How to work from home like an absolute pro

The Beatles pictures are crucial, as is the photo of my partner getting a temporary lower back tattoo at our friends’ wedding.

Well it’s official, the world is on lockdown and we’re all hibernating in our homes until further notice. This doesn’t make much of a difference to me because I’ve been self-employed for years now, but for many it’s a new and uncharted territory. Let me tell you, working from home is THE BEES KNEES! It can be a bit tricky to get used to when you normally work out in the big wide world though, so here are my top tips as a seasoned pro at working solo:

1) Get yourself a routine. You don’t always have to stick rigidly to it (when you work from home you can be your own boss, YES!), but having a structure really helps to get you back on track if your mind starts wandering. Remember making a revision timetable when you were at school? That’s what you need now, but with fewer colours and NO STICKERS! Okay maybe some colours and stickers, but make sure you don’t spend more time planning your work than actually doing the work. I tend to make a bullet point list of tasks I need to get done that week, and go from there.

2) Schedule in a couple of household tasks if you can - you’re not commuting any more so it makes sense to use some of that extra time to keep on top of your work space and to give you a sense of achievement early in the day. Five minutes of whipping round the house and collecting up yesterdays mugs will drastically increase your mood in two ways: firstly, you won’t be in danger of knocking over a beverage every time you reach across the desk to get your phone, and secondly, you’ll know where all the mugs are when you want to make yourself a cup of tea. Easy access to tea is a must.

3) Fashion a dedicated workspace. I’m now lucky enough to have my own studio space, but I’ve had plenty of experience of working from a shared room that’s also a kitchen/living room/everything room. Choose your happy place, however small, and get it set up just right. The kitchen table is ideal if you have one, but anyone who tells you you can’t work properly from the sofa is clearly a charlatan and possibly a table salesperson. Don’t listen to them, you do you.

4) Timetable in some sort of exercise and/or fresh air. You’ll be all cosy in your makeshift home office and you won’t want to leave, but reward yourself with a cup of a tea and a sit down when you get back. Does taking the bins out count as exercise and fresh air? Yes, but we should all be going zero-waste by now so your bin trips will inevitably be few and far between. Go and look at the dog in a the garden down the road, or keep walking until you see a red squirrel or a man wearing a yellow coat. The world is your lobster.

5) Wear trousers (most of the time). Being at home during the day may seem like the perfect opportunity to walk around the house all day in your pants, but there are whole Twitter feeds dedicated to the weird things people saw on Skype calls when their colleague thought their video feed was turned off. Don’t be that person, David. You’ll also be surprised by how many people come to your door the minute you’re nude from the waist down. If you insist on conducting business from the comfort of your birthday suit, remember to keep a dressing gown by the door or that delivery company is going to put you on a list you do NOT want to be on.

6) Treat yo self! You’re working from home now so you’ll be there all day to receive parcels! Instead of panic-buying toilet roll and hand wash, why not invest in something from an independent business? Like Cepheid Studio! You know I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to tell you about my INCREDIBLE telescope socks which, incidentally, are perfect for wearing around the house; find them (and a load of other great stuff) HERE!