For the last however long, working from home may have sounded like the dream scenario – visions of lazing in bed for an extra 30 minutes when you’re normally in traffic or just simply sitting at the computer in your comfiest activewear.

Now, here we all are, working from home and, unfortunately, like a lot of things in life, the reality is very different to what we expected (aside from the comfy activewear – that can absolutely be a reality).  Everyone is now facing obstacles that they haven’t had time to prepare for – IT issues, home-schooling children, partners also working from home, the sudden urge to visit the pantry every 30 minutes, and simply trying to find somewhere at home where you can actually work productively.  Whilst I can’t help with reducing your pantry visits, I can give you a few tips on how to set up a productive workspace.

As someone who has been running my property styling business in Brisbane from a home office for the past five years, I have had the luxury of time to make my workspace into an area that works for me.  Below are some of the things that I have learned along the way:

▪  Make sure you have some natural light.  Shutting yourself in the garage or a room out the back of the house may seem like the least disruptive option, it could, in fact, be the least productive option for you – working in a dark corner at the back of the garage is downright depressing. You will also probably find that if you’re working in a space that doesn’t have much natural light then you’re more likely to come up with excuses to get away from your desk.  A bedroom is a great option as it’s usually light and bright and can be shut off from the rest of the house.

▪  Create a workspace that is enjoyable for you.  A bunch of flowers and a lit candle can make a space so much more comfortable and inviting.

▪  Try and keep your space tidy.  If productivity and concentration is an obstacle for you, you will most probably find an untidy workspace distracting.  Just like my previous point, you want to make this space an enjoyable area for you to spend time in.

▪  Productivity can be the hardest thing to achieve and whilst this isn’t an aesthetic tip, it is a handy one.  I try to give myself three tasks that I would like to achieve and write them down – I find that once they’re documented then I’m more likely to do them and it’s then satisfying to cross them off the list.  The key is to make these tasks realistic so that you can feel that sense of achievement at the end of the day.

Once you have the perfect ‘office’ setup you can slip into your comfiest, stretchiest leggings and settle in for a productive day of work. 

Now, in terms of stopping you from going to the fridge every half an hour, unfortunately, I can’t help you there.  If you do find a solution though, please feel free to let me know 🙂