Tips on Improving Your Home Working Environment

YOU friendly| For years I thought my home office should be minimal, tidy and organised at all times in order for it to be a productive and inspiring space to work in (I’m on Pinterest too much). When in fact this is the one room in the house where I actually prefer it to be lived-in, it’s a home office after all. I like having papers and books to hand, postcards and photos stuck on the wall, and coffee-stained notebooks and random stuff stacked by my feet. It’s perfectly imperfect and is a space I enjoy being in now that I’ve stopped fretting about keeping it super tidy all the time. Create an environment that works for you.

Noise | I like a mix of music, interviews and quiet in my office depending on the work task I’m doing. I have a radio, tablet and bluetooth speaker (that lives in different rooms depending where I am). When I need noise to aid my productivity (for graphic design or editing images) I use this time to discover new music or catch up on podcasts. If you have other people at home whilst you are working, invest in some good quality headphones. These are quiet useful if you have noisy neighbours too.

Plants | Create a relaxing and calm space by decorating your work space with plants. They help to remove toxins from the air, soften clunky office furniture and equipment, and are great for your general wellbeing. I also like adding a cheap bunch of flowers to my office when I know I have a busy week ahead of me.

Air quality | As someone who is home a lot, has allergies (the OH has bad hay fever and I have asthma) and struggles to sleep because of pollens / heat in the summer I was really happy to be asked to try the *Dyson Pure Cool Desk DP04 Air Purifier from AO (a purifier and fan), to look after the air quality in our home.

I’ll be putting a proper review on the AO site soon (which I’ll link to here) but here’s what you can expect from the Dyson Pure Cool:

It removes 99.95% of allergens, pollens & pollutants from the air, helping the room stay cool, clean and fresh (it’s like having the outdoors inside) which is brilliant if you and your family have allergy problems. It helps to remove cooking odours and pet smells which is useful if you meet with work clients in your home. Plus, it cools like a fan in the summer and has a quiet night mode too. Warm weather, wherever you are, I’m prepared for you!

It’s easy to set up and user-friendly including WiFi connectivity, a remote control, 10 different air flow settings and a Dyson app where you can monitor data from the indoor/outdoor environment, as well as controlling the fan speed and oscillation. It’s bigger than I thought but looks stylish and fits in with the house decor nicely, and more importantly we’ve noticed an immediate difference in freshness in a room after we’ve used it, helping me breathe easier. I’ll see how it shapes up in the warmer months and will update back here.

Personalise | Now that I’m more relaxed about our office decor, I’m enjoying having personal items on display more; old postcards collected from galleries, medals and certificates, favourite books (poetry on my desk for quick work breaks), photographs of family and friends, gifts and souvenirs. The more a space feels like ‘me’ the better I am in it.

Refreshments within easy reach| When working from home, it’s very easy for me to pop down to the kitchen to make a brew and grab a bourbon from the biscuit tin. I mean, it has to have some perks, right? But I can’t be running downstairs and eating biscuits all day long so I’ve started bringing healthy snacks up to the office for me to graze on throughout the day. Current faves are nuts (almonds, cashews or pistachios) and Go Go’s Protein snacks (dried beans, cheese bites, pretzels & chocolate coffee beans). Same applies with drinks. I now have a water bottle within easy reach that keeps drinks cool for 24 hours and drinks hot for 12.

A good chair | I can’t emphasise how important having a decent office chair is. My Chester Office Chair provides support to my lower back and is as comfortable as it is stylish. I also make sure I have a throw to hand in the morning (the office is warmer in the afternoon when the sun hits the window).

Regular breaks | I made myself a little promise at the end of 2017 – to take regular work breaks. I admit, sometimes I have to force myself to take a break especially when I feel like I’m on a roll, but to avoid burnout it is 100% necessary and helps boost productivity too. A break doesn’t necessarily mean putting the kettle on. Water the plants, tidy a draw, stare out the window, stroke your pet, open post; whatever you need to have 5 minutes away from your work.

Tidy away the day | Tidy away the day when your working day is done, so that you’re ready to mess it up again come 9am. Remove mugs, empty bins, shred paper, wipe the desk and laptop clean.

Disclosure:  Product sent for review purposes. As always opinions are my own.