Your home should be your sanctuary, a calming oasis where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world. But if you have a tendency to take your work home with you, or you work full-time from home, it can be hard to find an ideal balance. That’s why we put together these four tips on making your home more relaxing. We hope it helps you find a little extra peace and quiet whenever you need it during your days.

Remember to Disengage

If your job has in any way infiltrated your home base, you need to remember when it’s quitting time. One easy solution is to program your Google Calendar or other digital assistant to let you know. Sometimes it’s easy to lose yourself in your work for hours, but it’s important to take time for yourself.

Separate Work & Play

Next you need to establish a few boundaries. Try to restrict work to a specific room or area in your home, and avoid that area during off-work hours. If you have a home office where you do your work, just shut the door and pretend it’s not there. But if your “home office” is your dining room table, that probably isn’t practical. In that case, set things up so you can scoot your work stuff out of the way. If you use a standalone monitor or two, it can also help to cover them, say with neutral-toned pillow cases.

Clear Clutter

Messy spaces have been scientifically shown to cause stress. The previous step should help you reduce work-related clutter in your home. But don’t stop there! Organize the books and knick knacks on your coffee table, kitchen counter, and other surfaces, putting unnecessary things out of view and disposing of old mail, magazines, bills (after paying them, of course!), and other things that don’t need to be left out on display.

Add Some Plants

Assuming you already have a comfortable couch to sit on and plenty of ways to veg out, like Netflix or a few good books, one other thing that can help make your home a little more relaxing is the addition of some potted plants and fresh-cut flowers. Caring for plants is also said to support your mental health. Some plant options that would be good in either planter or vase form include chamomile, which has anti-anxiety properties, calming lavender, jasmine, and chrysanthemum, which is said to help reduce stress.

For more tips on living the good life every day, visit the Olympus Auburn Lakes blog.