HOMEMADE office

Hello all, I hope all is well and everyone has just about got over the Christmas and new year period of not knowing what day or time it is, eating chocolate for breakfast and more than likely isolating. We’re now back to having the alarm going off again on these dark mornings but at least we know the days of the week again.
With the working from home (if we can) order still being over us I thought I’d blog about how to make your homemade office work for you with some tips to make your days a little better whilst mixing work and home life for a little longer.

If you haven’t already and only if you have space to do so, try to find a space in your home to work other than your dining table (I know this isn’t possible for everyone though.) This could be anywhere you could place a small table or desk, in your living room, spare room, kitchen area, even some landing spaces can squeeze a desk in. I’m sure if your lucky enough to have a spare room this has already become your working area but some of my tips later down the blog may help you too in making your homemade office better and more welcoming.

• Ideally it needs to be somewhere that at the end of the day you can’t see the work space, if possible make it a place to enable you to shut the door until the next day. Sometimes seeing the work you haven’t completed that day sat on the desk in full view can cause added stress and anxiety to you, as the saying goes “out of site, out of mind.”

•• Daylight… make sure the space your working in has ample natural day light if possible, near a window is best. It’s proven that natural light boosts our mood and mental health, it also gives us more energy which helps us all to be more productive.

••• Invest in a supportive, comfy office chair, if this isn’t possible due to space or cost then try to pad out one of your existing chairs to make sure your back is supported for long days at the desk or dining table if this is your only space.

•••• Go Green, add some plants to your working space , it’s proven that plants help reduce anxiety and stress and actually make us feel happy, they reduce blood pressure which helps us feel calmer and also they look pretty cool too. Go for simple house plants or succulents that don’t need too much care and attention, we know how busy you are.

••••• Organise, try to keep it clutter free, I know this isn’t always possible but a little ten minute tidy up or filing things away at the end of the day or week will help you the following morning. Add shelves somewhere if you can, if the space permits it or buy a small unit or boxes to put your work items in to keep it neat, tidy, in order and to stop little people or partners moving or touching anything.

Distraction’s, we all have these at home… pets, children, neighbours , husbands and wives even the postman and these can all produce stress on top of trying to work. When we get that knock at the door, someone walks in whilst you’re on a phone call, the dog wants feeding and playing with a hundred times a day, all this can add to the stresses of working from home.
So if you can find a space to work hidden away somewhere from the distraction’s and be able to shut the door this will make your working from home a little less stressful. If you can’t do this then just tell everyone to leave the house!!

As I said before I know these tips can’t be done in some peoples homes due to budget and space but even if you add a plant to your dining table, buy a few boxes or folders to help you organise your working space and if you are working from your dining table have a box to pack it all away for the weekend so it’s out of sight. These little changes make a difference in helping your working from home days a little brighter and less stressful.

Happy Home working guys.

Thanks so much for reading.

Stacy x