Five learnings from our time at home: what we have learned & what we want to keep doing long-term

Many of us have realized that living, working, eating and (virtually-)socializing in the same space creates some challenges. But it also gives us the opportunity to learn about ourselves – and what matters most to us. Here are five things we’ve learned from our extended time at home:

Before self-isolation most of us worked and lived in completely different spaces, but now, the defined lines between work and home life have become more blurred. It can be difficult to separate the two mentally when they are combined physically. One thing we learned during this time is to have a designated office space. Whether that’s a room in your home, or simply the dining room table, designating a space exclusively for work can help create a mental separation between work and leisure. Once you leave that area, you are no longer “at work”, so try to limit thoughts and actions (such as reading and writing e-mails on your phone)related to work to that space. This will allow your mind to take a proper breather during your lunch or coffee break as well as after work. Therefore, after returning to our regular work schedule, let’s try keeping this mindset of not taking work home with us.

Bosch is here to support your dream of a squeaky-clean home, and if there ever was a time for a big spring clean, it’s definitely now. We can finally tackle the closet filled with clothes wedon’t wear anymore, the garage with boxes that haven’t been touched in years, and give the inside of our living space a deep clean. A big spring clean is not only a satisfying accomplishment once finished, but also sets a great foundation that can be easily maintained in the upcoming months when we return to our regular routines. A thorough vacuum of the whole house is a great place to start, especially places you tend to neglect such as the inside of drawers, under beds and closets, and also windowsills. For these hard to reach areas, Bosch offers cordless vacuum cleaners that are flexible and easy to use. Because let’s be honest, what could be more satisfying than getting to relax in your fully cleaned and organized home?

Modern problems require modern solutions, and thankfully with modern technology, we’re able to socialise with our loved ones virtually. Whether its online or offline, socialising andconnecting with others is important to us, and we may currently be struggling with the absence of physical social gatherings. However, we should keep in mind that it’s more about physical, rather than social distancing. Video calls and virtual meet-ups have become a normal part of our day, filling our need to connect with our friends and family – just as physical socializing has before. We should always remember that our loved ones are never too far away for a quick chat. Moreover, from now on, how about actually giving that friendyou were thinking of a call straight away instead of delaying it again and again. Time is precious – and that other person might need the connection as much as you.

Many of us have tried to use this time at home to do things we usually don’t have time for. One of the things many of us tend to neglect during our busy schedules is taking time for ourselves. The idea of pampering is different for each and every one of us. It could be taking a long bubble bath, having a glass of wine while reading a book, doing a face mask – the possibilities are endless. Especially now when we might not be able to do all the things we normally like to do and we eagerly watch the news waiting for updates, it is important to taketime for ourselves. Taking a couple of hours a week and making it a self-pamper routinewhere you can focus on yourself allows you to recharge and take a mental break from the chaos outside. After returning to normal, try to make treating yourself once a week into a habit. Your mind, body and soul will be thankful for it!

The true heart of any home is the kitchen. With more time on our hands, we’ve used this tofall in love for the first time - or again - with cooking. Cooking a healthy and delicious meal is time well spent and a great opportunity to engage all members of the household to participate.Spending more time at home is the perfect opportunity to try new recipes and ingredients andexperiment with cooking appliances. Once we slowly go back to our everyday routines, wewant to continue to be mindful in taking a little extra time with our meals. Any maybe keepon experimenting a little more.