As we are trying to adjust to the current norm you might be feeling totally liberated by not having to get up and get ready for work at the office and still be in the pyjama phase. Or it might be that you feel like a fish out of water and worrying about how to actually work from home? 

 

As a seasoned WFH’er I thought I’d give you my personal take on how I make it work for me. I’ve been working from home for almost 7 years now so have got into my groove. 

 

Here’s what works for me: 

 

Create balance: I have a daily routine that defines my work time. I generally work between 10am - 6pm. Although, saying that, I do enjoy a lazy hour scrolling social media with a coffee brought up to the bedroom by my lovely hubby every morning. 

 

Avoid family and friends: I don’t mean forever obvs but it’s important that they respect your work time and aren’t interrupting with phone calls, popping in for coffee etc. Keep that to after hours. (If you’ve got young kids off school then this could be a whole lot trickier) 

 

Enjoy your space: I appreciate that you might be having to work at the kitchen table as your temporary workspace but if you can, take some time to make it somewhere you are comfortable and want to be. My workspace is a place I like to spend time in, I’m surrounded by things that bring me joy to look at. I have essential oils in my diffuser and can see the garden from my desk. 

 

Prioritise: I use a planner and create prioritised to do lists each day. I keep a check on what needs doing when, plan in time within my week but also allow for a bit of flexibility too. I don’t get bogged down by housework and all the little jobs that need doing – otherwise I’d never get anything done. I will put the washing in but that’s about it. 

 

 

 

I’ve had my colours done, a wardrobe weed and various ad hoc advice about particular outfits or events. 

 

 

Lisa adapts her whole approach to the person she’s working with, she makes you feel at ease. She asks questions to help her help you but that also help you realise lots of things about how and why you buy/choose/wear/or don’t. It’s like a gentle sort of therapy that helps you let o of some of the fears about how you show up in the world. 

 

 

She offered ;) And because I trusted her to help me in ways I could never have helped myself 

 

 

A bit stupid and lost on the occasions when it really mattered how I looked. I felt lost when choosing, buying, and hugely lost when putting different items together to form an outfit. 

To some people in business that I’ve met it’s about being known for wearing a particular colour, always wearing yellow socks or dressing to match their logo. This is all well and good, it might help you be remembered and gets you known within your network. It will say something about you and affect how you are perceived. 

 

To marketers personal branding means something completely different; to a graphic designer it may be more about choosing one font and colour over another because of the psychology and what that particular sans serif says compared to that one.  

 

What we would all agree on is that personal branding is about keeping your message cohesive. 

 

To me, in my profession as a colour and image consultant it’s about looking the part – whatever the part means to you. 

 

I deliver a talk about it. My talk is called “If it looks like a duck…” 

 

There’s a saying “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” 

What is acceptable to wear to the office or to meet clients? 

 

Here are my tips for dressing professionally even when it is scorchio… 

 

1) wear lighter neutrals – white, tan, taupe, grey or a crisp white and navy combo 

 

2) wear nude underwear if you are wearing light colours – it does not show through clothes as much as white 

 

3) keep your fabrics light weight but not too lightweight or floaty 

 

4) cotton, linen and silk are good, linen blended with something will crease less 

 

5) the more skin you show, the more casual you will look 

 

6) think light layers if you are going from heat outside to cool air con (nippy is not good) 

 

7) only go without hosiery if it’s appropriate 

She uses massage therapy and has an interest in organic skin care products. She wants to convey a calm, professional, caring, natural feel around her business message. 

 

A while ago, when she set up in business she got some business cards made. She didn't have much spare cash so went on one of those websites that has low cost printing and you design your own cards using their templates.  

 

Brilliant! She loves red and orange, they’re her favourite colours and there's a lovely template with a flower on it. She clicked edit and cracked on. It's miles cheaper to buy a lot and she'll be handing your cards out like Smarties because everyone in the world will want to know about her business... 5000, red and orange business cards arrive... 

 

She has a uniform for her business. It's massage therapy and she need to be comfortable, have ease of movement and for it not to show oil marks. Black is practical and easy to get cheap stuff from anywhere -perfect solution. 

 

She created a Facebook page for her business; she wanted to portray a nice relaxing mood so used a stock photo of some pebbles and candles in nice muted, neutral tones. 

She uses a lovely photo of herself on holiday as a profile pic. It shows her all smiley and happy with the mountains in the background, you can't really see too much of her face (she hates pics of herself) because she has her sunglasses on and straw hat to keep the sun off her face. 

I really admire her integrity and passion and want to emulate her business model. She has completely nailed the know, like and trust factor in my eyes and I am happy to invest my hard earned cash with her for my current business development needs.I have recommended her to many friends and other women in business because she comes across as very real and truly authentic. I want to be like her in business. 

 

She hosted a conference earlier this week in Manchester. It was amazing and I came away totally inspired...bloody knackered but energised at the same time. She had a guest speaker who also has the same qualities (another very successful business woman in her own right) who has been coached by her for the past 18 months and is living proof that being true to yourself and your potential clients’ works. She generated £30k of business in August!!!She was telling us that her goal not that long ago was to bring in £400 a month to pay the Aldi bill and put petrol in the car... 

 

These two role models had a roomful of women in business at the conference – so it’s not just me being creepy or having some kind of weird girl crush. They both have literally thousands of followers on Facebook and some of us were there yesterday to listen and take inspiration from them and each other. It was in a nice hotel, proper conference facilities and everything. There was quite serious group of ‘business men and women’ in the next room having their own conference – they were all suited and booted and ‘looked the part’. There was not one business suit in our room – we probably weren’t the usual type of conference delegates they get, treading on their soft carpets and eating the pastries presented with the morning coffee...why am I telling you this???