The 7 benefits of taking a break from working at your kitchen table
On March 13, I sat at the kitchen table at home for the first time. Honestly? I quite enjoyed that home office. Little did I know, of course. Eight months later, and we are a bit tired of working from home. I have a solution.
This week I spent two days in our office suite at The Manor, a hotel in Amsterdam. May took a day off, I took two, and Lotte also took a few.
1. Direction office
On Monday morning, I got into my (hybrid) car. Just that faithful action already felt like I was really doing something that day. The radio on, waving to the neighbor across the street, maneuvering through the city, I really felt like I was out.
2. A different wallpaper
The view is different, the route is different, the silence is different. It’s nice to be somewhere other than home for a while.
3. Making small talk
Normally, I only chat with the neighbor during my daily walk, the rest of my conversations happen over the phone or Zoom. Now I spoke to no less than two (!) people before my workday started. All with masks, face shields, and more than one and a half meters apart, so no worries.
4. Little to no distractions
In the suite, it’s quiet. At home too, because I have no children or a working partner at home, but it’s a stimulus-free quiet. No one knocks on your door during a phone call unless you ask for it. You don’t have to wave at passing neighbors. No doors to open for delivery people when you’re deep into heavy material. Nothing, zip, nada stimuli, which makes you incredibly productive.
5. Walking options
With a different environment come different walks. The Manor is in my old neighborhood. So I can take a stroll around Dappermarkt, just like before. Or sit on a bench in Oosterpark. Strolling along Mauritskade. I live wonderfully, but even a forest can sometimes feel the same after 245 days as the day before. Almost never, but sometimes it just does.
6. Home is nicer
After a day in an office suite, working at home suddenly feels nicer again. In the morning, lighting the candles, fresh flowers on the table, waving to the neighbor, warming up the homemade soup, and being able to receive that package yourself instead of having to ring the neighbors’ doorbell again. You appreciate this more when you’ve spent a day on location.
7. Enjoying lunch
Just a bit about that soup. In those 245 days, I’ve pretty much exhausted the delivery options. This new environment offers new culinary opportunities. You can just have it delivered to the reception.
If I were you, I would try it for a day too, there’s probably a hotel near you.
