So it looks more and more likely that rather than returning to my day job when maternity leave ends, I’ll be working from home for myself. No final decisions have been made, nothing official, but the way things are going it would seem I will be able to stay home with Florence while working around her needs. I am both excited and incredibly nervous at the prospect of being solely responsible for bringing in some money off my own back. While working for a company has it’s downfalls (office politics, air con wars and not being able to show up in your pj’s being just a few) there’s no questioning the value of the security of employment.  In order to make sure that as a family we get the most out of me working from home, there are a few things I need to put into place to help with my own productivity and to create a working environment that works for me.

I think firstly, the thing that is most important for me is routine and having a set daily plan. Being disorganised and winging it just makes my head hurt and I tend to end up burying my head in the sand until I’m so stressed out it all falls apart. With that in mind, I have treated myself to a ‘Happiness Planner’ and have outlined my monthly & daily goals in there to ensure I have something to work to. At the end of each day, I can tick back and check everything I’ve done off the list.

Another thing that I really need to look at is where I work. Right now, any blog or social media work I do, I do when I get 5 minutes while sitting on the sofa in front of the tv or in bed at night. I know that for me, I would be a lot more productive and focused if I had a dedicated work space. I would like to buy a small, white desk and a comfortable office chair to place in Florence’s nursery so I can work while she plays (until she moves into her own room at night, and then I’d move the desk into our bedroom.) Keeping my workspace clear of clutter would be important to me too. I am possibly the world’s most untidy person but when it comes to working I like everything to be just so. Along with the desk, I would like to invest in a proper filing system, perhaps adapting a IKEA KALLAX unit to fit exactly what I’d need.

Making sure there is plenty of Natural light and my work space is lovely and light will be a big factor when it comes to sorting everything out. I once worked in a tiny office in which all of the walls were painted matte back. It was such a depressing & demotivating work space. All the desks, phones, PC’s and chairs were black too. Eurgh! So yeah, a nice white and bright space to work will do me just fine thank you.

To keep me motivated I am going to have a board of quotes & images of things we want to do with the money I earn. The big one is to save enough for a deposit on a mortgage but we’ll also be putting my earnings to a family holiday each year and days out as a family. I think I will probably try and make it a bit like a photo wall. I generally work best with some background noise, silence just makes me all fidgetty so I will be counting on our Sonos to play some of my favorite inspirational music too.

So that’s what my ideal work environment would be, what would yours be like? Slater & Gordon Lawyers have put together this infographic all about people’s thoughts on their working life and how the environment they work in effects their productivity. 

*This is a collaborative post.

Follow me: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Bloglovin / Pinterest

If you hadn’t seen already, we spent last week on holiday in Cornwall. We had a wonderful week exploring and on Wednesday we headed to Healey’s Cyder Farm, which was about a 15 minute drive from our cottage near Perranporth. The farm had come recommended by the lovely Cornish Mum whose blog I spent hours on in the lead up to our holiday.

As we were holidaying out of season, many attractions and places were closed but Healey’s Cyder Farm is open practically all year around, plus it is dog friendly which meant all of us could spend the day there without having to leave someone home to watch the pooches.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very smiley lady who welcomed us to the farm and showed us where to go. She explained that the only area we wouldn’t be able to take the dogs was the jam kitchen, but that they were welcome everywhere else. Initially we decided not to take them up on the offer of a tour, but to explore the farm at our own pace. We were directed to the farm entrance where there was ample seating on offer – thank goodness as Florence was desperate for a bottle.

Once Florence had finished her milk, we headed inside the Farm shop which is situated almost immediately at the entrance of the farm. The shop is lined with bottles and bottles of different types of ciders and spirits brewed right there on site and made from the apples grown in their very own orchards as well as jars upon jars of preserves and jams. After a quick look around and having eyed up a few things we knew we might like to purchase on our way out, we decided to take a wander around the farm.

There is a small animal section at Healey’s Cyder Farm where we found Herbert the Pygmy Goat, a pair of rare breed black pigs and their piglets, daisy the Donkey and one of the two shire horses residing there.

While it is small and we completed the farm animal section in about 10 minutes, It’s a lovely little addition which makes it lovely and family friendly. Florence, as she was a Godstone Farm a few weeks ago, was transfixed by the Donkey!
There are also peacocks roaming freely round the grounds.

After sticking our heads in the doors of the other areas of the farm, we decided to book a guided tour so that we could get the full experience. We opted for the Classic Tour which was £8 per person. Our tour guide was very freidnly and incredibly knowledgeable about the full workings of the farm. She showed us and talked us through the process of mass cider production as well as teaching us all about the origins of cider and the history of the farm as we walked through the Museum. We then headed back to the shop to take part in a sampling session where we got to try a selection of the produce made at Healey’s. Sean enjoyed this part the most I think!

We stocked up on a variety of ciders, wines & preserves before leaving.

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Healey’s Cyder Farm if you’re visiting the area, it’s a lovely little day out for the entire family.

Look out for our holiday vlog over on our YouTube channel coming up in the next few days to see more of what we got up to at Healey’s Cyder Farm.

Follow me: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Bloglovin / Pinterest