Our mini series Where I Work is taking a look at people’s home offices as the coronavirus pandemic changes the way so many of us work.
For a lot of people, the commute is dead and working from home is the new normal.
So each weekday we’re going inside someone’s home-working setup to look at how they get things done.
Today we’re looking at the space of Velda, a mum-of-two who runs a wall art business called Almond Tree Designs.
Velda works from the home she shares with her husband, their two young sons, and their 16-year-old cat, Misha.
Hey, Velda! Have you always worked from home?
I used to be office-based when I worked in the professional and financial services sectors prior to moving to Melbourne.
However, after moving to Melbourne and taking on Almond Tree Designs, I started working from home in order to have more flexibility around childcare when the boys were younger.
Talk us through your work-from-home setup
I have two main work areas: my office, where I do all my design and business admin work etc, and my workshop, where I do my framing and order packing.
However, I’ve found that the rest of the house has become a bit of a showroom and testing space for new print designs!
I love my new office desk, which I’ve created using the Ikea Alex drawers (for lots of storage space) and a nice neutral timber top.
The main equipment I use in my office is my Apple iMac. The screen is amazing and vibrant, and perfect for checking the detail in my designs.
Luckily, I have an amazing local commercial printer who I outsource my product printing to, so I only need a small printer in my home office for my own administrative needs. Otherwise, I’d need a whole lot more space!
In terms of decoration, I’m a bit spoilt for choice! I’m always having new designs printed and photographed for my two Instagram accounts, so I’ve always got beautiful artwork on my walls that are constantly changing.
I’m also a big fan of vases and cushions to make my work spaces pretty and comfortable, and I love having fragrance diffusers and candles in each space too, because a beautiful fragrance can be so refreshing and uplifting when you walk into a room.
How do you stay focused when working from home?
I don’t have any hard and fast rules for working from home, but I generally have a list of tasks that I aim to complete over the course of a day or week. Because I’m quite results-orientated, having this to-do list each day/week keeps me focused.
What’s a working day like for you?
On a typical working day, I would normally drop my kids off at school and be home to start work at 9am. There’s usually half an hour or so of catching up on social media and messages. I then work out my orders to be fulfilled for the day and then start framing and packing prints.
I typically eat lunch on the go as I head out to the post office with the orders, and pick up my next batch of prints from my printer before heading back just in time to pick the kids up from school.
My afternoons are usually spent either taking the kids to their after-school activities or helping them with their homework. So I’ll then start back up in the office around 9pm after the kids are sleeping, and finish any work outstanding for that day.
Unfortunately, my days are anything but typical now with the kids home during the Covid-19 isolation period. All I can say is that there’s a lot of after-hours work being done!
Have you come up against any challenges working from home?
While working from home has been brilliant for juggling work and childcare, I do miss having daily interactions with co-workers and friends.
Working from home can be incredibly productive though, because you have the extra time you would otherwise spend commuting and there’s definitely fewer external distractions (as long as you don’t get caught up doing all the washing!).
What advice do you have for people new to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic?
Make sure you have a dedicated space to work in, that’s clear of any home clutter. It doesn’t even have to be a separate room!
This just helps to clear your headspace and set the scene for a more productive frame of mind.
Also set yourself goals and tasks for each day – and make sure you stick to them.
Do you have a home-working setup you fancy sharing? Email Ellen.Scott@Metro.co.uk to get involved in Where I Work.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/15/work-velda-wurns-online-wall-art-business-home-melbourne-12558008/?ITO=squid
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