Essex Living Magazine, May 2021
With the pandemic forcing us all to stay at home, many of us were having to find the space to work there too. In the May issue of Essex Living Magazine I gave lots of tips and advice on how to make working from home a little less stressful – and keep it stylish.
I discussed ways to keep the home office clutter to a minimum and how to pack up and ‘leave the office’ at the end of the day. Along with storage ideas and suggestion of how to keep your workspace in order. I am still lusting after those Peg N Board pegboards and plan to use them with a new client soon.
Colour plays a big role in our wellbeing and using a colour that makes you feel motivated, but not too energised is important when working from home. Colour can be added with stationery, accessories, cushions and artwork. You can even zone an area of a room to create a home office with clever use of paint as shown in the image here from Dulux. If you have the space, I’d always suggest a comfy area in which you can chill and have a cup of coffee. If you have the space for a coffee machine, keep one on a small shelf or table by your desk as it’ll make it feel like more a ‘space’ to work. It will also stop you putting on a load of washing, quickly emptying the dishwasher and all the other jobs that can distract you from your usual day.
Whilst we’re talking about coffee – I was always shocked by the numbers of coffee pods that end up in refill. I’m not a coffee drinker, but hubby is and he seemed to be getting through a whole bin load a month. As someone who’s always keen to find a sustainable alternative I found these in my local Lakeland Plastics store a couple of years ago. They’ve since stopped selling them but I did find them on Amazon here. Hubby tells me there a good alternative to you-know-who!
Essentially, you must ensure your health when working from home. Consider the height of your desk, the keyboard, your mouse, your chair. Lots of useful advice for this can be found from the Posture People. Get up and walk around every hour at least. Burn some essential oils or have a diffuser nearby. Switch off when it’s the end of the day and don’t be tempted to check back in.
Working from home can be a great work-life balance, but it’s important to give it some thought.