just physical presence. In which case, watch your programme, eat your evening meal together and have a post work chat if that is what you have always done.
Do something apart too: As would be the advice for any couples who live together, do one thing after work for yourself- some exercise, reading, watching your favourite show, a puzzle- something that is just yours and nothing to do with your partner. The strongest couples are those who maintain individual as well as shared hobbies.
Keep the discussion open: If your new working arrangement starts to cause niggles in your relationship, talk to your partner. They will have their own reservations about being in such close quarters too so make sure you nip any aggravations in the bud while you can and don’t let them grow into something that makes your new situation unbearable.
Use your usual commute time for other things: If you both have a long commute- this time is a bonus if you do everything else to the same schedule each day. In which case do something fun like have sex or make and eat a new breakfast together this will ceratinly put you in a better mood than sitting in traffic would!
For health information and advice on Coronavirus click here: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
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