Stop Treating Your Remote Work Setup Like a Situationship: It’s Time to Commit to Your Boundaries
By Nina — I'm the friend who tells you what you need to hear about your situationship. ·
Look, I love my Brooklyn apartment. It’s my sanctuary, my place to decompress after a long week of PR fires, and where I finally learned how to make a decent espresso. But let’s be real: after three years of hybrid work, we’ve entered into a weird, codependent, 'are we actually dating?' relationship with our home offices.
We all know the type. You wake up at 8:55 AM, roll over, grab your laptop, and start answering emails from under a weighted blanket. You’re eating lunch over your keyboard while watching a TikTok about why your ex was a red flag. You’re working until 9:00 PM because 'you’re already home, so why not?' By the time Friday rolls around, you feel like you’ve been ghosted by your own life.
This isn't just a work-life balance issue. It’s a situationship. You aren't committed to your work, and you definitely aren't committed to your rest. You’re just… floating. It’s time to stop letting your remote work setup treat you like an option. Let’s set some boundaries that actually stick.
Stop 'Ghosting' Your Own Schedule
When you’re in a situationship, you wait for them to text you. In remote work, you wait for Slack notifications to dictate your worth. If you don’t have a start time and a stop time, you don’t have a job—you have a lingering presence in your own living room.
I started 'commuting' to work, even when I work from home. At 8:30 AM, I walk out my front door, grab an iced coffee, walk around the block, and come back in. That’s my transition. When 6:00 PM hits, I close the laptop, put it in a drawer (yes, literally), and I do not touch it again. If you keep your laptop on the coffee table, you’re basically inviting your boss to sleep in your bed with you. Don’t do that. You deserve better.
Your Desk Isn't a Drop-In Lounge
If your workspace is also your dining table, your Netflix station, and your laundry folding zone, you’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re blurring the lines, and your brain doesn't know when to clock out.
Treat your workspace like a committed partner. Give it some respect. Invest in a chair that doesn't make your lower back hate you. Get a lamp that isn't just 'harsh overhead lighting.' If you can’t dedicate a full room to an office—because, let’s face it, this is NYC and square footage is a luxury—at least dedicate a corner. When you’re in that corner, you’re working. When you walk away, you’re off-duty. No exceptions. If you wouldn't let a situationship take over your entire apartment, why are you letting your job do it?
Stop 'Situationship-ing' Your Communication
We love to over-explain ourselves in remote work. You know the ones: 'Hey, sorry to bother you, I know you’re probably busy, but just checking in on that thing?' Stop. You’re coming off as insecure, and it’s exhausting.
Be direct. If you need an answer, ask for it. If you’re done for the day, set your status to 'Offline' and actually be offline. You’re not being rude; you’re being professional. People respect a person who knows their own value. In my PR agency, the people who climb the ladder aren't the ones who are 'available' 24/7; they’re the ones who communicate clearly, deliver on time, and then disappear to go have a life. Emulate that.
The 'Sunday Scaries' Are Just FOMO for Your Freedom
If you’re dreading Monday, it’s usually because you didn't define your boundaries on Friday. You left things 'open-ended.' You didn't finish your to-do list, and you told yourself you’d 'check in' over the weekend. That’s the classic 'let’s keep things casual' trap.
Instead, spend your final 30 minutes on Friday doing a 'Relationship Audit.' Write down what you accomplished, what’s left for Monday, and then—and this is the important part—close the laptop. When you commit to your time off, you actually get to enjoy it. You aren't scrolling through emails while trying to grab brunch with your girls. You’re present. You’re free. You’re the main character again.
You Are the CEO of Your Own Life
At the end of the day, your employer is not your partner. They are a collaborator. A collaborator you have a contract with. Stop trying to make them love you by being 'always on.' They’ll respect you more when you show up, do the work, and then head out to live a life that’s actually interesting.
Stop letting your home office hold you hostage. Draw the line, set the expectation, and stick to it. Your mental health is the one thing you can’t replace, and it’s far too valuable to be spent in a situationship with a spreadsheet.
Are you guilty of letting your work spill into your 'me' time, or have you finally set some hard boundaries? Tell me everything—drop a comment or send me a DM. I’m dying to hear how you’re reclaiming your space, and I’m always here to help you dump the habits that aren't serving you.