Date Archives: December 2020

The New Year is almost upon us! That means now is a great time to start thinking about what 2021 might look like and setting some new goals. Since most of us are still spending the majority of our time at home, starting a new hobby is a great way to kick 2021.

Many of our real estate agents have already found some fun and interesting ways to occupy themselves during their free time. Here are a few of the hobbies they recommend. 

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You aren't the only one in your family who could use a home office! More and more kids are learning remotely, and for many of them, this means trying to do their schoolwork in a busy area of the house or in their rooms. These aren't ideal solutions, so you might be looking for a better way to help your kids with remote learning.
  
Our real estate agents suggest the following 5 workplace ideas to help your kids with remote learning:  

1. Choose a spot that has as few distractions as possible.
   Your child probably won't be able to concentrate well without a separate space for schoolwork. If they're in the family room or at the kitchen table, they'll end up getting distracted due to the hubbub of daily family life. And if they do their schoolwork in their rooms, they're likely to find all sorts of distractions, including toys and electronics. Instead, set aside a desk in a quiet room to help your child focus. If a separate room isn't available, try utilizing a corner, hallway, or even a converted closet to house their workspace.
     
2. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place.  
   An organized space will help your kids enjoy their work area and keep everything where they can find it. To make this happen, every item needs to have a designated spot so your kids can return them to their proper place when they're finished for the day. Think of storage solutions such as rolling trays or drawers for art supplies, hooks to hang headphones on, and charging stations for tablets. Clear jars, labels, and magnetic items can also come in handy for this type of organized area.
     
3. Make sure the workspace has enough lighting.  
   Especially if you're using a space like a hallway or closet for your kids' work area, you'll need to make sure it has adequate lighting. A spot with some natural light is best, but even if you have it, you'll still need to supplement it with some artificial lighting. Desk lamps are a convenient solution, and you can also move anything that's blocking natural light from flooding the room.
     
4. Let your child decorate their workspace.  
   Letting your child personalize their workspace will make them feel more positive about spending time there and invested in keeping it orderly. Photographs, artwork, prints, and other items can be used to dress up the walls, and floating shelves can hold cherished objects.
     
5. Include some stress relievers.   
   Your kids will be spending more time at their workstations with remote learning than you might expect since it's meant to substitute for a full school day of learning. Between assignments and tests, your kids may start to feel anxious and burned out after a while, so let them keep some stress relievers on hand in their workspace to help. These can include Silly Putty, stress balls, or Koosh balls, as well as letting them listen to music if they're not distracted by it. And if your kids have trouble sitting still for long periods of time, take a cue from some traditional in-school classrooms and let them sit on an exercise ball instead of on a chair.  

Contact us today at The Masiello Group if you're interested in buying or selling a home in the Northern New England area. We have offices throughout the area and have been the region's real estate leader for more than 52 years.   

The holiday season will look a lot different this year, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing! Our real estate agents encourage you to maximize your yuletide festivities with these six ideas for celebrating the holidays remotely.

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Covid-19 has taught us a lot this year, including how well many of us are able to adapt to a remote working environment. While many companies and employees believed working from home would be a temporary arrangement early on in the pandemic, it's becoming more and more clear that the virus has simply accelerated the inevitable shift to remote work. You can argue that working from home has benefits and disadvantages; however, many people, including our real estate agents, believe it is here to stay. Below are several reasons why.

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