Tips for working from home

For the past month I (along with many people in the country) have been working from home, which has been the first time doing work at home since studying at university!  At first I thought it was going to fine as I used to study/do homework after school and uni for years and was quite good at setting down and doing it.  But when I think of it, that was only for maybe 3 hours and now I am having to do full on 8 hour days 5 days a week at home, which is a bit different.  It took a while to find out what works best for me and getting into a routine.  So, since we are going to be working from for a few more weeks, I thought I would share with you my tips for how to work from home.  These can also be handy for students studying at home too! 

1) Have a set working space:  For me, this is so key to concentration.  When you think working from home, you think yes I don't have to get up and out of bed.  But, for me I found I just don't concentrate the same in bed and get distracted by how comfy it is and find myself more likely to nap haha! I prefer to create a space that really feels like work, so using a desk or table as I concentrate better.  If you can try and find a space that is separate from everyday life so it still feels as if you are 'going to work' even is it just on one side of the room or in a different room.  By doing this I find you can distance yourself and walk away from work when the day is over and give yourself the space away you need to relax in the evening. You may have seen on my Instagram, @sweetpea97.blog that I actually didn't have a desk for the first few days of working form home, so I set up the coffee table on the other side of the room instead haha! 

2) Get up and wake up: My working day starts at 7:30 so I would normally be up at 5:45, however working from home meant I could have a lyin!  For the first week I would get up at about 7:00 and sluggishly slump to my chair still in my pjs and begin working which was not good as I was still half asleep and concentration was not great.  After realising this was not working, I decided it was better to act as if this was a normal day and I would definitely recommend it!  I still have a bit of a lyin as I no longer have the 30 minute drive to work, so I wake up at 6:15 and head to the lounge where I can take my time eating my breakfast, watching the news, having a scroll and just waking myself up for the day.  It has really helped my concentration as I feel more awake and ready for the day. 

3) Get dressed: I don't know if I cam crazy as I thought I would love working in my pjs, but again I found creating an environment that was as much like work as possible was so much better for my mood.  I have found by doing my hair, makeup and actually putting on clothes make me feel more productive and ready to take on the day.  This doesn't mean you ave to out on a dress and heels, as there are so many cute lougewear outfits out there now, I simply mean get out of your pjs and dressing gown and hopefully you will feel much more motivated. 

4) Have a to do list: I love a good to do list because it sets out what I need to get done that day (so I don't forget!) and makes me feel good as I tick off each thing.  By writing everything out on paper and having it in front of you is like a brain dump and gets it all out of your head which for me, helps me concentrate and makes me feel less anxious as I can see what needs to be done. 

5) Have a good playlist: Working from home people think, yes I can watch the TV and catch up on netflix.  But this is a very bad idea as you will loose concentration and not get work done.  So, I suggest having a great playlist or podcast on to boost your mood or have the radio on so you still feel as though you are surrounded by people.  Or, face your back to the TV so you can still hear the noise in the background but aren't able to be glued to it (just don't put on something exciting that is likely to make you turn around haha). 

6) Plenty of tea and biscuits: The beauty of being at home is that you have all your home snacks right on hand as you need.  I love a good cuppa and biscuits to keep me fuelled and topped up throughout the day! 

I hope you found this helpful.  They may seem like such easy tips, but they really do work for me and I hope they work for you too! I would love to know in the comments if you have any tips on how to work from home!

This week has been crazy for all as we have seen our world flipped upside down and normality go out the window.  If you have seen my Instagram, some of you will know I really struggled with this the last few weeks hence why I have not posted much this month.  I wanted to stay in bed, cry and shut the the word out until this whole thing went away and I felt really low.  This week, I made a change to my routine and as a result, my mood changed for the better.  So, I thought I would share some tips and ways I have used to get myself out of the dark place during this crazy time in the hope that it will help some of you who may be feeling the same. 

1) Get out of bed, showered and dressed - I have found if I force myself to get out of bed and get dressed I feel so much better already as I feel fresh and ready to start the day. Don't get me wrong, I am not setting an alarm and am still having a lyin, but I am not staying in bed all day. 

2) Go out for your daily exercise - The government have said we are allowed out of our houses once a day so why not make the most of it to get some fresh air! You can go for a run, cycle or walk as long as you follow the social distancing rules it is completely up to you.  I have found by getting myself to do this, it gives me something to do to a) pass time haha, b) have a chance to get out of the house and c) get some fresh air and time to clear my head.  I have loved looking at all the rainbows and artwork in people's windows, it puts a smile on my face each time I spot a new one and reminds me things will turn around and we are all in this together. 

3) Do the things you felt you never had time for - This week I actually read a book, in a week! It was so nice to be able to sit and binge read a book as this is something I love doing but only get the chance when away on holiday and it felt so nice.  So, do those things you have wanted to do for ages but said you were always too busy. Make a cake, finish that scrap book and read that book! 

4) Stay in touch with loved ones - Just because we are in lockdown and can't go and see friends and family doesn't mean you can't still speak to them. We are very fortunate that there are SO many ways we can talk to eachother nowadays from social media, texting and phone calls to facetime and zoom calls!  So, you can still chat to people, catch up, play games and give each other recommendations on stuff to do . 

5) Make a list - sometimes making a list helps me feel better as I work my way through it and tick tasks off.  Even my grandma has found doing this and really breaking it down has helped cheer her up as she gets bits done.  You can put it one big task such as get up and ready for the day or if you want you can break it down such as get out of bed, shower, get dressed and eat breakfast. By doing this can be good start point to help you get out of that dark place. 

I hope you have found this useful.  If you have any tips on how to keep positive in this crazy time, please let me know! 

Stay safe, stay home.

How I store my bathroom bits

When moving into student housing with other people, one thing I thought about was the bathroom and where I was going to put all my stuff. I am the type of person that doesn’t like clutter around the bath and living with 3 other people, I felt it would be easier to keep all my bathroom bits together in my room. I was given a rectangular basket as a gift and thought it would be perfect to use as it could fit a lot in and would be easy to take to the bathroom when needed. I has worked perfectly over the past two years and I would defiantly recommend it as an easy way to store all you bathroom bits and avoid a cluttered bathroom.

So, for this week’s blog post I thought I would share with you what is in my bathroom box!

This is the basket I use:

As you can see everything fits quite nicely! I have put items such as shampoo, conditioner and body wash I use regularly in a shower cap to avoid mould. But I do try and dry these before putting them back into the basket.

Here are some of my skin care products I use:

These are two moisturisers I am loving after I get out the shower. The Dove one is great for giving a tan!

And of course I have to mention the all-important bath products!

I hope you enjoyed this post and it has helped some of you who may be wondering how to store all those bathroom bits at uni!