Working from home. Like it or not, it’s a new reality for many of us. And while some may be lucky enough to have a dedicated space with an actual desk, others are getting creative with what they have. We asked readers to send pictures of their workspaces. We’re adding other examples on the Independent’s website to show how more of our Outer Cape neighbors are making their homes into offices and classrooms.
So far, every conversation about workspaces turns up a helpful tip or two on how to preserve professional and personal sanity: look for an underused corner, think small, keep clutter under control, add a few creature comforts, and situate near natural light. And when all else fails, go for the right kind of distraction by getting outside.
Want to add your working-from-home picture and advice to our online gallery? Email [email protected].
If your image is going to be beamed out there, it’s a good idea to think about the background people will see. Liesel Wilbers is a school social worker in West Yarmouth. To work from her Wellfleet home, she repurposed her personal vision board to create a cheerful background for videos she sends to students and families.
When Anne Stout, who works for the Chatham Bars Inn, realized she’d be working for weeks from her home in Eastham, she bought what she calls her Murphy desk: a fold-up desk with nooks for storage that can be neatly stowed out of sight at the end of the day.
The Rev. Kate Wilkinson, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Provincetown, delivers her sermons from a home altar, here adorned for Easter, that she composed in her basement.
Eastham Library Director Debra DeJonker-Berry likes the unstructured feeling of working from the sofa. The beautiful view through a big window helps. The downside of a cozy spot? Dogs do have a tendency to move in on your creature comforts.
Myya Beck’s multitasking space meets the demands of teaching kindergarten to her son, Beckett, while operating her Wellfleet business, Heart Core Studio remotely.
Amy Raff, director of the Provincetown Library, sets up a spot in her kitchen to work. What draws her there is the natural light. This room offers bright windows that lift her spirits on these days spent in isolation.
Co-owner of Truro Vineyards Kristen Roberts does it all at the kitchen island.
David Simpson and Kathy Fletcher, who run the nonprofit AOK out of their Wellfleet home, find inspiration from facing desks.
Rob Doane, Community Development Partnership CFO, keeps his hand-built desk scrupulously neat, and has headphones within reach.
Anna Nielsen, youth services librarian at the Wellfleet Library, keeps the essentials nearby in her home office.
