Working from home with Leigh McKeown, Madeleine Walker & Paloma Rose Garcia
Working From Home With... A series where we feature the home workspaces of some inspiring friends of the brand around the globe & chat to them about how they are staying productive, organised, & positive. Plus they let us in on their workspace essentials too.
And.... We want to hear from you too! Simply tag or DM us your home workspace & each week we will share our faves from the AOL community too. You can also go in the draw to win the Ultimate Workspace Set when you tag @anorganisedlife #WFHwithAOL on Instagram. We are giving away 1 set each week of April.
This week we spoke to...
Name: Leigh McKeown
Occupation: Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Sarah Ellison.
Where have you set up your new desk and why did you pick this spot?
Our guest bedroom has been my home office for about 2 years. It backs onto our balcony and gets great natural light all day.
What's your strategy for staying productive whilst working from home?
Sticking to a routine is crucial for me. I am most effective when I stick to a plan and don't allow myself to get side tracked. When working from home, it's important (for me at least) to stick to the same timeline I would have if I were out at the office. eg. exercise before work and sitting at my desk before 9am - coffee in hand.
Talk us through your workspace essentials currently.
I am pretty old school and am a big list maker. I like to physically write my to-do list and cross them off as I go. So my essentials are my blank notepad (and my AOL diary) and a highlighter. My water bottle must always be full as well.
What are you loving most about working from home?
Having my french bulldog Louie snoring next to me all day. His bed is right next to my desk and I can take him out every few hours to give myself a break.
And how about the most challenging? Do you have a strategy to overcome this challenge?
I find limiting my iphone use challenging. You can easily lose an hour consuming unnecessary content so I try to keep my phone away in another room and check it only for work and to make calls.
Top tip for communicating with your team remotely?
Sarah and I are quite used to working remotely as she is Byron based and I am in Sydney and it's how we've always run our business. We face time each morning to set our daily priorities for our team and regularly connect throughout the day for brainstorming sessions and always finish the day with a summary call of the day. We have multiple whatsapp group conversations with our international production teams that we both manage. I find these really essential as I can see what Sarah is working on through those conversations and be immediately caught up without needing to constantly be part of each conversation.
Name: Madeleine Walker
Occupation: Brand advisor and founder of The Twenties Club
How long have you worked from home?
I usually work from my home in Kingsland but I’m currently doing the Coronavirus lockdown at my family home with my parents and two sisters.
Where is your home workspace set up & why did you pick this spot?
I’ve set up a makeshift office in my bedroom at Mum and Dad’s while we hunker down in the lockout. I debated working in a different area of the house but decided on my bedroom because it has lots of natural light (this is so important to me for a working environment) and the space is entirely my own so I can maintain a certain level of tidiness without needing to account for the clutter of other peoples stuff. Tidy office = tidy brain.
Working from home is your normal. Can you let us in on your number 1 tip for staying productive while working from home?
I start every morning by writing my 3 MITs (most important tasks) on a list in my AOL Diary while I drink some coffee. I then make sure I do those MITs before I’m allowed to move on to anything else. It sets a productive tone for the day and if the rest of the morning or afternoon falls apart I at least know I’ve achieved something important.
What are your workspace essentials currently at your desk?
- My An Organised Life 2020 Diary - it sounds like a plug but it’s true. I’m a notorious list writer and I love that the diary has an entire page for each day of the week.
- A bottle of SodaStream (it’s so much easier to reach your daily water quota when it’s fizzy!).
- Mum has filled my office with the most glorious smelling roses from her garden which I’m particularly grateful for.
- And a whole stash of vitamins (zinc, magnesium, B-complex etc). This current season should serve as a gentle reminder that health must always be a priority.
What do you love the most about working from home?
The freedom to conduct my day on a schedule that suits me. I’m naturally an early riser so I prefer to start my day at 6am or 7am so that I can wrap up work by about 3 or 4.
And how about the most challenging? Do you have a strategy to overcome this challenge?
In this lockdown I’m mostly struggling with the parts of my weekly routine that are now missing - I went to boxing and Pilates classes most days and am already missing the sense of community that they provide. I also love spending the first hour of my work day in a cafe churning through emails so I’m missing my locals. I’m moving through this by reminding myself of the temporary nature of what we’re in - I’m trying to relish this season because once it’s over we will all return to that sense of urgency and intensity that we’re so accustomed to. When that happens, we might just find ourselves missing the stillness we have now.
Name: Paloma Rose Garcia
Occupation: Hairdresser + Owner/Director of PALOMA salon.
Where have you set up your new home workspace & why did you pick this spot?
My dining table! It’s my biggest flat surface. Being a creative + visual person it’s so imprimatur for me to have the whole desk of it need to sort things into piles from education, marketing strategy, team development and so on.
The room is filled with so much light and ya huge windows that are always open for fresh air. This is hugely important to me.
What's your strategy for staying productive while working from home?
I start the day with a 1.5 hour walk. Quick coffee at home then out the door and walking by 7:30am. Regardless of if I have my two sons with me or not this is the best way to start the day in my opinion. Blood moving + fresh air! And we have been exploring new places to walk which my sons love.
If it’s my week on with the kids they have a strict home schooling structure breaking for recess and lunch starting the day at 9am and finishing at 3pm so we all do that!
If they are at their fathers house I would probably do the same just have music playing a bit louder!
If it’s my week on with the kids they have a strict home schooling structure breaking for recess and lunch starting the day at 9am and finishing at 3pm so we all do that!
If they are at their fathers house I would probably do the same just have music playing a bit louder!
Talk us through your workspace essentials currently?
- Water! A big carafe of it constantly by my side with TBC probiotic elixirs in it. Hydration is my fav at the moment!
- Either doterra essential oils, MAISON Balzac or AYU candles burning or Astier Incense burning. I am BIG in smell.
- My crystal for great energy in my space.
- Music is a huge part of my life, I play a lot of vinyl but if I’m working usually a playlist is easier.
What are you loving the most about working from home?
The calm. No one to interrupt or bother you! I am getting through a lot of work just having such a clam place to work from. My mind is super clear and sharpe at the moment. I love preparing lunch and snacks all myself. We eat all organic plant based, nothing processed and it’s just such a luxury to be able to prepare it all yourself.
And how about the most challenging? Do you have a strategy to overcome this challenge?
Just getting distracted. I need to go back to finishing one thing off at a time. I want to tick off 199 things in one day but it’s just possible. My youngest son Charlie is 6, I really assist him with all the home schooling so need to just stop what I am doing an prioritise that and not get frustrated if I don’t get through everything I wanted too.