Recently, I have begun the adventure of working from home. I’m sure you can all imagine days spent bed with my laptop, surrounded by empty crisp packets right now. Sadly, this isn’t the case.
Very quickly in this little adventure, I realised the need for order. I’ve always been obscenely organised: I have a little Filofax love affair going on, I meal plan in advance and love stationery. Needless to say, when it came to organising a desk space, I was in heaven.
I’d never really considered my desk space until now. It previously sat in the corner of my living room, as a place for the cat to lay and dust to gather. I’ve always picked the sofa over a horrible straight-backed chair. I soon realised that this was unproductive, so me and my Filofax (nicknamed “My Life”) had to move homes. During this move, I learned a few things.
1) Natural sunlight is your best friend
No exaggeration. I used to revel in dark corners but since moving my desk to a position opposite the window, I jump out of bed excited to get down to work. The light gives me a good idea of how late I’m working (I’m practically nocturnal) and even if it’s just the placebo effect, it certainly makes me happier and fills me with energy.
2) A tidy desk is a tidy mind
I’ve already admitted my tendency to over-organise, but I have a lot of stationery. And I’m a neglectful stationery mama; I tend to abuse Post-It notes, overuse staples and give notebooks a less than loving home. My desk has always looked like Paperchase threw up on it (another panda shaped memo block? Why the hell not.) However, I recently invested in some Ikea filing equipment, and now I don’t know what I did before I had a physical Inbox. Who even knew they existed?
3) If a desk space is pretty it’s gonna get used
My desk is a bit childish. I like notice boards, and mine happen to be covered in the tackiest kitten material. And pictures of manatees. I like to keep it a pretty and uplifting area. Inspirational posters are often printed out and right now my inspiration of choice comes from Vonnegut,
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.'”
Seriously, guys. Everyone needs to follow Kurt on this one. Having a pretty work space has definitely empowered me to, ya know, do more work.
4) A good chair
This one is self-explanatory. I admit I’m currently using a pretty awful chair. Actually it’s a stool from Ikea (I’m all over that shit) but 20 minutes at my desk, and I want to retreat to the cosy, butt-indented sofa. An ergonomically amazing chair is the way forward!
5) Start each day and end each night with a little de-clutter
This often helps me feel less overwhelmed in the morning and makes it easier for me to sleep at night – it gives my brain a chance to turn off and I can stop thinking about work!
Image via Kaelah Bee for BitchBuzz