A GUIDE TO WORKING FROM HOME | Essential Living

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T H E N E W N O R M A L : A G U I D E T O W O R K I N G F R O M H O M E

A GUIDE TO WORKING FROM HOME@E S S E N T I A L L I V I N G H O M E S

The New Normal:

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T H E N E W N O R M A L : A G U I D E T O W O R K I N G F R O M H O M ET H E N E W N O R M A L : A G U I D E T O W O R K I N G F R O M H O M E

At the end of the day (or whenever you finish working) spend an extra 5-10 minutes clearing off your desk by stacking your notebooks neatly, throwing away scratch paper, putting your pens in a cup, and taking the coffee cups to the kitchen. You will be amazed when you come back the next day and feel de-cluttered and de-stressed to start the day's work.

Your mind can focus on actual work rather than the surrounding clutter. Take it one step further and make sure your computer's desktop is clear by organising and deleting unnecessary files. (Who doesn't love that ‘empty trash’ sound your computer makes.)

If you don't have any drawers then buy a basket for designated office supplies and materials. Also a filing cabinet will go a long way to organise house bills vs work invoices

I know it sounds simple but this technique will go a long way not just in function but for the sake of your mental health.

PRO TIP:

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Clean Desk Policy


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I’m sure we’re not alone when we

say that this year has totally changed

everyone’s perspective about working

from home.From creating a makeshift space in the kitchen or converting a bedroom into an actual office, these are the times we are living in. But it doesn’t have to all be doom and gloom. If you are a lucky resident living at an Essential Living property then, unlike the rest of us, you have access to top-notch amenities such as a shared workspace on site. That is like gold!

But for those of you at home who need some help reconfiguring your work space, let us give you a few ‘essential tips’ to do so:

@THEINTERIORFOX

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These can actually provide more than one benefit from backlighting the space BEHIND your computer or provide direct concentrated light for writing or reading.

You can even uplight the calendar or corkboard NEXT to you as these types of lights are so versatile. We assume you don’t have the awful fluorescents that you find in commercial office spaces but

if you do, turn them off. The right lighting is key to keep your eyes from burning out and also highlighting the tasks at hand.

Don’t worry about hiring an electrician either as nowadays you can find so many options with the ability to plug-in directly to the wall rather than being hardwired!

If you have a wall behind your desk to mount one, use it, as it’s one more opportunity to keep the desk clear and provide layered lighting!

Whether you have natural or artificial lighting, make sure you have some sort of task light by your desk.

PRO TIP:

With a lick of paint you can transform a space into an entirely new one and why not go bold?

We understand that some colours are more conducive for certain work environments but you can apply this method of creating a space within a space with the use of any colour.

Whether you are in one of the Essential Living units with ample space or a cramped apartment with lots of roommates, try to find the opportunity to create one of these ‘work nooks’! Try integrating some floating shelves by painting them the same colour as the wall for that seamless built-in effect!

Dark colours do not make the room feel smaller, in fact it does the opposite!

Ok, literally any space, small or large, can be converted into a cute + stylish workspace. Do you have an old closet or storage room that could be converted into a new home office?

PRO TIP:

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T H E N E W N O R M A L : A G U I D E T O W O R K I N G F R O M H O M E T H E N E W N O R M A L : A G U I D E T O W O R K I N G F R O M H O M E

Defining space with colour

The right light:task lighting

@THEINTERIORFOX

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Like most apartment dwellers, each room usually has more than one function, so our job was to rezone a space which can double (even triple) as a home office/guest bedroom/yoga space without feeling cramped.

The best way to go about this is to space plan the room and figure out the most essential pieces and where they fit best. We found a love seat that doubles as a sofa bed and added long

floating shelves to connect the space together and provide storage.

A minimal, clutter free desk was key in a space where they practice yoga and host as well to keep with the zen vibes. Overall, changing your layout with the way you work is so refreshing and can also help boost your spirits, making it feel like a new place.

We have recently received several requests from clients who need help transforming their extra bedroom into a multi-functioning space where they can conquer several tasks.

Choose furniture + decor that is interchangeable and neutral so they don’t dominate the space!

PRO TIP:

This is obviously true in any space but when talking specifically about a home office/workspace this has never been more dire. It is probably the space where you spend the most of your time so it should provide a positive uplifting experience EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Try coordinating a few key cushions rather than using the accumulation of ones from around the house. If you already have picture

frames then it’s super easy to swap out the artwork with some affordable prints found online. We like to use references to nature as much as possible as it’s the least distracting.

If you are lucky enough to have an entire room dedicated to being a home office then perhaps it’s time to take it further and properly kit it out. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way!

We swear, this really helps! By swapping out the cushions and/or artworks you can really change the dynamic in your space.

Cool colours help you relax and feel focused while warm colours might make you feel energetic and hyper.

PRO TIP:


Introduce new accessories + decor

Space planning a multi - functioning room

@THEINTERIORFOX

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““Jen + Mar, the duo behind Interior

Fox, offer boutique interior design

for residential + commercial

projects across the globe.

With a heavy focus around London,

the duo love to give a unique

vision for each project and offer

affordable flat fee pricing per room.

From simple styling to full fit outs

and renovation, no project is too

small or too big!”

There are so many different opportunities to create the perfect space wherever you are. Essential Living has a really cool variety of spaces from studios to 3 bedroom units all of which are serviced and full of amenities such as roof terraces, in house dining, 24-7 concierge and are pet friendly! Whether you are lucky enough to use the co-working space or create your own (or both), we hope these tips help make every space ‘essential’. :)

INTERIOR FOXBy Jen + Mar 2020


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BiOInterior fox

What a year it has been and I’m afraid

to say it looks set to get worse before

it gets better with the global pandemic

still keeping us at home. I’ve spent most of 2020 in East London in a rented 1 bedroom flat with my fiance who is a paper artist. It’s been a year filled with uncertainty and having both been thrown into working from home and away from our roomy studio spaces it has been a challenge to say the least but one we’ve really made the best of.

I’m sharing my top tips to find the right formula for a work life balance and create the best of both worlds whilst at home.

Disclaimer: I’m a realist and one of those people who will keep calm and carry on as best I can. So I’m sharing my guide to working from home as we all navigate our new normal and keep on keeping on!

A guide to working from home during a pandemic


@HEARTZEENAHOME

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Create a designated WORK spaceThe office aka our dining table was for the first few weeks a mountain of paperwork, tools and tech. Like the rest of the country I hadn’t really imagined we’d be in lock down for the best part of the year but there we were. We slowly realised that every hour was turning into a working hour and to distract ourselves from reality we fell into a cycle of work. Being self employed we were used to this uncertainty as you really don’t know when the next job will come along sometimes and it is normal to end up working all hours but working in your living space really doesn't aid in creating a healthy work life balance.

So we slowly made a conscious effort to separate the two. It sounds obvious but is quite difficult when you live in a tiny one bedroom flat. We have to be clever with our space at the best of times so a lot of our furniture is multi use for storage purposes and our dining table extends to provide a bit more desk space. Tidying it away at the end of the day and setting the table for dinner made a huge difference in separating work from home. Even the process of stepping away from my screen at the end of a day to do this became a moment to pause.

We also used storage baskets and boxes to store tools and stationery in as well as any ugly tech. As soon as the work paraphernalia was packed away we immediately began to relax into home mode and wind down.

Get dressedI’ve always loved getting dressed. Putting outfits together and curating my wardrobe are so important to me as they’re an expression of my identity and personality. Your wardrobe and OOTD are the first thing a stranger might notice about you, it’s a first impression and just because we’re at home this shouldn’t be forgotten. I know dressing for Zoom is very convenient but clothing goes a long way toward setting up the day ahead and bringing some routine back to a working from home lifestyle. I love my sweats and have a rainbow of cosy joggers and matching T’s but even I felt the difference grabbing something smarter made to my day to day motivation. Even if it’s just putting on a shirt and jeans make getting dressed part of your everyday routine at home.

Go OutsideSome days would pass when I found myself still in the same spot at my dining table having not left our building as I was too busy or the weather was bad - there was always an excuse.

Set aside some time for a break whether it be first thing in the morning a lunchtime walk (rain or shine) or an after work nature trail. Set a reminder in your calendar, block out break times or keep a post it on your screen as a reminder. The power nature brings to your mental health always astounds me. It reminds you to take a step away from the small stuff and think about the bigger picture and the world.

Curate your spaceDuring the early days of lockdown we really missed having an outside space. We are lucky we can enjoy our shared garden area but it’s certainly not the same as having a green space of our own. So we decided to bring the outdoors in and create an indoor jungle. We ordered plants online and popped to our local flower market as soon as the restrictions eased and off we went filling the flat with new green friends. Having something else to care for also works wonders for your well being.

My top tip to keeping plants alive (I used to be a plant killer!) is to get to know your interior conditions. Do your research and buy plants that will thrive in those conditions otherwise your monstera won’t be worthy of that hashtag.

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@HEARTZEENAHOME

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Make mealtimes magicalAfter a day of back to back zoom calls taking some time to slow down, turn my screen off and reset the dining table for dinner became a daily joy.

Tablescaping - The art of setting a table in a decorative way - has become such a huge trend over lockdown. Mostly because it really is incredibly instagrammable and also a joy to set a table beautifully for a meal with someone you love. If you’re not sure where to start let the meal inspire your table decor. Pasta night might involve some gingham napkins and a candle (lady and the tramp style). Have fun with it and play with the objects around your home to style your table.

Creativity is keyMake time for creative breaks. We’re spending more and more time on our screens. I for one have been feeling the after effects of zoom fatigue. It is far more exhausting spending an hour on zoom with a virtual room full of colleagues than an IRL meeting room. The attention you use and the strain on your eyes really can be exhausting. Stepping out of the virtual world and into the creative space works wonders for your health and wellbeing. Learn a new craft, try your hand at drawing, get greenfingered in your garden, take up knitting for some guaranteed mindfulness.

I hope my tips help inspire your

working from home routine in our

new normal!

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Zeena is a content creator inspiring

colour positivity over on her Instagram

channel @heartzeena, where she

encourages her followers to add more

colour to their lives. This abundance

of bright and joyful content can also

be found on her second account

dedicated to her penchant for interiors,

@heartzeenahome, where she shows

how we can make a rented home our

own.

BiOZeena

“taking some time to slow

down, turn my screen off and reset the

dining table for dinner became a daily joy”

@HEARTZEENAHOME

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When the world went into lockdown, despite the low-level hum of anxiety, I also found myself feeling rather steadfast - on just one count. From twenty-tweet-strong twitter threads to my worried friends, everyone was asking ‘how on earth can anyone possibly get anything done from the comfort of their own home?’

Even before my current career - influencer, podcaster, writer, aspiring comedian, professional millennial - which lends itself to flexibility (and sort of requires the absence of people on important work calls, incase I need to film videos of myself trying to be funny whilst doing accents), I have always found working from home to be the height of luxury and productivity.

(By luxury I mean it makes me feel boujee, even when I couldn’t afford to put the heating on, and/or had rats.) At university I would wait for the last slam of the door as my housemates hurriedly scrambled to get a ‘good seat’ in the library, before emerging, pyjama-clad, from my bedroom and sprawling my studies across the dining room table.

@OENONE


“For as long as the work could be done from home, I have done it from home. If I could’ve done finger spacing (this is the tedious practise of making sure hangers are uniformly spaced - and it should be abolished) for my various retail jobs in my own wardrobe, or served coffee to myself in my flat instead of grumpy customers, I would have done that too. Don’t get me wrong, working from home can be… dangerous.

First of all, there’s the fridge. Whether it’s stuffed with all the foods that you love, or bereft of anything apart from beer and oat milk, it acts as a worthy opponent for your concentration. Should I nip to the shop quickly in between calls? Should I pretend (for 3 hours or so) that I am in fact Yottam Ottolenghi because that pot of pomegranate was on sale for 25p? The answer to both questions is no, by the way, you’re supposed to be working (this is basically a note to self as I loitered with the fridge door open for a solid 7 minutes earlier in lieu of returning to my desk).

Coming in at a close second to the fridge, is of course your bed; patiently waiting to welcome your tired body into its spongy clutches. I have been known to enjoy a mid-afternoon nap, and I optimistically vouch for their inclusion in day to day life. I am grateful to Matthew Walker’s hugely successful book Why We Sleep, which further bolstered my confidence in professing my love affair with day time sleeps. He explained that the sudden rush of tiredness we all feel at around 3pm, is in fact our biological programming by the name of circadian rhythms.

“This is a compelling argument to go from the classic/(basic) two sleeps per 24 hours to the game-changing/(boujee) three. Unfortunately however, our circadian rhythms know nothing of capitalism or nine-till-fives, and whilst I do think a 30 minute power nap can be wonderful, sometimes slumber tricks you and the next thing you know it’s dark and you’ve missed your deadline. It is exactly because of this danger that one has to learn how to make a house a home, and then an office.

It’s semi-infrastructural, semi-psychological. Working in your bed is obviously comfy and it may make you feel like Carrie Bradshaw (guilty), but it also really messes with your sleep and turns the place ‘where the magic happens’ into the place where the stress, confusion and work-related things happen. (I think sleep is magical so this need not only apply to people with roaring sex-lives, congratulations to you though).

Libraries, coffee shops and co-working spaces are simply too much for me. People watching is one of my favourite hobbies and so I can’t immerse myself in work if I am surrounded by lots of intriguing individuals trying to go about their lives. Instead of a calm focus, my brain would rattle around inane questions such as;

• I wonder if her top is vintage?

• How long can I last without a snack?

• If I go for another wee is everyone going to think I’m pregnant?

• Am I pregnant?

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Step one is deciding which corner of your home is going to be dedicated to work, like Feng Shui (don’t quote me on this, I don’t really know what Feng Shui is).Whether it be in your kitchen, living area or bathroom (or all three if you live in London, where the dazzlingly expensive square footage of most properties means that you can be in all three places at once, like a wizard who doesn’t even need Floo Powder), you have to dedicate a little space that you can call feels like home work. Once you have your ‘office’ location, it’s then important to think about what would be implemented in a real office..

Routine is your best friend, even if you try to fight her, she will never let you down and is waiting for you with open arms, embrace her. This doesn’t have to mean a 6am wake up call and rigorous planning if that’s not your jam. If you’re someone who can’t tear themselves away from the comforting hug of morning snoozing, then relish in the fact that you no longer have to commute and enjoy that extra 30-40 mins enveloped in your duvet. If you can’t concentrate for longer than twenty minutes, then programme yourself little breaks to reset your brain.

Figure out which portions of the day you do your best work, and make sure to utilise those times for the applicable bits of your day that require optimum focus. If, unlike me, you like the quiet hubbub of coffee shops and co-working spaces,

Essential Living provides the best of both worlds, with communal spaces just outside your apartment door. Productivity is not one size fits all, and the beauty of working from home is that you can tailor your day in a way that suits you (and you don’t even have to wear a suit - how many dad jokes am I allowed in this piece?).

In order to have the upper hand over your toxic lovers (the fridge and the bed), you must come prepared. Even though you can now luxuriate in home cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you could still give yourself a head start by making extra portions at dinner time to have for lunch the following day. I don’t know about you, but often if I am concentrating I won’t realise I am hungry until I am STARVING, at which point I’ll start eating cereal straight from the box in a frenzy because I can’t possibly wait 15 minutes to grill some salmon (Lidl’s sweet chilli one, of course).

@OENONE

As with anything, it’s different strokes for different folks, but I find structured meal times and nutritiously dense meals make for a happy work-from-homer. Next up on the energy combating roster - and this may sound about as ground-breaking as florals for spring - is going to bed earlier, in order to feel less tired. You may have noticed that I am semi-obsessed with sleep, but that’s only because I think it’s really important if we want to make being awake even remotely bearable. A super important part of my routine which depends on at least eight hours in the sack, is movement. I use it as ‘me time’ and it gets me ready for the day ahead. Movement, and especially

getting fresh air, becomes doubly important when you work in the place that you do all of the other life things, too. Seen as pretty much all of us are glued to varying sized screens for the majority of the day, going out for a walk or getting sweaty is the perfect opportunity to ghost your phone for a bit. In fact, I would say above all, a good nights sleep, lots of water, movement and well-balanced meals will do more for you than any office ever could (maybe I am biased, sorry offices).

When it comes to working from home, the truth is that the most important thing is making sure you’re at your all round optimum. Because when you don’t have your boss glaring at you from across the room, or the hum of the printer or the camaraderie with your colleagues, making your home hospitable for work can feel like a job in itself. Aside from all of the practical cushioning I have discussed, when it comes to getting the job done, I am afraid that’s up to you - good luck!

Like most millennials, I feel as though I might well be a lifetime renter, however that being said I have actually been very fortunate with the places I’ve rented. Each has allowed me to create the perfect balance of work and play between four walls. Essential Living really is top-tier for renters, as they take on all of the admin (namely organising bills *yawns*) so that you can focus on living your best life. What’s more, with our ever busy schedules making it harder to meet new people, Essential Living champions community by organising social events (socially distanced of course) so that you can meet and connect with your neighbours. Their developments are equipped with everything you might need to strike that perfect work from home balance.

Podcaster, influencer, bookworm and fledgling comedian Oenone Forbat is a bottomless pit of questions - a millennial in search of answers. Downloaded over 2 million times Oenone’s popular podcast ‘Adulting’ tackles the (actually important) subjects that we aren’t taught in school with a wide range of fascinating guests - from sexuality and relationships to privilege and institutionalised racism, there’s no topic she isn’t keen to dissect

BiOoenone


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Essential Living is a London-based property developer with a difference: we don’t sell any of the homes we’ve lovingly built, we rent them. Essential Living have developments located all over London with stylish furnished studios, 1-beds, 2-beds and 3-beds. All buildings have large communal areas including gyms, WFH areas and roof terraces. The perfect place to rent during this time. Get in contact to arrange a viewing, or find out more on our website.

0800 2100 [email protected]

@essentiallivinghomes

@EssLiving

@EssLiving

A GUIDE TO WORKING FROM HOME | Essential Living

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