Separation of Rest and Work

Why we need to keep work out of our homes to remain productive and well-rested

Good morning! Have you ever noticed that your environment affects your productivity?

One thing I’ve noticed in life is that many times, where someone works strongly affects how well they work.

If you’ve ever tried working from home or working for yourself — whether that’s for writing, graphic design, scrapbooking, finances, or anything else — I’m sure you’ve noticed that you get a whole lot of distractions. Even if you’re not a parent of young children (in which case a home office would be a double-edged sword), there are so many different distractions and worries that you can get caught up with.

For example, I was writing last night on my laptop from the couch, but I could only really focus for 15–30 minutes without distractions, but after that, I fell asleep (even though it was two hours before my regular bedtime).

Home is where the heart can rest; home is for family, eating, fellowship, movie nights, and sleep. When we mix comfort with work, we get neither, and it simply just doesn’t work out as well as it should, since the work keeps us from fully enjoying rest, and the comfort of home keeps us from productivity.

Later this week, I’m going to — hopefully — go to the Library half a mile away from my house, take my laptop with me, and try writing there. Perhaps, if I can separate work and comfort, I’ll be more productive and be able to maintain the sanctity of my home for rest. And if you need to work from home, I might suggest you try the same; let’s see what happens.

God bless you, have a great day!