Photography and Styling © Karina Dimas

For most people home ends on the outside of one door and work starts on the inside of another . . . but that's not the case if you, like me, work from home.

We are the envied few, viewed as the lucky hipsters who get to work from bed. We lived in a falsely romanticized life by those who believe we get to work from cozy beds decked out in Egyptian cotton, free to work or play at our leisure.

The testy truth is that working from home is far from glamorous. It is instead an endless race to meet deadlines and oftentimes a setting aside of the conveniences a home office might bring. It wraps around us like ivy and makes us feel guilty for enjoying the everyday things that others working outside of home enjoy: An 8-5 schedule, an hour-long lunch or even a 30 minute break away from our computers.

So yes, working from home is one thing, but managing it successfully is another. It is very common, in fact, for most of us who work from home to feel like we'll never get a hang of it. We often use all of our energy and resources burning ourselves out, only to accomplish the same level of success as others who do less.

I've personally found in my own pursuit of success on the work-from-home front that the secret to doing it successfully is inviting in a contradiction and holding to structure as if we were working outside of home.

The 2 main areas where we need those limitations are:

01. Space Designing a specific space for work might burst your expectations bubble and feel trivial if you believe the best thing about working away from an office is the freedom to work anywhere you want—but in assigning one space for daily work, whether that be a room, a workshop or a section of your living room, you automatically also create the ability to switch on and off work by acknowledging that as soon as you step away from that space you finish work and when you are in it . . . to log into it.

Doing this doesn't take away from your freedom to occasionally spend a day of work at a cafe, to do it from a hotel room or even while on a plane ride to your vacations. It simply gives your brain an automatic way to switch off from your responsibilities.

02. Time This one is a hard one but it is probably one that's the easiest to take for granted or to not value, depending on your schedule.

Having a set time to work and structuring your online hours in extremely important—even for us creatives who might have a fantastic idea in the middle of the night or might feel a rush just before meeting a deadline.

Time is were we have the most freedom when we work from home; we don't have to comply to a set schedule, we just have to put the hours in. So, playing with that freedom and missing the mark is often what happens. Delimiting your time can bring you not only a feeling of accomplishment every day but also actual accomplishments. Why? Because you will be giving your 100% to each task without the interruption of a billion other things.

If you determine a clear work schedule and commit to it, you will welcome the daily pauses and breathers with a whole lot more peace of mind—and that will help you make the wheels spin with more ease on a daily basis.

In short, freedom cannot survive without structure and structure deserves a little bit of freedom. To succeed at working from home, we need to understand where our limitations lie and enjoy our work and the fruits thereof fully and freely.

What is your secret?

Photography © Evelyn Bencicova

Last year after I wrote my book I was left with an urgent feeling of wanting to embark on that 30 day journey again, this time taking the place of the reader rather than the writer and experience the rebirth of my own brand.

Having committed to several projects in the first quarter of the year meant there wasn’t much time left for that . . . and so it was a time to take a step back and take an important decision. That of practicing what I preach and being mindful of my time, my work and myself.

Going through the process from start to finish was eye-opening. I realized that my blog and my workflow was no longer satisfying to me. I was in a different place emotionally, I had grown to value connection over achievement and no longer craved feeling live like a productive “boss” in any area of my life.

We live at a point in time where it sounds almost irresponsible to not want to be busy at all times, or not attempt to keep all the plates spinning simultaneously . . . so, giving in to those personal impulses is exactly what I didn't do.

I realized soon enough that spending hours researching material, publishing posts and working on endless projects that not longer represented me was a waste of my time . . . and that sadly, no-one would benefit from anyways. Don’t get me wrong, the passion for my work is still there — I just decided that something needed to be done now so that I could allow myself to write and work on things that bring me fulfillment in other areas of my life.

Going through my book's guide for the entire month of June was what opened up endless opportunities in my brain. I had even forgotten a few pieces of advice I'd given you . . . and then I realized how much of what I wrote can be perceived as a contradiction — a fortunate one, that is.

That entire month I felt like I wasn’t doing anything because I had taken a step back from the blog and social media for so long — but at the same time I was doing it all: I was transforming, I was creating methods and mindfully re-routing my life. I was thinking of myself, I was enriching my experience and my visitors' experience. I was creating something that could reflect who I am and fulfill me.

These days, not actively partaking of social media, not having an online presence and not forcing ourselves into a thousand commitments is going against the grain . . . but sometimes that's exactly what we need to come out on the other side fully grounded and fully prepared to take on the future with determination.

I’m ready to get more personal, I’m ready to embark on a new more mindful and more caring season and I thank you for joining me.

Welcome to my new blog! If you’ve subscribed to be part of the community, you’ll receive a newsletter detailing what has changed and why.

Photography © Pauliina Salonen Pauliina Salonen is a brilliant Finnish Photographer. The beautiful images above are part of her work for Wilma Kalusse and Asun Magazine in collaboration with the great Stylist Pia Kalliomäki from Studio Kalliomäki who is also based in Finland. Pauliina's work has been allover the Minimalism world — The quality of her work and her brilliant collaborations have given her the recognition she clearly deserves. Visit her website for more.

Photography © Emily Laye JM has launched a new Premium concept and the talented Marie Ramse and Emily Laye have partnered to create a beautiful concept apartment in beautiful Sweden.

With over 70 years of experience in residential development projects and 4,000 completed homes per year in Sweden, Norway and Finland, JM has a unique insight into what type of accommodations customers demand. The new trend of premium tailored homes in the response to their customer's demand and a wonderful thing to look at — even from afar.

This home is just a small taste of what we'll be able to see JM do in the future with the help of brilliant people like Marie and Emily.

2016 was not what I expected it to be. It was in fact one of the worst years of my life but somehow it all turned out well. I feel very excited about this new year and I also feel deeply grateful for the resilience and the inner strength that last year helped me build.

Last year I went from losing my father to being able to finish up my book which I cannot even start to explain how hard and transforming it was all at the same time. I launched a theme collection, worked on some projects with a lot of success and on some others that turned into utter failure, but that’s life in the end, isn’t it? A continued falling and dusting off.

I’m looking to 2017 with the same expectation I did last year, fully knowing in my heart that this is going to be a better year — that I will keep striving, pushing through bad moments and embracing the good times with an open heart.

There’s so much I want to do this year, one step at a time of course, but the road ahead is always very exciting: New projects are in-the-making and new people I’m collaborating with this year who keep me feeling inspired, a new collection is almost finished and my book is being read and commented on by many Bloggers — which means the world to me.

I cannot thank YOU enough for all your support, your kindness and the honor of having you as clients, partners and most importantly, friends.

The collection above sets the tone for what you’re about to see in this quarter. I hope you'll join me and take small steps until the unveiling of my new projects. You will also see more of me on social media... so if you’re interested in taking a peek into my life and work, feel free to follow.

Have a wonderful, blessed and peaceful 2017.

In case you missed them, here are the top 5 posts of 2016:

How To Upgrade Your Blog’s Image
Why You Should Only Buy Linen From CULTIVER
5 Ways Minimalism Can Change Your Life
How To Stay Productive When You Don’t Have A System
30 Days To Minimal Blogging

Hugs,
Ana

Check out Taja's blog for a chance to win a copy of my book.

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Photography © Riikka Kantinkoski The magnificent Susanna Vento has created a perfect dark atmosphere using paint from Tikkurila's new Clay Color Collection 2017. It's safe to say that de-saturated dark colours will keep making an appearance next year and I'm very excited about the introduction of darker browns and lighter pinks, in fact the color of 2017 is the gorgeous H466 Angora.