You Made Time—Now, Make Space

October 18, 2020Insights

Somehow, you made things work. There may have been barking dogs, crying babies, and dirty dishes in the background, but you found a way, even when it seemed like there weren’t enough—yet somehow too many?—hours in the day.

2020 is what it is. And thankfully, it will soon be what it was. It’s time to start planning for 2021. Don’t be overwhelmed; you can take it one task at a time. Let’s start with something therapeutic, like your workspace.

 

Do You Need Your Company Office?

Picture yourself at work this time next year. Where might you realistically be sitting?

If your workflow is so far removed from the office that you no longer need a physical headquarters, you certainly wouldn’t be the first (or last) to go fully remote. And if you have multiple satellite offices, you may be sitting on a significant cost burden. You could always drop your office(s) now and search for a new HQ when the time is right.

 

Do You Want Your Company Office?

Maybe you love your office and can’t wait to return. You created an inspiring, uplifting place to work, and COVID closed the doors.

It’s okay to pay for an empty office if you can afford it, especially if that space is symbolic of what you have built and sacred to your company culture.

You don’t need to have the answers for when and how you will welcome everyone back. If it’s important to you and viable for your business, that’s enough of a reason to keep it.

 

Can You Rearrange Your Current Office?

Many teams are starting to go back to their offices, whether because they want to, are ready to, or simply have to.

What does it look like to reopen your office safely and comfortably?

Can you allow the same number of people to be there simultaneously, or do you need to platoon?

It might actually be refreshing to redesign your workplace, kind of like rearranging your room as a kid.

 

How About Your Home Office?

Take away the first few weeks of novelty in working remotely and forgive the “Blursday” that followed for months. At the end of the day—and, ideally, during it—we all just want to be productive.

Look around your home office and ask yourself, how productive are you now compared to your previous routine? How about now compared to last week, last month, or last spring?

Some people love working from home. Others hate it. If you’re among the latter and remain confined to your home office for the foreseeable future, what can you do to make it better?

Does your home workspace give you enough, well, space? It might be as simple as reorganizing your desk or as substantial as moving altogether.

 

How Do Your Employees Work Best?

Now that you’ve taken some time to reflect on what you want, ask your employees what they want…not just collectively, but also each person individually.

As a business owner, you have a natural instinct to take care of the people around you. For the new year ahead, the best thing you can give yourself and your team is space—literally, figuratively, physically, and emotionally—to power through the rest of the pandemic together.