I have been working from home for seven years now.
Long before the world went remote in 2020, I was already sitting at a desk in my living room, taking calls, managing campaigns, and trying to figure out how to separate my actual life from my job.
It was hard because I was literally in my living room lol like the sofa was to the right of my desk and the kitchen counter to the left… My desk also acted as a nice spot for my cat lol.
Seven years in, people still say the same thing when they find out I work remotely: You are so lucky, you must have so much balance.
I always laugh a little, because if seven years in the same space has taught me anything, it is that working from home does not give you balance. It gives you proximity.
And proximity without boundaries will quietly eat you alive.
The kitchen table trap
When your commute is ten steps from your bedroom to your desk, the boundary between working and living is paper thin.
Early on, I fell into every single remote work trap. I answered emails while making breakfast. I checked Slack during dinner prep. I left my laptop open on the kitchen counter all weekend, which meant every time I walked past it to grab a glass of water, my brain immediately switched back to work mode.
You tell yourself you are just being flexible. What you are actually doing is letting work bleed into every square foot of your home until nowhere feels restful.
When you add a creative business into that mix, things get even more chaotic. My desk is where I log into corporate marketing meetings. It is also where I design greeting cards on my iPad, pack wholesale orders, and edit video clips.
Without strict physical and mental fences, you never truly clock in, and you never truly clock out.
The three rules that saved my sanity
Here are the non-negotiables that keep me grounded after seven years in this setup.
The workday needs a clear physical closing ceremony
At the end of the workday, I close my work laptop, shove it to the side and physically walk away from the desk. If the screen is visible, your subconscious treats it as an open loop. Putting it out of sight tells your nervous system that the corporate day is done.
You work for the money to fund the rest of your life, so go enjoy it. I promise that your kids would very much appreciate a present parent and that you will feel good about it too.
One purpose per pocket of time
When I am in my corporate role, I am entirely focused on that work. I do not pack card orders between calls or sketch new designs with one eye on a team chat. Trying to multitask creative business work during your day job just makes you mediocre at both and twice as stressed.
Creative work gets its own dedicated pocket, even if that pocket is only forty-five minutes. I know, it’s not the greatest feeling but you have an obligation to your job. I’m honestly tired of hearing people “quiet quit” because what? You’re just going to leech off a role that someone else would probably beg for?
Rest has to be protected from productivity
When you work where you live, downtime feels like wasted time. You look at the couch and think about an unanswered message. You look at the kitchen and think about an unlisted product.
Learning to sit down without an agenda was the hardest skill I had to learn. Doing nothing is not falling behind. It is how you refill the well so you actually have creative energy to give tomorrow.
So… what does this all mean?
Working from home is a gift, but only if you run your space instead of letting your space run you.
If you are spending your days working from a corner of your bedroom or your dining table feeling like you are constantly on call, give yourself permission to draw some lines this week.
Close the laptop. Step outside. Your peace is worth protecting.
With love,
Sally