Home Tour: Desk Reveal + 5 Tips for Working From Home

I recently went on a massive rearranging spree all to accommodate the fact that I work from home. Today I wanted to show off my desk area and a glimpse into my new workspace (don’t worry a full office / home tour is coming soon), and share my best tips for staying productive in a non traditional work environment. I’d also love to hear y’alls advice, so please sound off in the comments!

5 Tips for Working From Home

1. Keep your living space and work space separate.

In a perfect world my one bedroom, would be a three bedroom allowing me to have a dedicated space for my bedroom, office…and let’s be honest, a closet. But until I win the lottery I’ve had to get a bit creative with my space. I’ve been in my apartment for a little over a year now, and I’ve never been super sold on the set up. I have a pretty decent sized living room, but no matter how I rearrange my couch and desk/work space nothing ever felt right. More times than not I would wind up working from bed, which is not always the most productive for obvious reasons.

Finally one day about a month ago I was standing in my kitchen staring out over the space and it hit me. I should dedicate my bedroom solely to my be cloffice (closet/office – the perfect combo for a blogger) and move my bedroom out into the living room. I know it sounds kind of insane, but so far it is totally working! The floor plan of my apartment is basically that of a studio with an extra room attached, so having my bed in the living room doesn’t feel as crazy as it sounds. I’ll get more into the logistics of everything when I post my bedroom reveal in a few weeks.

All that is to say having a room where I can go every morning and be totally in work mode has been life changing. No more getting distracted because I need to unload the dishwasher etc. I just go into the back room close the door and voila I’m no longer at my apartment I am in my office.

2. Take time to decorate.

Most people assume that if you work from home, you have an abundance of free time. But we know that it is actually quite the opposite. In reality you are probably a small business owner or freelance, which we both know means your paycheck is never guaranteed. So make your work space somewhere you actually want to be cause you’ll be spending a lot of time there…aka we work some crazy long hours. I suggest hanging some art (I personally love the print selection at Minted.com), have your favorite candle on hand, buy a pretty desk calendar, etc.

3. Keep yourself on a schedule(ish).

One of the best part’s of working from home is not having a set schedule. One of the worst parts of working from home is not having a set schedule. I personally respond really well to boundaries and when those are taken away, I find myself getting pretty overwhelmed. Although no two days really look the same, especially when I am traveling, I try to keep myself as organized as possible with endless lists and calendars. Even if you can’t exactly plan in advanced, setting a daily schedule in every morning can be instrumental in keeping you on track.

4. Time Blocking

I’ve also found that time blocking has really helped my productivity. It’s basically a little alarm cube that sits on my desk with adjustable time intervals. Ex: 30 minutes answering emails, then 60 minutes prepping for a photo shoot, 15 minutes editing an Instagram post. The whole concept is to help me keep it moving from task to task. Without getting to caught up on any one thing, I save myself a lot of time.

5. Get out and about

Working from home can mean a lot of alone time. Being fairly introverted, most of the time I love it. But there are sometimes that it can get a little lonely. I always try to break up my day at least a couple times a week by going to lunch with a friend, or popping into my local coffee shop just for a change of scenery. Don’t let yourself get too comfy in your cave behind the computer screen, take a break, get your nails done. You are the boss after all, why not treat yourself to a mid-day mani pedi 😉

Clearly, I’m a bit of a hotel pen clepto. I love keeping them as mementos of all my travel, and they make great desk accessories.

See the Travel Posts:

Sea Island | The Ritz Carlton Battery Park | Savannah | The Faena

This poppin desk set is all that remains from my corporate life. They really make the best office supplies around!

I love this copy of The Great Gatsby, I just think the rose gold jacket is so beautiful. My friend Kathryn got it for me for Christmas a few years ago. It’s so nice to have a little reminder of her on my desk everyday.

One of the biggest reasons I ultimately decided to move my office into my bedroom are these windows. This view is the best part about my apartment. But since it was my bedroom, and I was only ever really in there at nighttime with the blinds closed. Now I get to stare out at these palm trees everyday…which I’ll be honest does not suck.

It’s not perfect, but it’s all mine and I’m really digging how the rest of the space is coming along. I can’t wait to show y’all the rest of my apartment. I’m dying to get the final verdict on whether I was crazy to put my bed in the living room or not haha. PS. You can also find my favorite products I keep on hand while working from home here.

Desk | Desk Chair | Sheepskin Chair Cushion | c/o Poppin Set (Paper Tray, Pen Cube, Stapler) | c/o Volcano Candle | Gold Scissors | Time Cube | Rosebud Salve | Lamp | Desk Calendar | Weekly Notepad | c/o Rose Gold Planner | Phone Case | Gold Pig Bookends (similar) | c/o Cacti Print

Books: Jerry Oppenheimer Front Row: Anna Wintour | Style and Manners by Kate Spade (out of print – similar here, here, here) | Simon Doonan Eccentric Glamour | Kpnof Mapguide: Paris
F SCOTT FITZGERALD The Great Gatsby | Five Year Memory Journal