How I Work From Home — Manchester Lifestyle Blog

I'm not sure how many people are aware that alongside this blog, I also run my own Music PR Agency. I’ve been a Music PR for years and have been my own boss for almost 5 years (wow! Makes me think how time has flown just writing that). During the past 5 years, I've always worked from home. Yes, I have days where I'm not in the office as I'm on photoshoots or attending meetings and there are also times when my office becomes a local coffee shop but for the most part, I am at home working in my little office.

People often say to me that they don't know how I do it and that they couldn't work for themselves. I do agree that it is probably not for everyone as it does require quite a lot of self motivation and discipline and it can be lonely at times, just you and four walls. I'm not ashamed to admit that I definitely talk to myself sometimes and sing along with my Spotify tunes a lot! But for me, the perks of working for yourself and being able to work from home far outweigh the disadvantages. You are your own boss with nobody to boss you around or tell you off, you set your own hours (this can also be a disadvantage however as it's hard to switch off!) and finally, you pay yourself and it feels really good knowing you can do that.

For me, it's so important to have an office. Just because you work from home, you still need routine and to feel like you're going to work every day, even if it is just across the landing! I have 100% worked from bed or the sofa when I've been ill/hungover/tired and you know what, I think that's okay sometimes. But in general, I am up and at my desk for 9ish every day and that's the way I like it.

I have a few things that make working from home work well for me so I thought I'd share some of them with you!

MAKING THE SPACE YOU WORK IN 'YOU

As a lover of all things interiors, this is something that is so important for me. You can see how I transformed my home office from bland to a thing of copper beauty here and it's a little but perfectly formed space that I love heading into each day. It's bright, at the back of the house so is nice and quiet and because it's in the extension part of our home, it is almost like I am leaving home to go to work. Well, kind of! Along with all the important stuff like folders filled with paperwork and accounts, my office is filled with lots of detail that makes me smile. Cute notebooks, cool artwork, pretty candles and a pin board filled with postcards, photographs and things I've just collected here and there.

I think it's important to have a space filled with items you love and somewhere that's very 'you' - if you like where you have to work every day, you'll have no problems working in there will you!

KEEPING A TIDY HOME

Of course, this is sometimes easier said than done and I like anyone have weeks where the house is filled with random stuff that just needs to be put in its place! But, it's important the place you work, eat your lunch and have a break is tidy as it just makes your working life easier and more enjoyable.

One big thing for me that's important is eliminating dust as living in a house with a lot of wooden floors, there tends to be a lot of fluff and dust! We have lived with a rubbish hoover for years so when AO got in touch with me offering me some products to review, I knew it was time to upgrade it! We chose the Vax Air Stretch and it really has made such a difference. Now it's actually quite enjoyable cleaning the house as it picks up so much dirt, with an attachment just for wooden floors, and is really light so very easy for me to carry upstairs to clean my office. Or for my husband to...!

TAKING TIME OUT

It's very easy to get bogged down with work and not take a break when you work from home and because you don't have workmates to chat to in the kitchen or as many meetings as you might have being in an office, it's amazing how much time you can actually spend at your desk without realising. I always make time to take a lunch break, go for a run and stop to do things like hang the washing out or put the dishes away, as even a small 5-minute break here and there can work wonders for your headspace. It's also important to keep refreshed and aswell as a steady supply of water on my desk, I also like to enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee.

This is another area where AO kindly stepped in to make my working life better! We'd had a coffee machine that was on its way out for a while and desperately needed an upgrade. So being sent a brand new Nespresso Vertuo has literally made my coffee breaks go from bland to fancy! This very stylish titanium machine is amazing as it does three sizes of coffee so you can have it as strong or with as much milk as you like and I have become very partial to the Caramel flavour for my afternoon caffeine hit! For me it really is important to take a break to make and enjoy a hot drink a few times a day and it definitely helps me work better.

NOT FEELING GUILTY

Taking a well-earned day off for my birthday last year and enjoying a cocktail in Manchester!

This is something that I struggled with when I first started working for myself but I feel like I've now got to grips with this - it's my business, it's my working routine and if I want to take some time out to have an afternoon or even a week off, then I can and I don't need to feel guilty for it! Most days I work from 9am to 6pm, some days it's longer and some days I think, I am going to take a few hours off this afternoon to enjoy the sunshine or meet a friend. If you are getting your work done and running your business as best you can then you deserve this time and nobody is watching over you to say no and nobody can tell you off. So get rid of that guilt!