Over the past few months, all of us have had to deal with scenarios we couldn’t have imagined in our wildest dreams. For those of us that are fortunate enough to work remotely, the shift from living with roommates and/or spouses to working alongside them has presented its fair share of challenges. From competing over space to sharing a weak Wi-Fi connection to dealing with new distractions, the work from home woes are all too real.

Thankfully, we’re here to help! Read on for tips and tricks that will help you navigate this impromptu co-working arrangement.

Reframe Your Relationship During Working Hours

Mentally reframing your relationship and setting boundaries during working hours will lay the groundwork for a positive coworking experience. Making the shift from living mode to working mode will help both you and your housemates be more conscientious of one another’s needs. Being respectful of each other’s time, space, and preferred noise levels goes a long way when you’re around someone 24/7!

Come to an Agreement on Communal Spaces

As tempting as it may be to work from your bedroom, doing so can be detrimental for your mental health and many people find it depressing. Instead of confining yourself to your room, have specific areas of the home that are dedicated to work or make a schedule so that everyone gets a turn to use shared spaces at some point during the workday.

Invest in Good Headphones

Investing in a pair of high-quality headphones will make a world of difference for both you and the people you live with. Loud conference calls and virtual happy hours can be pretty distracting when someone’s trying to work, and sometimes you just need to block out noise to really get in the zone. Over-ear headphones are a simple solution to both of these problems!

Outline Your Work Schedule

The only way your roommates and/or spouse can be respectful and reduce noise levels during work hours is if you let them know your exact work schedule! Whether you want to do this through an app or physically write down everyone’s schedule on a shared calendar, taking the time to let your housemates know when you’ll be working will help prevent unnecessary arguments.

Prioritize Communication

During this unprecedented time, it’s more important than ever to communicate with those around you to make sure you stay on the same page. Being in such close quarters at all times can cause tensions to rise and communicating your feelings is an effective way to diffuse these types of situations. Also, be empathetic towards the people you’re residing with. Everyone’s going through a tough time right now and we could all use some kindness.

By putting these tips and tricks into practice, you’ll be able to work alongside your housemates and come out of this with your relationship intact! And if you ever find yourself needing access to printing services, a private meeting room or other business essentials, Project Spaces has got your back!

Both of our coworking spaces in downtown Toronto will remain open to members and we’ve adapted our membership programs to better suit workers’ needs during this time. Check out our flexible membership packages to see how we can help you on your entrepreneurial journey!