successful home working
Posts tagged clothes
Autumn changes to the home working wardrobe
83 months ago
So our Indian Summer is over and temperatures are back to ‘normal for the time of year’. What does that mean for the home worker who often spends hours a day seated at a computer, a situation guaranteed to chill the bones of the most warmblooded soul?
For me it means beginning the layering process, moving into T shirts with sleeves and jumpers and putting a pair of socks over those chilly desk-bound feet. I’m determined not to go into sheepskin boots yet, however, however much I love them. I’m hoping to hold out till November as it’s a sign of approaching winter I’m not quite ready to accept. Nor will my fleece blanket be introduced to the office chair until we start to have frosts.
What are your home working sartorial concessions to the changing season? Do you welcome the chance to wear woolly jumpers or try to hold off the evil moment as long as possible?
And what do you wear when you go out for meetings and events? I’ve always had difficulties in balancing a professional appearance with the freedom of being a home worker and not subject to the office dress code. I turned up for my last event at Central, which coincided with the Indian Summer, in a brightly coloured summer dress and cardigan and was taken aback to receive several compliments. Was it because I was wearing a skirt for a change, or because of the colour, or a mixture of both? Whichever, it’s made me rethink my default dark trousers and range of tops position.
Perhaps I don’t need to be so hung-up about looking professional and just wear what I know suits me and makes me feel good. I’d love to hear what both male and female home workers find the best approach for away-from-home working.
It’s frustrating when a label that’s been a stand-by suddenly decides to rebrand. I only discovered Kew about 18 months ago and now it’s become Kew.159 and is obviously aimed at a younger market. Which is odd considering that the population is ageing and that the bulk of spending power lies with the (relatively) oldies.
So I’m watching Mary Portas’ new retail venture with interest – she claims to be dressing the ‘grown-up woman over 40′. Anyone checked out her new store in Oxford Street yet?
And not to neglect you chaps who are interested in how you look. Take a look at Lifeover35.co.uk, a blog written by home working journalist Guy Clapperton about clothes, gadgets and style.
Creating space for a home office
79 months ago
When it comes to creating a home office, it’s clear that home workers are as resourceful as they are varied in their needs and working preferences (Who needs a separate home office?). We’re all different in our working patterns and, in turn, what constitutes our ideal working environment. However, the one thing we all need to varying degrees is space.
Creating space may involve some selling activity, be it online, through the classifieds or at car boot sales, a trip (or two) to the charity shop or excursions to your local recycling centre.
So much for the items you’re happy to part company with – but what about those that you want to keep or will need in the future? Safe, secure storage outside your home may be the answer, so I spoke to Big Yellow who gave me these tips:
Clothes, bed linen and soft furnishings
A wardrobe, with its small footprint, is excellent for soft items. It allows you to hang what needs to be hung and fold and stack other items. Shoes, handbags and purses along with hats, gloves and other accessories will also store happily for as long as necessary in a wardrobe too. Stuff your leather items with bubble wrap – its more insect resistant than tissue paper – and arrange straps and buckles so they won’t crease or leave impressions.
Wood and metal
So long as your storage area is dry and you treat wooden items with a coat of wax or varnish, your wood furniture will be absolutely fine. Make the most of the space available by dismantling flat pack furniture and protect the components with cloth or old carpet. Keep the fixings handy – we suggest putting them in a small bag and taping it to the item itself. Apply some oil or rust protector to metal surfaces.
Mattresses
Most DIY and homeware stores sell bags designed for storing mattresses. With these and an annual check, you’ll be able to store mattresses perfectly safely for extended periods.
Books
The two key tips for storing books are to use lots of small boxes instead of a few large ones (collectively, books are heavy) and to keep them horizontal to protect their spines. If you’re storing a large collection of books, devise a simple cataloguing system to help you locate and access any particular publication.
Stock, promotional literature and business archives
Depending on the nature of your business storage needs, you may need a place to keep stock, brochures and company records. If so, ask your local storage facility about its range of business services.
With rooms from 9 sq ft to 400 sq ft, and leases starting at just one week long, you can store just about anything at Big Yellow Self Storage for as long as you need.
A home worker hits the sales
81 year ago
Today’s guest post is by Margaret Chamberlain, a children’s book illustrator who works from home. Marg is a super-stylish dresser and has strong views on fashion and style. You may have seen her photos on the Home working style pages.
‘Since I was a very small child I have associated January with the excitement of the sales. Christmas thrills were nothing compared to the pleasure of buying bargains. The thing is, I am still a devoted bargainista and seldom buy anything full-price.
‘In every fashion advice column published around this time of year you will read tips like ‘….now is the time to buy those classic and vital timeless items such as a good quality tailoring … use the opportunity to create that capsule wardrobe ie perfect black trousers, white shirt, camel coat, navy blazer.’ Yes, I know about all that, that is obvious, I do those things, I am a sensible hawk-eyed shopper most of the time.
‘HOWEVER …the fun really starts when I see a crazy garment, a jazzy-coloured piece, covered in jingly jangly dangles. Do I need it? No, of course not. Does it go with anything? No. Do I love it? YES and hey! it’s a bargain, maybe I’ll save a lot of money, and sure as eggs are eggs I would never have bought it if it wasn’t in the sale.
‘There are shops that I would never enter UNLESS THE SALE IS ON. In the past I have bought things simply because they were cheap, there have been mistakes ( but never expensive ones), I am the first to admit it. Now I am a mature bargainista and have a very full wardrobe, something has to be really really STUNNINGLY amazing and a bargain for me to buy it.
‘I have a rule that for every new item I buy, I take something to the charity shop. This way I theoretically provide myself with the space for the new thing. Over the years I have accumulated some fabulous items of clothing, and I am proud of my wardrobe of clothes. I seldom buy ‘this year’s fashion’, I buy what I like and stick to what suits me.
‘I know that many people are the opposite to me, they get no pleasure trawling through racks of last season’s cast off bits and pieces, they hate the crowds, and they can’t be bothered. They want instant recognisable labels, they want new stuff every year and they want to keep up with fashion. I’m pleased about that – because of them there will always be a rich seam of leftovers for the magpies like me.’
Home working style page 2
121 year ago
I’ve been working on and off over the weekend to catch up with some of the backlog that built up last week while I was suffering with a cold (and cluttered up my newly clear desk!) One of the jobs I’ve done, with A’s help as usual, is create a new home working style page. We felt the first one was quite long enough, as apparently some people don’t like scrolling down.
Home working style 2 will therefore have the latest pictures added at the top, so that regular readers don’t have to keep scrolling. I’m pleased with the variety we’ve got so far – we have stylish home workers, Jelly and this striking graphic of Heather Bestel‘s free ebook.
I hope you’re getting the flavour of the pages now. You don’t have to be immaculately turned-out or bang up-to-date (although we’d love to see you if you are!), just willing to share something that catches your eye and lifts your spirits during your home working day. Maybe a vase of flowers, a cake that looks (almost!) too good to eat, your garden as the leaves turn.
Looking forward to seeing your photos and adding them to the growing page. Oh, and by the way, Sharon of Bay Web Designs has sent a picture of her home office, which Twitter followers have been enjoying over the weekend. Thanks, Sharon!
The many layers of a home worker
271 year ago
As always when visiting London, during my trip away from home the other day I was keeping a close eye on what people were wearing. It was still quite warm and sunny, but I noticed there were very few sandals in evidence, and lots of boots and black opaque tights. I tend to hang on to sandals and summer clothes as long as I can, as there are months and months ahead for winterwear and I’m always desperate to shed it long before the weather is warm enough.
I started to wear my sheepskin boots in the office a week or so ago, and last night I got a pair of suede boots out of their box, although I plan to hold on as long as possible before wearing them. Yesterday it was colder in my room than outside and I ended up in a T shirt, jumper and fleece.
Checking on Twitter to find out other home workers’ tips for staying warm, I discovered that layers are universally popular. Clever @Sharon399 boosts their effect by closing the door of her small room and enjoying the heat from her computer and printer. @Domestic_jules adds a hot water bottle, as does @annaglasbrook, who also wears a hat. @FalenaTranslate swears by ‘looooads of tea’ and @WendyRees says I’m not getting a photo of her in ski socks and jumper!
Actually, I think it would be quite fun – stylish is good, but ingenious, environmentally-friendly and warm home workers definitely make the grade too. Oh, and by the way, I’ve already received the first photos for my new page and I’m just waiting for a few more to get me started. Don’t be shy!
Home working wardrobe
421 year ago
by Judy
in Homeworking dilemmas
Clothes matter, as I’ve discussed on previous posts What to wear and It’s not frivolous to be interested in fashion. Yesterday on Twitter I was bemoaning that crushing moment of trying on mail order clothes and realising that what looked terrific on the model looks downright awful on me. And the subject came up again this morning in Shaa Wasmund‘s blog.
I’ve been struggling to find what I called ‘the right balance between looking convincing and not looking corporate’ when I attend events in my capacity of working from home advocate. For me one of the many pleasures of home working is not needing those boring office suits any more and I’d like to convey this more relaxed approach to work and life.
But it’s not been easy and I got to the stage earlier this year when clothes shopping lost all its pleasure and I was unable to make any decisions about what to wear, what looked good on me etc. Thank goodness for the national chains that allow no question returns!
I was rescued by my friend Marg, an artist and super-stylish dresser, who took me shopping and forced me – at my request! – to try on things I would normally never look at. Trinny and Susannah rolled into one without all the humiliating critique of figure and grabbing of body parts.
As a result I came home with more garments than I had ever bought in one go, and a transformed working wardrobe ( as well as a long linen shirt from White Stuff I couldn’t resist for day-to-day wear).
Since then I’ve been on a couple of solo shopping trips that – miracle! – have also been successful. That makes me sound like a serial shopper, but my wardrobe really had shrunk to pitiful proportions. Like Shaa, I highly recommend an objective, well-dressed friend to act as a personal shopper.
What are your favourite tips for dressing for the part, favourite shops where you can always find the right garment, shopping strategies etc?
