New Year, New Me!

Ahh, who am I kidding, I’ll still be the same old me. A little bit older. Probably just as grumpy but hopefully a bit more organised and professional! And more importantly, still blogging/writing/trying to anyway.

The tail end of 2019 saw me branch out more into freelance writing. Honestly, it is something I have been toying with for a while. The desire to work from home and my love of writing pushed me forward to pursue this avenue. Only, what was once a hobby I could on my knee on the sofa became something bigger for me. And whilst my sofa is still my preferred working area, the lure of the TV and a sneaky 3-hour afternoon nap wreaked havoc on my efforts to work.

A New Office Area.

Over the past few years, I have tried and subsequently failed at making myself a little office area I can work from at home. I tried the nook behind the living room door. Only in true Goldilocks style, it wasn’t quite right. So I moved to the kitchen and set up in the corner, and I was happy there for a little while. Until I wasn’t and I decided I needed to move and my desk wasn’t cutting it (insert over the top ridiculous excuse here).

So I moved upstairs to my bedroom and set up in my alcove. And here I worked happily until I hated my desk. So I got a new one and moved across to the other side of the room. And quite frankly at this point, it wasn’t anything to do with my home or my desk or my carved out ‘office area’ the issue was me!

So I made it my mission to get myself sorted for 2020. To get me off the sofa and away from those killer 3-hour naps. The aim is to be more productive to make a success of working from home this year.

A New Desk for 2020.

I was sent this amazing new desk from Vonhaus at the end of the year, and I knew it was now or never to get myself organised and sorted. We have to start somewhere, don’t we! So I hauled my bedroom around and set back up in the alcove in the corner out of the way. With a new office chair and determination to get stuff done, I have been hiding here a lot. Incidentally, so has Olivia and my nieces when they pop round to see me too. The desk is a winner it seems!

It has space for everything, and I mean everything. My laptop, diary, inbox tray box file, motivational plaque, pen pot, dinner plates, 3467 coffee cups and 246 cans of Pepsi Max. What more could you ask for! Plus I PUT IT TOGETHER MYSELF! That’s right, all on my own. I was pretty chuffed with myself. So now I can say for those capable people it is crazy easy to put together. For those who need a bit of time and patience and is a bit rubbish at DIY, in general, like me, it could take nearly 3 hours!

I really feel like a total professional who can legitimately say I work from home now. Not that I wasn’t before, but this desk screams professional.

Getting Organised for 2020

In all honesty, I don’t need much to do what I need to do when it comes to working from home. But, I am easily distracted, so taking away the temptation to procrastinate for me is essential as is using some tried and tested methods to get everything done. Now, I know this won’t be foolproof but putting measures in place to stop me ‘faffing’ is something I want to work on going forward in 2020.

So How Am I Going To Do This?

• Set working hours and implement break times and self-imposed deadlines to allocate work to different days.
• Organise my working day into slots with specific goals.
• Keep my laptop at my desk and not in other areas of my home to separate home and work life.
• Set time limits for using social media/checking emails and other things I do to put off working.
• Use my diary more and keep all of my blogging and writing essentials in one place to help me work more productively.

Also, I need to remember not to be too hard on myself when I am feeling a bit under the weather. In the past, I used to feel like I was coming down with a virus or similar regularly. Now I know it is the Fibromyalgia, I can work towards resting more when I have my flare-ups.

So when this does happen, it is easier for me to work from my bed!

I know, right, living the dream here but honestly some days I do need it. However, working from your bed isn’t the easiest thing to do at times. But it is a lot easier with this laptop table from Domu Brands – Vonhaus. With adjustable legs, you can use it flat or raised at different levels by literally expanding the legs and securing them at your desired height.

Using this stand is perfect for me as I fidget a lot. I can have it over my legs, in front of me, to the side, draped over one leg when I get pins and needles! So on my worst days, I can still keep my laptop with me and try to do some work. I’m not saying it’s foolproof, but over the past few weeks it has come in really handy.

Do you have any tips for getting yourself organised when you work from home and making the most of your days?