FEELING ISOLATED AT HOME? TAKE THIS TIME TO REDEFINE IT

Neutral Bay living room by Adam Scougall Design. Featuring “Shadow” the dog. Image by Yie sandison.

It’s late March 2020, and by now, most of us are working from home or at least spending more time in it than we are used to. We’ve been virtually enforced to stay indoors until we can get a handle on this epidemic. And as unsettling as the world is right now, we need to move on with our lives and live the best life possible.

A silver lining for many of us will be the opportunity to assess how we live now that we are spending longer than average time in our homes. Is it a pleasant proposition or one that’s seeing you pull your hair out at how unorganised your work or living areas actually are? It’s a given that we are spending more time on the computer, which may mean that we do this in our designated study area. How is this working for you? If you realise that you don’t have this set up properly it could be an opportunity to start planning an update to how to set this up in a more effective way.

The importance of a comfortable study zone.

Unless you live alone like I do, you will find it difficult to do focused work in an open living area with others watching TV, or just hustle & bustling through life. It can be a real distraction so I’d encourage you to set up a space outside of your main living centre if you possibly can.

If you have a designated study, or a spare bedroom that you can make into a study, then you are generally set up for success. Set up a reasonable sized desk and computer equipment that really is switch on and go. The less time it takes you to set anything up is the easiest way to commit to getting on with it when you need to. The top of your desk space should not be occupied with unnecessary “things.” Keep your desk space cleared for the essentials — computer, notebook, and a pen. Any other work items can be neatly filed away in drawers underneath your desk or in a small desk organiser.

Turramurra Study. Image by Yie Sandison.

And study spaces don’t need to be boring! Add some colour if you are a colour person! Add wonderful, expressive art. Put in some fresh flowers each week, from the shop or garden. I love to make study areas fun and uplifting. Forget formal and official-life is too serious at the best of times so an upbeat and happy room for this is essential!

Breakfast Point study. Image by Yie Sandison.

Set times to get stuff done-and stick to them.

If you aren’t used to working from home, it can be easy to get swayed into doing things like laundry, leaving the TV on and getting caught up in a random segment or something similar. One & a half- or two-hour-time blocks are ideal for scheduling official work sessions. Any longer without a break and you can lose momentum and focus. Take a 15-20-minute breather and commence another series of time blocks if you need to put in a full day.

Make your office feel less like one.

In the video below, British Interior Designer Kelly Hoppen shows us just how fabulous an office can be if you treat it as another visually and functionally pleasing destination at home. Dining tables that double as desks are a great way for us to not only have a vast desktop space, but also to do impromptu things like eat a meal with your partner or co-worker without it feeling stark and depressing.

Get rid of stuff.

I also like to use the time blocking thing to sort through cupboards, the garage or wardrobes. If I’m in doors, I’ll stick the oven timer on for 30 minutes and commit to cleaning out the wardrobe. I’m literally going through this process myself this week. What clothes haven’t I worn for 12 months? What clothing doesn’t fit [sobering but vital to review!] that I need to get rid of? Getting rid of stuff clears our minds and helps us get perspective on what’s around the corner.

Clutter also increases our opportunities to get distracted. Whether it’s an electronic device or just a piling mound of papers putting stress on your plate, these things should be properly put in their place. Organise your working space and reduce to the bare minimum. You’ll notice it’s much easier to work a little more solidly when your setting is clean and clutter free.

It not about wiping our history or personalities out completely.

The above guidelines are about pushing the re-set button to some degree, but it doesn’t mean we need to get rid of so much that we are wiping out our history. For the most part, many will agree that there is probably some opportunity right now to cut, cull and re-organise at least one or even several areas in our homes. Being at home more will mean increased awareness and focus on what we are living with. It’s either a confirmation of the beauty you’ve already created, or a wave to say ‘what can we do about this?’ if what you see is becoming constantly unsettling.

Eclectic Study-Breakfast Point by Adam Scougall Design. Image By Brigid Arnott on behalf of Home Beautiful Magazine

Once the slates clean[er], we can update with something new!

I’d be a Negative Nancy if I didn’t encourage a few carefully selected & fabulous new pieces to take the blues away, post cut & cull. We all want something sparkly and new every year, same as we all need to clear out newly accrued clutter each year. Below are some of my favourite images from Contents ID showing well organised, chic and uncluttered living spaces. The first image for example, shows us how our open book cases should look. If your bookcases are overflowing with dusty, allergy infusing old books you never read, think about cleaning it up and presenting it similar to the image below. Love the Spencer Day bed and the carefully edited and contemporary boo case above left of it.

*Image courtesy of Contents ID International.

I recently pulled out a pile of old papers,samples and all sorts of garbage that should never have been thrown into my lovely buffet. Imagine cleaning out yours, and as a gift to yourself, selecting some superb new ornaments to address the top of it. I love the Turquoise horse and elegant light fitting. Chic and uncluttered. Image courtesy of Contents ID.

*Image courtesy of Contents ID International.

Did you enjoy this journal? Please share any of your cut, cull & good riddance stories with me and they may end up in a future blog.

Stay safe and healthy!

AS x