Working from home: How to avoid ‘kitchen table chaos’
Apr
06
Hands up how many of you are working at your kitchen table and haven’t yet cleared away the breakfast things? As I write this (in my PJs), there’s a couple of nasty looking mugs, a marmalade knife and a rotten apple sitting on a pile of papers which I think might be important. Oh and where is the phone? Shuffle, shuffle…
Some of us might argue that it’s helpful to the creative juices and is a testament to how busy we are. I can see a pile of washing up in the sink, I know the microwave needs a clean but then I’ve got to get out some press releases and write a storyboard for a new training film by the end of the day.
There’s nothing wrong at working at the kitchen table but there needs to be some organisation. It’s your workplace and should represent a degree of professionalism.
Tips to make your day more productive.
- Clean kitchen at night so that you know all the nasty jobs are done.
- Clean down table – no nasty buttery bits on the envelopes. Yuk.
- Decide on the minimum equipment for the day.
- Be selective over paper, pens, resources etc and organise into neat piles.
- Sit with your back away from the sink, cooker, fridge.
- Make a list of jobs to be done by the end of the day.
- Build in time away from the kitchen. Sit in another room or garden to plan or think.
- Go for a mid day walk. Chat to dog walkers even if they look at you warily.
- Have a calm area for relaxing after work. Can you eat somewhere else?
It’s not the best place to be inviting clients or holding meetings. Find a local meeting room, hotel foyer, hot desk, university library booth. Virtual offices are on the increase. You need to shop around for a good deal as they can be expensive but very useful for maintaining an image if you love the luxury of working in the comfort of your own home.
Oh, and another thing. A client said to me not long ago. I can also tell when you’ve not got dressed in the morning. It shows in your voice.
Better get dressed now. It’s almost 11am!
Angelena Boden has 25 years experience as a training consultant and trainer. Find out more at www.thefifteenminutetrainer.com
Photo credit: Andrew Stawarz
What do you think?
How do you avoid distractions when you work from home? Do you work at your kitchen table? Or in a dedicated room? Do you move around the house when you work on certain tasks? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
I do have a desk but it’s now in the corner of my open plan lounge/kitchen (nicely accessible!). I am considering getting rid of the desk and just working from the dining table and just having a cupboard to put laptop, stationery, documents away into. It’s all in my effort to combine everything rather than think of work as a seperate part of my life. I know it goes against the grain but I do lots of different ‘jobs’ and love most of them although have no problem switching off when I want to!
Hey, it’s whatever works for you, Rickie! I prefer having an office in my house with a door, so I can shut it at the end of my day. I do however switch to laptop and work on the couch, when I feel like it, or occasionally even on the bed. I’ve also recently started working part of the week in a coworking space, which is great when I need to get out of the house.
Thanks for your comment!
You’re spot on, San – whatever works for you! I’m always seeing advice to home workers that says you must have a dedicated space. Some people prefer that, but others are perfectly happy with the kitchen table. I’ve even come across people who have kitted out a home office, only to abandon it because they feel too cut-off from family life!
If you’re new to working from home, try moving around the house to find out which spot feels best before commiting yourself. And remember different places might be best for different jobs!
@Judy Great comment! Thanks Judy
I have an office since I’m not disciplined enough to work from home! But I actually went to the expense of putting in an office at home for odd days when I’m working there – and I usually end up in the living room (oops!).
Getting out the house is super important – otherwise I grab my husband the instant he walks through the door and talk his ear off with boring mutinae of what I’ve been up to.
I know what San is saying. I was working from home for a few months not long ago while we moved offices. I found the novelty of rolling out of bed into the office wore off.
I was using one sofa during work hours and moving to the other for ‘home time’. Ridiculous! So glad to be back in a proper office.
I think it is really important to get a professional space out side of home even for the start-up with limited budget. You can get really cheap rents in serviced offices dedicated to start-ups (we started in a space that was £100 per month per desk. We ended up getting work from our neighbours and passing leads around. But more more than anything it makes you feel professional.
I work from the kitchen table (with my back to the kitchen itself) and have a fantastic view of the garden through the patio doors – much nicer than the view of a wall under harsh lighting that I had in my last office job! Laptop gets tucked away along with papers into a drawer at the end of the day – although inevitably, they put on an appearance again after kids bed time! I agree that whatever works best for you..
I agree that you have to find what works best for you.
I work in my living room as I live in a one bed flat. I would love a second bedroom, so that I can step away from work and use my living room purely for relaxation. I have a dedicated desk for work, that I now keep quite tidy! But I wouldn’t like an office away from home. I like being able to put on the washing or popping out to the shop during my working day. Otherwise, I’d be thinking about all the work waiting for me at home. Plus, I just feel more comfortable in my home environment and I always hated going out in the rain, cold, etc.
Thanks for this.
It makes the world of difference when my home office is clear of clutter.
But interestingly it also makes a difference when the rest of my house is clean. Even if I can’t see last night’s washing-up from my office, I know it’s there and it affects how I feel about myself as an on-top-of-it professional.
If I hit a funk and just can’t seem to progress with something, my energy is invariably shifted by doing some housework or organizing an area of my house. Clear house, clear mind
I’m a fully paid up member of the ‘work at the dining table’ club and have fallen victim to the ‘where’s the phone!??’ dilemma a few times. But have managed to sort my act out by doing the mundane tasks either last thing in the evening or first thing in the morning so that I can do some ‘proper’ work during my alloted core hours.
I agree with Corrina – even if you can’t see the mess, you know it’s there! As a mother also, your mind is also on what to cook for lunch/dinner, what I need to get from Tescos’ etc…..