At Austin Property Services, we are pleased to say we have assisted many homeowners create space and make their home more appealing during the sales process. With some vendors, we’ve helped them bring a home office space to the fore.

Thankfully, the tips that help sell homes can also help to make a home feel more spacious and tailored to your needs. Therefore, we are happy to share some tips that will help you work smarter from home.

You should set up a designated working area

If you are at home with, you need to set up a designated workspace that will allow you to focus on the key tasks. You may feel as though you can sit on the ouch with your laptop on your knees, but this isn’t a productive or enjoyable way to work.

When you have an area where you can shut yourself off from others, and feel as though you are in the right frame of mind for work, you will manage the process of working from home more easily.

Try and create a routine you can stick to

For many people, the thought of working from home is so exciting because they have the chance to wear their pyjamas all day! Feeling comfortable is nice, but it is best to have some form of routine. If you can get up at the usual time, get washed and ready for the day, change into comfortable clothing and then get ready for work, you will find the process easier to manage.

Similarly, you should try to get to your bed around the same time as you would do for a standard working day. If you can stick to your original schedule as best as you can, you should find life runs more easily.

Get away from your screen and work area

Just because you are at home doesn’t mean you should plough on through at all hours of the day or night. You should even consider taking further breaks than your normal working day suggests. At work, there are countless distractions, reasons to wander and give yourself a minute or two to yourself.

Ellie Wilson is the co-founder of virtual assistant service, Virtalent, and they have more than 50 remote workers. Ellie spoke to the BBC, saying; “It's important to stand up, stretch, move around and even go for a short walk to take a break from your work and your screen. Being cooped up without stopping for a break can mean your productivity levels drop, you become more tired and less motivated to complete what you're working on.”

Check in with others

It is helpful to check in regularly with people who are outside of your home. If you are working from home, there is a great deal to be said for arranging work chats and social catch-ups. Agreeing a time to stop for a tea or coffee and speak with a colleague or friend could help you make the most of the working day.

Therefore, make sure you can quickly and easily access the kitchen, or a kettle!

Hugo Mortimer-Harvey works remotely and he spoke to the BBC, saying; “More and more people hide behind email rather than pick up the phone and talk to colleagues and contacts. When you spend the day working on your own, actually calling people and having a conversation can be much more stimulating and indeed productive than a chain of emails.”

We know this is a challenging time, and if you have any questions about the housing market or how to present your home right now, please get in touch. At Austin Property Services, we aim to support the local community as much as we can, and we look forward to assisting you again in the future.