Working from home seems like a great idea. You can work in your pyjamas, save all that money on commuting or even have lunch at 11AM and no one is there to judge you. Perfect. Except, it’s not always that great. The winter brings wind and rain, leaving you literally cooped up in your home most days unless you’re nipping out for supplies. And in the summer? You’d be amazed at the noise from your neighbours who will conspire to take alternate days off from work to stay home and fire up the jet-washer or the lawn mower or any array of power tools (have you ever tried to get your work done while the industrial revolution rages outside your window?). If you’re going to get this right, you need help – time to create a home office.
Frame of mind
Cathedrals aren’t small. They’re very, very big. Do you know why cathedrals are very, very big? Because walking into a large echo-y room with high ornate ceilings and pillars stretching up out of your line of sight instils a feeling of being very small, and that puts us in awe of where we are. Architecture isn’t an accident. And offices are no different. Not that offices are big, no, but the design fits the purpose. The office workstation you create will encourage you to focus. There’s a desk. A laptop. Space for a chair to move forwards and backwards comfortably. There will be room for paperwork where necessary and stationary is provided. All of these things don’t just happen. You need to set up your home office accordingly, remembering to stock up on supplies that would otherwise be taken care of by the office manager (for example, see printerinks.com).
Log out
Social media makes money by keeping people’s attention – the more people looking at their phone screens, the more people are clicking on things. Even if they’re not buying things, this generates data. And data has a value beyond belief. With that value being so high, it makes sense for social media to do everything possible to keep your attention. And you’re only human, you want to be entertained. That’s why a top tip for home office productivity is signing out of all social media. Sure, you can sign right back in again. But the cumulative effect in time of putting your phone down and carrying on with work once you realise your mind has drifted as you stare at a social media login screen is huge.
Love Lilla xx