AD| Working from home has become more popular than ever since the pandemic. I know many people who haven’t gone back to the office yet, even though restrictions have been lifted. I worked from home during my pregnancy (which I’m so thankful for as my pregnancy was rough!) and continue to do so now.
Though I’m now self-employed as I didn’t return to my career after maternity, I still work from home as a full-time blogger.
Working from home suits me down to a tee. I’ve always been a homebody. I love being at home in my own space with my own things. It’s very true to my Cancer star sign! My ideal Saturday night is a nice meal at home or a takeaway and then a movie. I don’t like staying away from home for the night and my bed is the best place ever.
So for me, working from home is what my heart and soul craves. I know many people were itching to get back into the office as soon as they were able, but not me!
The benefits of working from home far outweigh having a place of work, for me. There’s no commute for a start, so you can have extra time in bed or have a much more relaxed morning with a slow coffee before easing into work. This is much nicer than quickly pouring a coffee into a flask to drink in my car when I was sitting in traffic on the M62.
In winter you don’t have to step out into the cold and de-ice your car when you work from home. In the summer you can enjoy the sunshine a bit more with lunchtime walks and make the most of the warm, long evenings without the commute.
You don’t have to buy lunch each day so it can save you money and you won’t be tempted by expensive £4 coffees.
For me, working from home means a warm and relaxed environment where I can work with flexibility and in complete comfort. I can have silence if I need it, or music if I’m doing a boring task and there’s never that feeling that someone is watching what I’m doing.
When I was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness, it didn’t matter when I did my work as long as I did it. That meant. I could take afternoons off to nap and work a bit later when I often felt better. I would not have been able to do that if I didn’t work from home.
Now I spend more time at home, my space has become more precious than before. It’s made me realise what I want in our next home. It’s also encouraged us to spend on a few more luxuries than we would have before.
A decent coffee machine
We’ve recently spent £400 on a beans-to-cup coffee machine, which is insane to me! But we wanted to upgrade from our pod machine as they’re terrible for the environment. The coffee machine does feel worth it now as I can use it throughout the day to have a coffee latte with a caramel shot!
As it’s from fresh beans, it tastes delicious and was totally worth the money. It’s also a good brand so I know it will last us a long time.
An office
Sadly, we don’t have space for an office in our house. But it’s something I want when we upgrade our home. It’s not too bad at the moment as I work while Leo is in bed asleep during naps and at night, so I tend to work on my laptop while I’m sitting in bed.
I’m currently writing this at 2 pm in the afternoon while he naps next to me! It’s not the ideal situation and in the future, I will be having my bed as a strict work-free zone! But as Leo is 13-months and a poor sleeper, this works for us now.
When he starts nursery and school, the plan is that I’ll have an office that I can work in during the day.
Adequate heating
If your boiler is a bit old, unreliable or just isn’t heating as well as you need it to, it might be time to consider a new boiler installation. With Bbright you can get an instant quote, next day installation and be sure that your water and home will be warm enough over the winter months.
There’s nothing worse than being cold when you’re trying to work, it’s a major productivity killer for me!
A way to stay cool
On the flip side, in the summer you want to make sure your workspace is ready for a heatwave, we don’t have them often in the UK but when we do, our buildings just cannot cope with them as they are designed to keep heat in.
Some homes are a bit of a heat trap, especially those that have windows in direct sunlight all day.
Be proactive about it and ensure you have a fan in advance to keep you cool – as soon as a heatwave hits, fans sell out everywhere. Or you could even invest in one of those air-con units to keep your office cool.
Plants
Plants are great for your health, they filter the air and give a splash of colour and life to your home. Get yourself some low maintenance plants for your home so you can benefit from their positive and uplifting qualities without too much effort. An instant mood lifter!
A comfortable office chair
Do not be afraid to invest in a good office chair! It’s worth spending more on something you are going to spend hours using each day and having something that supports your back is so important.
A place to exercise
Whether that be a yoga mat on the floor, an exercise bike in the corner or a fully converted garage gym – get yourself somewhere you can work out.
Working from home is great but it often means you’re not getting many steps in and moving your body much. So having a space and equipment to get yourself moving at some point during the day is a must.
Freshen up your work area with prints
I love framed prints, I have them in a few areas of my house now and will be getting them in my office when I get one. The best thing is you can buy different prints for your frames and swap them out every so often to freshen the place up. I love the idea of swapping my prints out for each season.
Have work-free zones
Have at least one place in your house that’s a work-free zone. It could be a little reader corner you have to escape to. We have some friends who have an office and strictly never bring any work out of the office into the rest of the house.
Having boundaries between work and your personal life is so important and if you are someone who struggles with this, then a rule like this might help you out.
Get a pet
This is more of a life upgrade than a home upgrade! A cat or a dog might be a great idea when you’re working from home. It’s a bit of company and you’re home to give them company also. Plus having a dog might be the encouragement you need to get out for more walks!
Do you work from home? What are your must-have upgrades?
I need to upgrade my coffee machine, It’s a good time to upgrade it, to be honest. This is eye-opening. Thank you for sharing!
Soo many great ideas in this post. As soon as I knew I’d be working from home for a prolonged period of time, I invested in a proper desk, laptop stand and office chair. It’s helped me work comfortably and better in a time where life was a bit all over the place. It’s also helped me maintain a healthy wfh life attitude – I can leave my little office once I’m done for the day and put all the stresses away!
Rosie
Great post.
I’ve gone from working from home on a desk in our bedroom, to having a desk in the living room. It’s bright and much warmer in the room and it’s changed my mindset hugely.
We also don’t have space for an office, but I like my current setup.
Yesss agree with all of these! My garden office doubles up as my Yoga and workout studio, so it’s ideal for all of those things! My chair isn’t the comfiest though so maybe that’s something I need to invest in next year.
I love working from home but I’m back at the office now. Anytime, I get a chance to work from home, I maximize it because you spend less, have more time for yourself, get loads of work done, I also have yoga mat for mobility.
Fantastic article with some key items needed for the perfect work from home experience. The coffee machine is a big one on my list.
I agree with ALL of this! I don’t have plants because I’m a major black thumb and I don’t have a home gym because our house is small (but I don’t need it much anyways since I can’t work out often due to my chronic illness – so enough floor room for yoga is all I need) – but the rest??? AMEN. Having a dedicated work space with beautiful decor and no distractions has been key for me – and the coffee station is a must. I have my espresso machine, French press, coffee pot, bean grinder, and tea kettle all in one place so I can easily access it throughout my day (which I do… frequently). Great post!
These are great tips. I definitely need to find a more comfortable office chair – I’ve been looking into those ergonomic kneeling chairs that are supposed to be better for your back.
Totally agree with these! I love working from home and having the freedom
Your coffee machine sounds like a worthy investment to make coffee drinking a more robust and eco-friendly experience! Definitely something that is planned out to be worth it in the long run. Another long-run investment is a comfortable office chair! It helps with posture and makes sitting for longer periods of time much, much easier.
Having a place to exercise is a must for me and, since I do not need too much space, it was not hard to set up an area where I can always roll out my mat. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
I wish I had a job WFH sometimes! These are great upgrades to make when WFH x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
These are all great suggestions! I worked from home last year, and the best upgrade I made was a comfortable office chair. Until I got a good one, my back was killing me! I also agree with a home gym to get steps in as I definitely didn’t get as much exercise when I was working from home.
These are brilliant ideas. I love having plants in my office.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
So many great ideas in this post! I’m a bugger for working from my bed too! It plays havoc with my posture. Saying that we’ve just ordered a new desk and chair to go downstairs, that arrived today so hopefully having a better work space makes me more productive and it’s better for my back.
Claire.x
So many great ideas! I don’t work from home, but definitely recommend an office and a nice chair x
I’d love to get a dog if I worked from home! (although not sure what my cat would think about it haha) There are so many perks to working from home, but equally I do love the social interaction of being in work, if I could decide for myself I’d do half and half!
Amy x
callmeamy.co.uk
Love your ideas! Xx
I’m wanting to make a little office space too. I’ve been looking at the fold down style desks because I don’t have space for a dedicated room and it seems easier to just have a little corner
A comfortable office chair goes such a long way. I need to get one for my husband asap to put in our office!
Working from home is a god send for me, to have been able to be at home with Ru and now that I’m pregnant and need the odd nap and lots of rest! A decent coffee machine is definitely a must-have!