Blog – Page 2 – Molly Sweeney

The Home Office

Chances are if you started off working from home when the pandemic hit, you are still working from home. What I find truly remarkable is how well people and companies have adapted to this model of working. Still a work in progress like most things, but working pretty well nonetheless.

What is also evolving, is the desire to stay at home, once things go back to “normal” – whatever that looks like! This may mean a permanent, at home work life for some. But for others, going into the office has real benefits, and the plan is to return…but for a lot of people, not back to the same five days a week.

Here are some helpful tips to make this space, wherever it may be in your home, integrate but not dominate:

Storage

Invest in the appropriate storage for your needs: filing cabinet, credenza, multi-purpose drawer unit (big or small) for general supplies, bookcases or shelving. Try to choose storage with drawers and doors. This way, when it is not “work time”, you are free from any work-related visual distractions.

Video Conference Backgrounds

We are all getting used to seeing people via video in their home with books, pictures, etc behind them. At times, I notice myself scanning the background, looking at photos and checking out book titles. This can make it is hard to achieve the level of engagement you might be looking for over video meetings. So help yourself and your client/customer by being thoughtful about your backdrop. You could choose something completely neutral, or you could use your backdrop as an opportunity for branding or corporate messaging, if appropriate. Anything from a large piece of foam core, to a vinyl banner with your logo would work, but make it professional. Think of something that works for your particular context – maybe the bookcase full of personal items is just right!

Ergonomics

Most of you will have sorted this out pretty quickly. Having your equipment in the right spot, as well as appropriately “fitted” to your body ergonomically, so that you can work comfortably, is REALLY important. Until my husband incorporated a second monitor into his work station, he was working from a laptop which was propped up on a file box so that he was not looking “down” for 8+ hours a day. Making these little or big adjustments is important. Otherwise, you get aches and pains and other discomforts, which make it harder to focus. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of a good chair as most of us are spending the majority of our work day sitting down. Get your office chair from work if you can. Otherwise, make this a priority purchase and perhaps your work will reimburse you.

Organization

Keep on top of your papers, files, reference materials, etc. Sometimes you may want to spread out and work at the kitchen counter while you are working on an important project, but don’t keep it that way. Take the time to regularly reign-in your work footprint to its designated space. It can and will take over!

Furnishings

“Office” furniture vs “home-office” furniture. Even if you are fortunate enough to have a separate room for your home office, be particular about your choices for furnishings. Some of us can use what we already have, and make it all work just fine. If you are needing to invest in a few pieces to make your work-at-home experience optimal, try to choose from the “home-office” category. Typical “office” furniture is usually all about function, and the scale – not to mention the aesthetic- is generally not ideal for home-office spaces. Choose carefully in order to make your work-space nice to look at and function in.

Air Quality

Unlike most offices, working from home means that you can control the overall temperature of your space which is a real plus. Also, unlike most offices, your windows at home open, and close, so that you can adjust the flow of new, clean air into your work space. I recommend having at least one nearby window open always, even if just a little, to keep the air fresh. You can also add a plant, or two, to further improve air quality. Nowadays, there are indoor plant shops popping up all over the place, and most sell lovely pots to put them in.

I hope this helps you with your own home office space, wherever that may be!

Clutter

We all have clutter to deal with – and other people’s clutter too! Some of us are on top of our situation – this takes a daily commitment to maintaining the established order in your home (ie the salt and pepper always go in “this ” spot, and the bread gets put away in “that” spot, and so on…). It also means that you are managing the in-coming into your home most days: do I need this piece of mail or can it go directly into the recycling, does this shopping bag get recycled or is it re-useable, and back in my purse or put by the back door so that I can grab it on my way out, etc. It sounds tedious, but if it becomes a habit, you do it with out thinking and it becomes part of the process.

Some of us find this daily effort too much, and some people just have a higher threshold for clutter, so you are left with bigger jobs. Try committing to once a week, when the task of de-cluttering is not too burdensome. The kitchen/familyroom is usually the drop zone for most of the in-coming “stuff”, so start there with the recycling bin handy, and “just do it”, as they say. If you don’t, the job gets bigger, and less likely to achieve…. and then what?

Tips that help:

-containers for things are really helpful (pencils, cotton pads, mail, etc…)

-group like things together (magazines, make-up, belts, spices, etc)

-be realistic (not everything in your home will be behind a closed door or in a drawer)

-be flexible (if no one in your family puts their coats in the hall cupboard, consider putting up some hooks…)

Good luck!

Silver linings

While there are so many strange, stressful, and sad things going on for people all over the world, I can’t help but feel I have fallen into the “lucky bucket”. I have experienced so many silver linings during this time of COVID. One of them has been the time I have had to spend in my garden. I have always had a long list of “things I’d love to do” in my garden given the time, and guess what? I got what I asked for…the time to do these things, and along with the time, came unseasonably warm weather, so it has been a productive and rewarding time.

And I am not the only one who has had this experience. From week to week, I see garden’s growing: beds extended, new veggie plots added, garden paths created. There is so much beauty in gardens all over Vancouver. Take a walk, and see for yourself….

Hanging Art

Hanging art work can seem daunting. Apart from the traditional “57” rule”, there are so many different ways to display your art collection. For those of you who are not familiar with this standard, let me briefly explain. The rule of thumb for hanging art is to have the centre of your image, whether it be a large canvas, or a collection of images 57″ from the floor. This generally works, but not always. Nowadays, there are so many other creative options to show off your art: collages in both grid and free-form, leaning and layered, as well as picture rails…. In fact, there seems to be no wrong way…..just make sure you love what you are putting up on your walls!