As a reward for finishing all nine season of The Office, I got myself a new office!

Okay, so that’s not really why I moved…

I have been working from home for ten years, upstairs in a small bedroom. It suited me (and my dog Henry) well but this year a few things changed. Henry is now twelve and I didn’t want to burden him with too many trips up and down the stairs plus, we decided David was old enough to come home after school and keep himself occupied for the few hours between dismissal bell and 5:00. Let’s be honest, back in September, I imagined a blissful year of homework, math exercises, reading and writing – all done silently next to me in our co-space.

Things have not been perfect – and more days than not, David ends up playing with friends or Googling dog images and whining about being bored but I still love the new space.

Come on in and take a closer look!This room is formally the “living room” of our house. It wasn’t really touched during the renovation and has served as a playroom up until now. None of the furniture is new and most came from down from the upstairs office including the massive old desk which took four of us to move. I scored the rug from the Ikea sale section! And yes, the walls are PINK. The details are what sold me when we bought this house.The alphabet poster came from David’s room.The Stendig calendar was on my wishlist for years, happy to have found the perfect space for it.I recycled three bags of magazines when I moved downstairs. This is what remains.
The window shade goes up and down which is great for maximum light but good privacy!I actually got another beautiful marigold chair for my office (from the sale section at Ikea!) and although I love it in this space, it’s more practical in the living room where people actually sit. The chair above is from a secondhand store, Wrinkles is from my childhood and the family portrait was done by Jessica Morgan (Etsy).I bought two Waterhog mats from L.L.Bean to put under the chairs so the floor doesn’t get damaged. The three posters are from Ork.My neighbour just informed me this is a piano window – gawh, old houses are so charming! The little David train is from the Toy Maker of Lunenburg and the jar of sea glass was given to me by my cousins. They collected sea glass from the beach in Pugwash when I was in the hospital (age 13) and the globe came from my in-law’s basement.Pottery by ME! And the two cards are from here and here.

So in the end, the only new purchases were paint, a window shade, the three rugs and the calendar. Everything else was repurposed. Let me know what you think!

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As great as my space is, I get asked all the time how I manage to work from home. Honestly, I often wonder how Y’all handle leaving the house every day! I love my home office. If you’re thinking about making the move, here’s a great article: Get More Done: 18 Tips for Telecommuters – Remote workers weigh in on what helps them amp productivity and stay in touch with the office. (link)

1. Identify what needs to get done every day and make sure to do it. 

2. Use the cloud. 

3. Get dressed.

4. Don’t let friends stop by. 

5. Get out of the house. 

6. Make a stoplight for family members. 

7. Invest in creating a comfortable office. 

8. Be clear about your working hours. 

9. Pretend you’re not home. 

10. Don’t go to non-work appointments in the middle of the day. 

11. Get in-person time with co-workers. 

12. Use Google+ Hangouts. 

13. Enjoy your flexibility. 

14. Enjoy disruptions. 

15. Stay out of the kitchen. 

16. Buy a noise-cancelling headset with a mute button. 

17. Check in with co-workers and the boss several times a day. 

18. Make use of free or inexpensive communications technology.

I strongly follow 1, 3, 7, and 17… I can do better.