For many people, if your type of career allows, working from home is the dream. No daily commute, more time to exercise and be mindful… no annoying colleagues. Now the reality of it is here, but every other member in the household is working from home too! This is NOT what you had in mind. Right?

For most of us, there are many, many challenges to working from home in this lockdown. How do we even attempt to balance family, work productivity, home-schooling, household chores and our health and the entire family’s well-being?

I’ve been working from home since I started South Place Studio about three years ago. I’d previously worked in a small design studio in The City, a job that I loved but it unfortunately became apparent I had to leave after starting a family. I really enjoyed working in a team environment, I enjoyed the social aspect and the opportunity to bounce ideas around, so I found suddenly working from home quite lonely. But after a few months of settling into a routine, I found a good (still not perfect) balance and I thought I had it just about sussed, then Covid-19 came along!

The dining table has become the working-from-home-hub!

People sometimes ask me how to be, and stay productive working from home, and I usually have a few tips, like arranging the right kind of childcare, and using shared work spaces occasionally, but the regular working from home advice I would usually give is not relevant in this new situation we find ourselves in.

With a 7 year old who is very keen to be home-schooled and a nearly-two-year old toddler, it’s taken a couple of weeks of frantic juggling to re-adjust and get over the feeling of total overwhelm. I’ve put together some tips below that help in our home, it’s by no means smooth sailing, but by following these most days, my husband and I do get a good amount work done every day, with time for some exercise and mostly calm evenings.

ONE: KEEP A ROUTINE

Without the structure of a commute or the school drop off, it’s very easy for the morning’s goings on to stretch into the afternoon. We have a home-school timetable on the fridge for our 7-year old (with her input), mainly to help her know when she should be dressed and starting the ’school’ day, but it motivates all of us really, as we all aim to be dressed, do some exercise, and have breakfast by the time ‘school’ starts. The large dining table in the open plan kitchen/diner is our hub, but my husband and I take turns juggling occupying the toddler, with work and taking calls in the home office upstairs.

Cutting the expensive London commute out of my workday was one of the things I loved most about starting the business. Suddenly my week was 10 hours longer. Working from home allows you to set your own start and finish times. If you use this extra time wisely, your productivity can increase dramatically. Sometimes I’d wake up very early, before the kids, to start my work day and by the time everyone else rose, I’d already put in 3-4 hours of work, leaving the rest of the day to feel far less stressful and not feeling too guilty about taking some time with the kids or exercising.

I’ve set up my desk so that I overlook the garden as I work.

TWO: CLAIM YOUR WORK SPACE

It’s important to separate your work space from your relaxing space, especially if you are feeling demotivated in this confusing time. If, like me, you find clutter makes you feel overwhelmed and claustrophobic, then it is even more important that every person in the household have their own desk or workspace that they are responsible for keeping organised and tidy. Our current situation with two young kids (and teaching as well) does not really allow for each person to be working away in a separate room all day, so we both work from the dining table and have separate desk for Eva’s home learning set up next to it. But I do also have my home office, so we do take turns to escape for video calls or work that needs more focus.

A dedicated workspace is so important for working from home. Even if you don’t have a spare room, set up a desk in an area of your home that is away from the hustle and bustle of home life. And don’t choose the drabbest spot either, you need to want to sit there - try for a garden view, or a spot with lots of natural light, sometimes just lighting a scented candle on your desk can get you in the zone.

The kitchen is seeing a lot more action these days, with the island becoming the hub for occasional office, cookery school and the kid’s dining area.

THREE: RECOGNISE THAT DIFFERENT TASKS NEED DIFFERENT SURROUNDINGS

If your work is varied, you may find that on some days you are in the zone, and on others you are struggling to get started. I’ve realised that for my own work, if I’m designing, researching or emailing, I really don’t mind the hustle and bustle of family life going on around me, but if I’m working on budgets, coding or writing posts and articles, I need to go up to my office and shut the door. You need to find which surroundings motivate you to get all different aspects of your work done. It may seem obvious, but if you’re still trying to write paragraph one, and the kids are demanding back-to-back snacks, it’s time to snap out of it and take yourself away!

FOUR: MEET PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE REGULARLY

If you work from home on your own, it is very easy to become totally immersed in work and to go for days without seeing or interacting with another person. Obviously, the current situation, this is not possible, but we can still meet over video calls, it’s really important for our well-being to keep that social connection going, particularly if you live alone.

With most working hours spent at the dining table (next to the home school), I’m missing spending time in my bright, quiet home office.

FIVE: TAKE A CREATIVE DAY

Take a dedicated number of days each month to allow yourself to be creative, even if your work isn’t. Being creative is a great way to totally focus on something enjoyable for a little while. Pre-lockdown, my creative days would involve visiting the many design events or galleries in London, or simply allowing myself to take a slower walk back from a meeting or event to stop to notice and photograph architectural details of the buildings I pass. This is one of the tings I miss most about being in lockdown.

During lock-down though, my creative time is spent doing crafts or cooking with the kids, researching, entering design competitions, or taking the time to complete and photograph small DIY or styling projects in my home.

I allow myself some time to complete little projects like this one. I reupholstered the chair and used the old fabric to make the round cushion on the bed.

SIX. LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

These are strange, uncertain times. Beyond the immediate distractions of Joe Wicks PE, and the Instagram obsession with banana bread, we are surrounded by very complex emotions. There will be days when we feel we don’t want to do anything at all. That’s ok. Take the time to do what makes you feel well. Yoga, running, music, dancing, cooking, watching Netflix. It all counts.

SEVEN. AND LASTLY, WEAR MASCARA!

…Or your equivalent of what makes you feel ready for the day.
It helps to make an effort and get into ‘I’m ready’ mode even if no one is going to see you that day.

Working From Home With A Young Family - What I've Learned Three Years In