Where you work matters!

Next Friday is the 25th anniversary of me running my own business.

I’ve learned so much along the way. I think one of the most important revelations was when I figured I had the chance to design my working life around me and what made me tick. Yes I know it sounds obvious, but tuning into the rituals, habits and behaviours that make me thrive was a game changer. Part of that was being more intentional about the spaces and places I work from. I’ve always thrived on being nomadic and enjoyed working from a mix of co-working spaces, coffee shops, hotel lobbies and member clubs. When the pandemic hit my business changed and like most of us, I found myself doing all my work at home. Over the last four years as I developed training programmes for global teams, and established relationships with clients outside of the UK, my volume of remote work skyrocketed. So the home office has become much more important than it used to be.

On the left is my home office from twenty years ago this month: my spare room in my house in Putney. It doesn’t look like a very inspiring space does it? I can’t remember doing my ‘best work’ sitting there. On the right is my new home workspace that I moved into this month (it’s my son’s old bedroom - in return I gave up my attic space for him!). It’s a lovely space - the sun is shining in on my desk while I write this - and it’s taken on heightened significance as during my recent cancer treatment I’ve been working 100% from home. So I’m grateful for having an energising space where I can do great work.

Thanks to Kate at An Artful Life for her creative vision and ideas in turning my vague ideas into a practical and energising workspace!