Month: March 2020

Bringing The Outside In During COVID-19

Space Plus Blog

With the recently mandated closures of most businesses across the globe, many are left without classrooms to teach in, restaurants to dine in, gyms to workout at, and offices to work from. The self-isolationism of the Coronavirus pandemic is a side effect that has left our economy in shambles and has thoroughly altered everyone’s daily routines and ability to work. Even for those lucky enough to work on computers or continue making artwork form home, sometimes the unavoidable distractions of homelife (especially for those with restless children) is enough to stifle creativity and concentration.

Without access to a quiet, secluded office sanctuary to work from, most freelancers are (understandably) having a very difficult time maintaining productivity. Amounting less billable hours while working twice as long can often mean working ten or twelve hours a day, while only billing for six or eight. For others, the inconvenience of not having a gym to go to or a beach to access has resulted in lethargy, loss of muscle, weight gains, psychological distress, and overall physical stress for those who rely on gyms and the outdoors to maintain positive health. So, if you’re among those affected by the isolating shelter-in place mandates, you’re not alone. We’ve come up with a few healthy and sustainable solutions to integrate into your home and infuse into your lifestyle to ensure you make the most of your days during this all-encompassing crisis.

Bring Your Office Home

Within the past few weeks, once corona virus cases reached uncomfortable numbers across the States, almost all office buildings were temporarily closed, forcing most workers to either lose out on wages or attempt the tricky task of working from home. Computer work is not easy- regardless of profession, it can be exceptionally difficult to focus on a screen for eight or so hours a day, not taking into account the mental impact experienced during these scary times. Now add in the comforts of home, the many enticing distractions, the dog needing a good walk, and the children or roommates that want your attention. Considering all of the interferences, its a wonder how people get any work done from home. If you’re looking for a way to create a bit of spacial distinction in your home during the next month or so, consider installing glass wall partitions as a way to craft a temporary office enclosure. These wall partitions make for fantastic home offices in any house, no matter the size. With a plethora of customizable options, varying glass opacities, and accessories choices, you can design the perfect office that not only works for you but also integrates flawlessly into your existing home. With no major construction needed, these glass walls are easy to set up and take down in a matter of hours. Perfect for the current and unknown state of affairs, these office room dividers can be moved or dissembled depending on these extenuating circumstances.

The Ultimate Home Gym

Many of us are already starting to feel unhealthy during this global pandemic. With government-mandated quarantine efforts and strict home isolation mandates, it has become increasingly more difficult to retain a healthy lifestyle, including an adequate amount of sun exposure, fresh air, physical exercise, and mindful eating habits. Basically any sense of day to day normalcy went out the door when we were asked to stay at home for the majority of our waking hours. For most, access to gyms, hiking trails, yoga studios, and other such physical outlets is an integral part of life, one that helps create balance, reduce stress, improve mental health, and of course, maintain our physical well-being. A lot of people don’t have the much-needed privacy apart from their families or friends to enjoy a solid workout, stretch, or have a yoga session. Being unable to enjoy the many benefits of a physical routine is the last thing we need during this time. We should be utilizing these healthy tools to help us cope mentally, to aid in our stress management, and to help make us more resilient to illness. So, we’ve come up with a few helpful ways to integrate that special space into any home, regardless of size.

Replace your bedroom closets with sliding glass mirror doors to create a workout room in your own bedroom, when you don’t have extra floor space within your house.
Buy a set of weights, lay out your yoga mat, invest in a door hung pull up bar, stretch bands, jump ropes, and any other simple yet effective exercise equipment you may need
Install a sliding door room divider into your room or shared home space to craft a totally separate workout zone within your house.
Turn a part of your backyard into a circuit zone, or an obstacle course of sorts. This could double as an outlet for young ones to release some pent up energy while you get in a good workout, all while enjoying some fresh air together!

By integrating some of these cost-effective, quick and breezy solutions into your home, you can finally enjoy the much-needed space and tranquility you deserve during these unprecedented times. To craft your ideal workspace, home gym, or hobby room from the comfort of your home, simply visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company for ideas and inspiration. Get a quote from one of our professionals to begin the transformation today.

Ingredients For A Productive Work Day

Space Plus Blog

With most of us transitioning our work from the office to our homes the next couple weeks or even months, many have already found a challenge in simply getting a solid eight-hour workday in amongst the chaos and confusion of our current moment. Especially for those who live with other family members or children or other roommates, it can be hard to find a healthy work-life balance that feels well rounded, yet also productive. Many are currently struggling with working more hours, for less billable time. Fewer hours are being clocked, yet it feels like the entire day is taken up with work. Many are experiencing a diminished capacity right now to concentrate and be productive and inventive, and it has significantly affected our daily schedules.

Because we’re not used to creating our own schedule, there’s a lot of transitional and spillover time throughout our day, yet we’re not necessarily using it wisely. It can be difficult to find the time to simply go on a walk or get in much-needed exercise for the day amid trying to complete as much work as possible. One of the biggest problems that people are facing right now is finding a quiet and productive workspace in which they can settle into and cultivate work. The secret to actually creating a productive workday from home lies in the individual developing a well-rounded health-centered lifestyle. This means starting early, getting enough sleep, securing the time to exercise, having a good work environment and taking breaks when you need them. Below are a few ways to effectively create balance in your workday even through these unprecedented times.

Start Early

One of the best ways to get a head start on the workday is to set a schedule much like you would set during your normal routine as if you were going to the office. Wake up early, make your coffee, settle into the morning without having to rush and scramble to sit down at the computer right when you need to. Use an hour or two in the morning when everyone else is asleep to do the things that will help make you feel your best and to be able to sustain energy throughout the day. Stretch, take the dog for a walk, wash your face, have a coffee, eat some food and psych yourself up for the ensuing hours of concentration ahead. By starting early you can end your day before 5 or 6 and still have the evening to relax, spend time with family, play games or go on a run. This balance is super important and it’s also crucial to get into bed before it’s too late so that you’re getting enough sleep.

Physical Exercise

During stressful times, the first thing that tends to go is our willingness to exercise and respect for our physical being. While understandable, this is perhaps the most important facet keeping us all together and maintaining a balanced lifestyle that we need more than ever right now. It can be difficult to set aside time during the workday even under normal circumstances to get to the gym or go on a run from your house. However, at this moment it’s increasingly more important to give yourself that time to feel good in your body to engage in some heavy breathing and to cut out a solid chunk of time that is just for yourself. When we commit to a work day we are giving up our time to our company and our bosses and a lot of the time it can feel like it’s not our time. So, during your workday, it is key to make sure that you are getting outside to go for a walk or run and knowing that the time is reserved solely for you. It’s also a really great time to mentally reset and clear the mind. Returning to work after a healthy walk is sometimes the best way to feel productive and fresh.

Craft A Work Sanctuary

Although it can be difficult to imagine an office within your bustling home environment, it will make all the difference if you can create a safe and quiet place to lean into your work. Start by designing your temporary office layout. Perhaps you’re one of the lucky ones who has a spare guest bedroom you can turn into a home office. Though if it’s a living room that you have available, consider ordering glass wall partitions to create an at-home cubicle with office room dividers or room divider with doors that will give you enough spatial separation from the rest of the house (and family) to be able to detach and concentrate. Another solution is installing sliding glass doors, that can be either left open for when you’re not working or closed and even locked for those grueling hours when you really need to shut out the outside world. Filling your home office with things that spark joy will also help make you feel at home in your work sanctuary. Bring some plants into your home office to give yourself some fresh air and relaxing greenery. Natural light will also really help bring life into the area, so another benefit of having a glass sliding door room divider is that they allow for the flow of natural light. Consider bringing a diffuser into your space to again freshen up the atmosphere and help you breathe easy.

Breaks and Breath

It’s important to give yourself the gift of rest. Take breaks throughout your work day when needed, the most important thing during this time is to listen to your body and your higher self and make sure that your needs are being met. Don’t try to push through even while uncomfortable as it will only backfire down the road. Creating a healthy work/life balance is key in getting through these troubling times. Remember to breathe throughout your day. Maintaining inner chi is heavily dependent on your willingness to breathe deeply and consciously.

Draw upon more tips and inspiration by visiting the Space Plus online and get started creating your ideal home office today! Make the move towards crafting a desirable workspace, and visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company. Get a quote from one of our professionals to begin the transformation.

Tips on How to Flourish During The Workday

Space Plus Blog

We’ve all been there; tired, stressed, overworked and mentally exhausted during your workday. You glance over at the clock and your fears were correct, it’s not even close to 5 o’clock and you are far from finishing your daily tasks. Why is it you find yourself so spent day after day at the office? Perhaps it’s easily attributed to poor quality of sleep. Or maybe it’s because you aren’t living your work life as authentically and ambitiously as you could. Well, fear not, for we come bearing positive news. There are a number of healthy lifestyle choices, mental exercises and flourishes you can employ into your 9-5 to keep you jazzed, increase your quality of life, and make some serious headway on those all-consuming deadlines you’ve been running from. Read on for the secrets to flourishing during your (once dreaded) workday.

Practice intentional breathing

While this may sound all too new-age for you, just consider how completely important the act of breathing is. The effect that breath has on our all-around mental and physical health is unparalleled. Though, despite the voluminous amount of findings that prove how impactful conscious breathing is on our lives, many of us tend to cast this very simple practice to the side. While at work, try to integrate mindful breathing into each hour. Start with twenty deep breaths every top of the hour. This will only take you the better half of a minute, yet the effects will generate so much lastly positivity on your whole being. Then, once you master that, increase the amount of deep breathing to 30 breaths, then forty, and so on until you reach five full minutes of deep, intentional breathing per hour. Not convinced? Try it at least twice before deciding it’s not for you.

2. Build awesome relationships with your coworkers- and your boss!

Many employees report that a big cause for unhappiness during the workday is caused by a feeling of separateness amongst their coworkers or floormates. See if you can change this lack of closeness and human connection by asking one of your team members to have lunch with you a few days a week. Just having thirty minutes to talk with and learn about someone else’s life will significantly reduce feelings of separation. You may come to find you’re not alone in these feelings of solitude.

3. Get outta that chair!

This one is super important. As humans, we were not physically (or mentally) designed to sit in a chair for eight-plus hours a day. Make a concerted effort to get up, walk around, stretch, and move your body a few minutes every hour or so. This act will get your blood pumping and flowing properly again, which will also flow to your brain and as a byproduct, increase your mental capabilities exponentially.

4. Bring the gym to you

If you don’t have a gym that you frequent after your workday, and you can’t find the time during your lunch break to get up and be active, considering bringing the gym t you. Bring weights, a yoga mat, and even an exercise ball to the office if space allows. Especially if you enjoy your own office space, why wouldn’t you want to get up and enjoy some light exercise every few hours to maintain physical health and mental wellbeing? Yoga can be the answer to stagnant blood flow, stress, work-induced anxiety, and being overwhelmed. Yoga also forces you to breathe deeply, which will check #1 off your list.

5. What’s fueling you?

It’s so important to carefully consider what you are consuming throughout your workday. While there are so many opportunities for us to make unhealthy dietary choices at work, this is where mental strength comes into play. Physicians strongly recommend packing lunch in the morning to bring to work with you. Not only with a homemade meal be a lot healthier, but it’s typically a lot cheaper and environmentally sound than ordering takeout or Grubhub every day. Try to avoid too much boredom snacking and sugary coffee drinks, as these will simply turn into stored fat as your body sits for hours and hours without being able to burn it.

6. Create an office oasis

Crafting a serene surrounding office environment will seriously brighten your daily work experience. Consider bringing in low light houseplants, art for the walls, personal photographs and knick-knacks to personalize your space. Ask management about installing a glass office door so that you don’t feel so boxed in and closed off from the outside world. Often times, office partitions aren’t very well-considered, and therefore they can tend to detract from employees’ happiness and ensuring productivity.

7. The power of thought

Though at times it can be understandably difficult, try to maintain a positive mental outlook and attitude, both internally and externally. The power of positive thought is growing more and more curiosity and testing because science is finding a direct correlation between people living longer and healthier who practice positive thought, and who surround themselves with positive people. Be that person in your office that spreads and inspires infectious positivity.

8. Stop procrastinating!

Of course, this one is easier said than done. However, procrastination can have a seriously unhealthy impact on your mental health, which then effects (you guessed it!) your physical wellbeing, too. We procrastinate for a number of reasons, ranging from fear to inability, and from insecurities right down to pure laziness. Does it ever result in a positive outcome? Nope. Cut it from your life. Procrastinating only adds drama and stress to your life- both things we’re aiming to reduce.

9. Become a sun worshipper

If at all possible, talk to your boss or management about the possibility of introducing glass walls and translucent office partitions into the open floorplan of your workspace. This will allow for so much beautiful (and necessary) natural light to free flow through the interiors and lift everyone’s spirits, boost morale and create a healthier inside environment for everyone to enjoy.

10. Crank the tunes!

This one may seem silly, but trust, this is one of the best possible ways to increase happiness, stimulate your senses and add some serious ambiance to an otherwise dull workday. Latin jazz and Cuban dance music are known to add some vibrance and flavor to the atmosphere- don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to get out of your chair and dance a few steps of salsa (before your coworkers spot you, of course).

With all of these creative solutions to enhance your mood, your physical health, and your overall working experience, you have all the wonderful ingredients to create the idyllic workday and lifestyle centered around balance week after week! Make the move towards crafting a desirable workspace, and visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company for ideas and inspiration. Get a quote from one of our professionals to begin the transformation today.

How To Be Everyone’s Favorite Co-worker

Space Plus Blog

It may sound silly, but being well-liked at work by your fellow co-workers and colleagues is like social currency. It holds immense value and can make or break potential career opportunities and relationships alike. Being a beacon of light in an otherwise dim work environment will brighten everyone’s day, foster long-lasting friendships, and boost the overall office morale. It’s not always easy showing up to work and being the very best person you can be, day in and day out regardless of your current circumstances. Of course, we’re all human and we all have hardships, nuances, and things in our personal lives that spill over into our work life, and our energetic exchanges. Yet with these helpful tips and considerations, you’ll have the foundation and tools to employ each day to become everyone’s favorite employee.

Practice Patience and Awareness

Existing in shared spaces, typically cramped ones, is not always fun. With so many different and unique personality types, energies, and stress levels, sharing close quarters can be taxing on many. What many successful co-working teams have found, is that practicing patience and compassion are the most effective tools in which to utilize when confronted with unsavory working environments. Some co-workers tend to talk a lot and distract others from their work. Using patience and a calm, thoughtful tone, politely remind them that you have deadlines and quotas to meet and that you get easily distracted by any conversation. This takes the blame and pressure off the chatty employee and simply reminds them that everyone experiences different levels of distraction while at work. Perhaps you find yourself on the phone often for your position. Practice awareness and see what your options are in lessening the burden on your surrounding co-workers. Because loud phone conversations are a distraction for many employees, consider talking to management, or your boss and suggest the installation of glass wall partitions throughout the office for calls to be taken in. These office wall partitions are essentially a room divider with door that reduces noise and creates a spatial barrier so the person engaged in the call is less of a distraction to others. These partitions help to provide visual privacy and curtail foot traffic.

There Is No Replacement For Kindness

No matter how large or small, acts of kindness go a long way. Everyone could use some more kindness in their lives, so why not be that person to spread and share it? Little gestures like smiling at your co-workers throughout the day, asking how they’re doing. Remembering personal details about their lives, their families, taking the time to check in with those around you. Bringing in food to share, or beverages every now and then could start a shift towards sharing and community within the office, that inspires others to do the same.

Being Helpful and Pragmatic

If you notice a need for something within the office, take initiative and talk with your boss about it, or bring it in yourself if resources allow. Perhaps everyone is sharing a similar feeling of separateness, or lack of energy and inspiration during the day. Notice all of the ways in which the office environment could be improved, and then go from there. A lot of people suffer from a lack of natural light during their workday. Obstructed visibility and wall cubicles can cause serious depression, anxiety, and loneliness in many employees. Perhaps talk with your building about installing light-allowing glass office dividers and sliding door room dividers to increase visibility throughout the floor plan. These will create an increased feeling of connectedness, and raise team morale.

There are all just little ways in which you can help improve everyone’s day, including your own. Start with small gestures, considerations, and thoughtfulness. Speaking up about office conditions and the life quality of your fellow employees could yield surprising results. Many times, management is just vastly unaware of issues within the system, or employee discontent until it’s brought to them. Make the move towards crafting a desirable workspace, and visit Space Plus, A Division of the Sliding Door Company for ideas and inspiration. Get a quote from one of our professionals to begin the transformation today.