Rebecca shared some great tips on how to handle small space cabin fever last month. What if you live in a studio apartment with your boyfriend, he’s currently unemployed, and you work from home?
Even if the scenario described doesn't apply to you, some people work from home while living with a partner (even a roommate). In our own apartment, we have me (the workaholic) and my boyfriend (currently unemployed but looking). Add the fact that we live in a 400 square foot studio apartment and things aren’t always sunny. Though we might not follow them all the time, we came up with three rules on how to deal with our tight living/working situation:
1.) Synchronize/compromise the schedule. If I had my way, I’d wake up at 7am. Being that my "office" is also our bedroom/living room/kitchen, this doesn’t sit well with a boyfriend who likes to sleep in every now and then. The compromise: I can get up at 8am but the blinds can't go up until 9am.
2.) Establish a work day. My work hours sometimes get in the way of inviting guests over, playing music, watching TV, etc. We’ve set “work day” hours here in the apartment, where I get reasonably quiet and guest-free hours to get work done and afterwards anything goes.
3.) Don’t let the “office” take over the apartment. Containing clutter, cutting back on stuff, cleaning up the work area after every day---all things that play a huge part in having a corner of an apartment that is both an office and dining room (though, as evidenced by the above photo, I need to take my advice).
Do you live in a similar situation? If so, how do you deal with working from home and living with a partner? Do you have your own rules? Any stories from the living/working arrangement not working out? Let us know!
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Comments (18)
My boyfriend and I both work from home, and it was a tough adjustment at first. Fortunately we live in a 4 bedroom and are both able to have our own offices.
For me setting a work day and taking weekends off definitely helps. But I have to admit I often "just check my email real quick" and end up working.
Being unemployed and insisting the working partner doesn't raise the blinds until 9 is ridiculous. Those of us who work are often up and about at 5. He should sleep in on the weekends like the rest of us. (If we're lucky.)
I agree with Heritage Woodworks. Seems like an odd "compromise".
I think the best thing for your boyfriend to do at this time is to volunteer somewhere, to give u a couple of hours every day without him around... Plus it will give him a better sense of purpose then hanging around looking for a job, while his girlfriend is hard at work
What I don't understand is why the boyfriend isn't up earlier to look for a job? His sleeping in sends the message that he's given up or is too lazy to look for a job, or perhaps he's more interested in things staying the way they are, this situation may cause future squabbles with the hard working girlfriend.
If the BF prefers to sleep in rather than go looking for a job and keeps you from working when you need/want to - then he needs to go live somewhere else.
IMO - The one paying the rent makes the rules.
Lots of people in loving relationships go through hard times. It can be discouraging looking for a job right now, and I think it's fine that she supports her bf. We don't know the details of his work-search; why assume the worst?
agree with OMG...some pretty big assumpations being made about the boyfriend here.
I must agree with HeritageWoods - you shouldn't compromise the time you want to get up just because the guy doesn't have a job. And it's wrong of him to set your work hours - you obviously have a job to do. If he can't stand it, he could always either get a job, volunteer somewhere, or move.
My boyfriend and I turned our one bedroom into our office, so our living/dining area is treated, essentially, like a studio (bed, seating, eating). This allows us to close the doors on typical office clutter and keep work from invading our personal space. It's less stressful. I'm also a workaholic, so we've agree that, to preserve our relationship, laptops at mealtime are off limits and any work brought into the living area goes back into the office before bedtime. I do tend to get up a little earlier than he does, but it doesn't seem to disturb him. I have a little ritual of making coffee and reading early in the morning, and he gets to wake up to ready-made coffee. If our sleep schedules were an issue, I would walk my laptop over to the nearest coffeehouse and start my morning there. Using public venues with wifi is always a great way to "expand" a small live/work space to keep from feeling penned in.
compromise is good, and this was just a little example of what some people do.
why is everyone so critical?
i'm glad you guys can make that work.
I think supporting someone you have no legal relationship with is madness.
Wow, I do not understand all the negative comments about Rebecca's boyfriend. I hardly think sleeping in until 9am constitutes "giving up" or being lazy. Maybe he does all his job searching/resume writing late at night, or is just more productive after 9; we really don't know, so who are we to judge? All good relationships involve compromise, and even more so in a live/work space like theirs. I can't imagine being in a relationship where losing my job also meant losing my place as an equal partner in the relationship.
Great tips Rebecca - good luck to your boyfriend on finding a job and to the two of you on continuing to make it work!
oh boy! Last year my beau and I were both unemployed at the same time for serveral months. Then we decided to keep collecting unemployment and start working on the side, for cash to make ends meet. We lived in a 3 bedroom with a roommate. It was tough at first, but you set rules like 1- no work in the bedroom; 2- work hours from 9AM-6PM; 3- I finally found an AMAZING JOB and our side business has really taken off for my beau! So, hang in there... Also, we now live in a one bedroom, minus the roommate and the messes are much more contained due to less places to leave things, which is more of his issue more than mine :)
It's tough... hang in there :) but one lesson I learned was remember to live your life and YES take advantage of him not working and go places you've never been, like Ojai or spnd time with your friends for lunch!
Gah, not being able to open the blinds until nine would make me crazy. Buy him a sleep mask.
I find it really admirable that you've found a way to compromise your schedules and your work life, since that can be very hard to do.
Wow, lots of critical comments about the sleeping in... can't people just have different sleep schedules and 'peak hours' of productivity? Who's to say this guy doesn't get up, clean the place, and then cook her a gourmet meal every single night?
My partner is a late-night worker, he has a freelance business and is most productive at night, when no one calls him, clients aren't sending emails, etc. So he'll frequently stay up in the wee hours of the morning working on projects. This is a similar pattern to friends I have who are working artists - they frequently sleep until noon and then work until 4am!
I'm the type who gets sleepy around 11pm, and wakes up at 8 on the dot. When I had a day job I sometimes was resentful that he could sleep in while I could not, but now that I'm laid off I still don't sleep in. ha ha.
rqb, this post is actually not about me but Adrienne, one of the lovely Austin bloggers. I just offered some small space tips for cabin fever.