16 things I’ve learned from working at home

Can you believe I left my full time job nearly seven months ago? Me either.

Time really doesn’t slow down when you get older, which is both petrifying and feels like a good thing sometimes. I didn’t really jump headfirst into working on my blog full time until the new year of 2018. I wasn’t feeling inspired and I always found myself working on other projects, getting sidetracked from the real reason I left my company: to work on my blog full time (ideally always kitted out in a cosy jumper – like these grey sweatshirt womens ones). 

It’s such a hard step to take and admitting I needed help was the first step to seeing progress. My friends had listened to me trying to get myself motivated, and I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I relied on my friend Grace to come round the flat to get me past my doubts, cheering me on to keep going.

So when the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Day, I decided I was putting my best foot forward. I wanted to make the most of my experience. It’s not often that you get the chance to do exactly what you’ve always wanted to.

It’s a little scary and a little bit daunting. Even with the endless support, sometimes you can’t help but to feel lost along the way. And there’s of course, the fear of it not working out. Which is why I decided I’m not letting that fear control my actions anymore. In the past month, I’ve done completely new things, met new people and have even bigger plans for the summer months to come.

And that’s why I’m working hard to get myself into a positive mindset for the days I am writing from home. By creating an excellent working environment, I want to find a better balance to achieve my dreams.

So what have I learned so far working from home?

1. TV is the enemy. The amount of times I’ve been sucked into a Netflix marathon are well endless.

2. Take breaks. It’s silly to think you can achieve it all by not moving from your desk all day.

3. Create a workspace. Once I moved from ‘sofa’ working to my kitchen table, I’ve been 100 times more productive.

4. Clutter isn’t great. If the kitchen table (or deskspace) is cluttered with things I don’t need for my day, it’s distracting.

5. Make set times where you see people throughout the week. Whether that’s meeting people for drinks or lunchtime catch ups, make sure to schedule this in weekly. It’s motivating to surround yourself with others who inspire you.

6. It’s not the weekend! I’m awful at this. I pretend Monday is the new Friday and I end up going out and feeling horrendous the next day. Which means, your Tuesday workday is kind of ruined. Sometimes OK when you have office life, really awful when you can snuggle back into bed and order a pizza in your flat.

7. If your partner or roommates also work from home… AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE. Joe works from home as well. But he works on American time. So he doesn’t start work until around 12pm. Which means his mornings are free and mine are the best time that I can get work done. It’s super distracting because all you want to do is hang out. He is literally staring at me while I type this looking for attention. Avoid.

8. Make sure to exercise. At least, if it’s something that’s important to you. It’s really important to me, so scheduling in morning classes or a run have been very helpful for starting my day.

9. Create a checklist for the day. The last time we got together, Vix said she makes a checklist the night before her days off. And I’ve found that having a running list can be really helpful.

10. Taking inspiration from the list, look for your priorities. Katy recommended that I buy Sarah Knight’s book Get Your Shit Together as it really helped her get organised. I still need to pick it up, but she gave me a brief rundown. It’s about creating ‘must-do today’ priorities versus things that are OK to put off until tomorrow. The must do stuff has to get done first.

11. Make your space personal to you. What works for me, doesn’t work for everyone else. I like to have a coffee and a full glass of water next to me at most times. Flowers in a vase. And approximately three candles burning away near me. Also, a notebook and cute pens. It’s what helps me work best.

12. Shower. Seriously, shower. I do my best work after I’ve prepared myself for the day ahead. Shower, dry your hair, a little makeup if you like. Even if I’m just staying in working all day, it makes me feel more productive and less like I’m just having a weekend lie-in.

13. Create your own office hours. I’m admittedly, awful at saying no to things. So sticking to my ‘work from home’ schedule can be extra tricky. This is one thing I’m massively working on over the next few weeks. If I say I’m in working from home, I’m in.

14. Keep your cosy days. I may need to shower and do my makeup to start the day, but I like to stay comfortable in my space. I typically work in joggers, leggings and hoodies, like this NICCE London one, and comfy t-shirts. Yep, it might be a little different from my leaving the house get up, but I like to stay cosy.

15. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you slip up, shake it off. We all have off days. It’s about dusting yourself off and giving it another go tomorrow. Sometimes, it’s just not our day and that’s OK.

16. Ask for help. I would be nowhere without the supportive people in my life. You likely have a similar network of friends and family to build you back up. And if you don’t – drop me a message and we’ll talk.

Kelly xox

PS. This post is sponsored in collaboration with NICCE London, who sent me this brilliantly cosy hoodie that I can’t help but consider my new work from home uniform.