Eating frogs and Darwinian walking at How to Work from Home

Those were just two of the tips shared by the home workers who came along to my first meet-up at Central last week! In the relaxing surroundings of the downstairs room, a home from home with its colourful cushions and rugs, there was much laughter and relief at how many challenges and thoughts we all share, as we discussed some of the pitfalls of working from home and ways that people have devised to get round them.

Catherine Raynor explained how she had turned around her thinking on home working from the belief she had no room in her flat to putting a glass desk in her bedroom. Francesca recommended Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy as a way of avoiding procrastination and getting dreaded jobs out of the way early in the day.

Fay told us how much more productive she is on the days she does a two-mile morning walk, inspired by Darwin’s belief that our brains work best when we’re walking. Kish agreed that missing her meditation in an attempt to save time was actually counter-productive.

Christina said that having fallen into the trap of wearing sweatpants too often she’s now aware how important it is to look and feel business-like. Many of us had stories of feeling guilty when we’re not working at our desks in the conventional 9-5 routine, and wondering why that should be when we can work at night if we want.

Like Jose, we resolved to enjoy using our time the way it suits us and to shake off those guilty pangs. Eva, Cassandra and her mum Anne are going to check out Jelly, and Richard resolved to open a Twitter account.

So plenty of inspiration flying around in just two hours, and I’m looking forward to hearing how we’ve all got on at the next home working evening meet-up on Thursday 21 July. As Cherry says ‘It is a great way of feeling encouraged just by hearing that others have similar challenges as your own.’ Hope to see you there – I’ll let you know when booking opens.