Working remotely: The organized home office

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to work from home before it was enforced by lockdown. My office at home is not only essential for my business, but for my creativity as a marketeer. I have discovered a thing or two about the home environment and how to be an efficient, and organized freelancer. It is important that the space that you work in, is suitable for you, therefore I will share my top essential office tips!

1. Finding your working space

Not everyone has a spare room, or even a spare desk, but there are some really creative ways that you can make a room work around your needs. For example, just by painting a section, corner or panel on a wall with a pleasing colour can create space into a zone that is dedicated for work. Depending on what type of worker you are, you may want an injection of energy therefore I would choose some brighter yellows or even pinks. However if you are like me and prefer to work in a relaxed and calm atmosphere I would choose greens or blues.

2. Use two screens if you can Working on a computer can equal to juggling multiple tabs and programmes at once.

I have found it very useful to use two screens so I can keep track of my to do list, instant chat on one side. Then, I use my larger screen for anything creative.

This also helps you pay attention to the project at hand and prevents you from flicking through different tabs or getting bogged down in the inbox

In terms of optimizing your screen time and staying organized, using two screens instead of one, is simple but extremely effective. As a marketer I also need to pay close attention to detail, compare resolutions and check different graphics on different size screens, therefore having two screens helps me to make smarter creative decisions, and look at my work both subjectively and objectively. Since covid-19 forced to shut businesses, there are now plenty of companies who are downsizing and selling their office equipment. You can purchase a second hand screen for around £20-£40. Definitely worth the investment, in my opinion!

3. Get rid of the notepad! For years I used to carry around a notepad, to meetings, to lunches, to presentations ect. And then after I have filled out an entire notepad I would then chuck it into a lonely filing cabinet, never to be looked at again. Do not waste time typing up written notes. As face to face meetings are a thing of the past we can now use video calls such as zoom to connect and collaborate. Therefore writing up notes instantly (And since you are staring at your screen any way) or even recording the video call is a perfect way to capture those key pointers. This is also significantly better for the environment to go completely digital. Otter the AI voice activation award winning app is probably the best thing I have ever discovered in the digital age! This app on your phone or device can record any meeting, and ALSO type out the notes - it even picks up individual voices and breaks them up so later you can search by voice to go back to that point that someone said in particular. Seriously, a lifesaver! This type of technology is also really useful for people who like to be 'in the moment' and will help you give your client and the meeting your fullest attention.

Thanks for reading! The Marketing Owl #HomeOffice #WFH #WorkingFromHome #Office #InteriorDesign #EfficientMarketing #Organized #App #Marketeers #Freelancers #Design #Advice #Tips #Working #Laptop #Solutions #Ideas #Marketing #TheMarketingOwl