My Recession Survival Story

Recessions happen

And they’ll happen again, so it’s a good idea to not only prepare ourselves, and our businesses, but also think about what we’re consuming and listen to right now in the hope of staying sane and finding the little glimpses of hope and happiness. There are some positive things that can come out of challenging economic times, but where are those stories?

There is so much worry and anxiety out there right now, and I want to share a little bit of hope so I’m sharing my story from the recession of 2008 - it started out pretty damn doom and gloom but boy, was it an adventure and I have no regrets.

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at the start of my career

I was just at the start of my professional career as an Architect. I remember standing in a sandwich shop, at lunchtime, buying my lunch and looking over the newspaper front pages seeing graphics and headlines about the economic downturn and job loses. Naively, I didn’t think it would affect me. I knew it affected the economy, things like house prices but not me, not my job. I was in for quite a shock.

I had it all; a promising career, a boyfriend, and had just bought my first home. But then there’s never a good time for this kind of thing to happen.

chartered architect

When the recession hit, you could feel the atmosphere change. I was undertaking my professional exams to become a Chartered Architect. Studying hard, late one night, I got a call from my brother telling me that my Dad had passed away. I dropped everything and went to the hospital. Over the next few days, I stayed home with my family, and in that time my lovely new home was broken into and ransacked. My laptop was stolen, study notes and all.

My exams were looming and I had to get my head down and pass, if not for me, for my Dad and my family. The written exam was a 48hour test under examination conditions, so I was locked away in a back room of the office. This meant I was almost unaware of what was going on in the office, other than when I popped out for a cup of coffee. The atmosphere was different, not everyone was there and some were clearing their desks. At the end of day one, I had to know. My boss came into the room and I asked him if I still had a job. He told me they had to let me go.

I packed up everything and left. I left the office, the exam, called my Mum and sister who met me at my home with some comfort food. We ate, chatted, got upset, got angry, cried, and then I went back to my exam and got it done. A few weeks later I found out I passed.

A Chartered Architect at the start of my career, and unemployed. I managed to get a temporary contract and worked on some fabulous listed buildings, this gave me great experience but the contract came to an end.

Considering self-employment?

I looked into being self-employed but I had little experience and there were not a huge amount of jobs to go after. I needed something to focus on, put my energy and brain into so I set up Layoutlines. I was updating my CV and portfolio, and spending hours on LinkedIn. One day I got a message from a recruiter for a Design School in Singapore. It felt so surreal, out of the blue in a sea of unemployment and negativity. I followed up and was soon on a skype interview.

headed to India

They offered me a job teaching architectural design in one of their new campuses in India. I was to be part of the team setting up this campus, recruiting students, and then teaching their design degree programs. Within weeks, they flew me over to Singapore to be trained up and given the teaching materials before arriving in India, where the real adventure began.

the academic chapter

My time teaching was incredibly rewarding and I loved the staff I worked with. We built our campus, our curriculum, and our academic team. We had such a great atmosphere and created lots of cultural events, both local and international, for everyone to enjoy. It truly was a family, home away from home.

I spent almost four years in Bangalore and traveled to many other Indian cities to open campuses or visit them. I gave talks, held guest lectures and workshops, spoke at press conferences, and led study trips. It was a fabulous opportunity and gave me so much personal and professional growth - I simply don’t think I would have achieved the same if I had continued working as an Architect.

headhunted

It came full circle when I was approached by a university back in the UK to join their academic team. I turned them down but it had planted the seed and so I started looking for job opportunities back in Britain. I made the move as head of first-year for Interior Architecture at the Arts University Bournemouth in England and joined the international recruitment team as an Academic Advisor on trips to India, and later with the British Council.

it’s fate

In this time I had met Ingimar, my now husband, but in an odd twist of fate - something I had found great strength and belief in from ‘Mother India’ - I was sent on a recruitment trip to Iceland, and well, the rest is history.

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been affected by a recession?

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Rules For When You're Your Own Boss

Woohoo, you did it, you are your own boss. But now you need to make yourself some rules. In this post, I’m going to take you through some suggestions for rules for when you’re your own boss and ways to look after yourself and then stick to them.

You are your own boss, and possibly the only employee

You need to listen to and look after your body. Looking after you, especially as a solo show, will make you more productive. Let’s write the plan and seriously take care of, love and invest in you. You are the boss of you and your empire so you need to look after the boss.

1. Eat well

   you need to fuel your body and mind, not just your creativity

2. Exercise, move your body

   even just for a quick lunchtime walk whilst listening to a podcast

3. Learn

   keep your mind active with podcasts, books, courses, workshops, and documentaries

4. Laugh out loud

   after all, laughter is the best medicine

5. Breath, meditate

   I use the app Calm and highly recommend it

6. Chill, nap

   I know it can feel counterproductive but it is actually very good for you and your next ideas

7. Socialize

   get out of your comfort zone, get dressed up, and go somewhere new with good friends

8. Network

   put yourself out there and meet people, push your boundaries and grow your connections

9. Give back

   rewarding for everyone involved

10. Reward yourself

    celebrate the wins, no matter how small, they’re all worth looking back on

Check-in with yourself every 30 minutes: 

How does your body feel? Have you been outside today? Take a break for 20mins. Close your eyes and take 3 long deep breathes. What is your posture like, probably needs a little adjusting? Are your shoulders down? Are you clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth? Frowning? When did you last drink some water? Get up, walk around, do some stretches and then get back to work.

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What are some rules you’re setting?

Starting to write and keep a Gratitude List

Let’s take a minute to just stop everything to focus on what we have in the form of a Gratitude List. I get that this is a challenging time and it’s hard to find something to be grateful for - maybe you’ve lost your job, some income, a big client or you’re struggling with a drop in sales. It’s a difficult time for a lot of us right now and that’s why finding the good and focussing on what we do have is even more important. Pause the worry, and start to reflect on what you have.

Gratitude journaling

This is something you might have heard of, and whilst I don’t actively keep one, I do try to keep a list of positive things in my head - I call this my gratitude list. I believe we should actively put down in writing whatever thoughts are important and that whatever we put out into the world comes back to us.

Positivity and abundance

It’s important to focus on the positives, especially when we’re going through a tough time like right now. Look for the lessons, the things to be grateful for, and the abundance in your life. Ask yourself “what have or can I learn from or be grateful for in my day, the last few weeks/months, or even years”? List out what you have that you are grateful for, what opportunities have come your way, lucky moments, people you’ve met, and places you’ve gone. However big or small, they matter to you and in your life.

Let’s make a gratitude list

So I invite you to join me and write your list, here’s mine:

1. A roof over our heads, a safe place to sleep, and hot showers

2. Family and friends all over the world, and FaceTime

3. Food for all of us, and a happy and healthy little girl who loves being fed

4. *Enough financial security, and a rainy day fund

5. Spring daylight, especially after the long stormy winter we’ve had here in Iceland

6. My online community, my followers, you guys, and how much Community is coming out of this ‘new normal’

7. My work, remote and flexible, which gives me a way to share value, and experience and make an impact

8. An open mind, fresh ideas, and the ability to push through and make them happen

9. Daily walks with Mia, a good buggy, and podcasts

10. Support - I feel I give support to others and I always have the support of my Viking, Ingimar

This past year has been a tough one for us, but thankfully things are starting to lookup

There’s always something to be grateful for

Keep this list somewhere close and share it with your partner or a friend, if you like - when you get down or start to focus on those negative, scarcity thoughts and feel like things are getting out of control, pick up your list and find some grounding again. Remind yourself that you have enough, and you are enough and that you can always find something to be grateful for.

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What are you grateful for?

Self-Isolating, Working From Home Tips

Ever since moving to Iceland 4 years ago, I have worked from home. All over the world, we are preparing to self-isolate in a hope of avoiding COVID-19 and slowing doing the growth of the Corona Virus. I thought it might be helpful to pass on some tips for working from home.

Create A Workspace

The dining room, a shared desk, a soft office aka bed (though you need to be pretty dedicated to working). You don’t need much to create an at-home office and if you are also home-schooling your kids, why not add them into the office with a small-scale desk. We brought up the coffee table from the basement and have set Mia up with a ‘corning office’ too. It’s actually kind of fun.

Get In The Zone

Nothing changes - you’re going to work, you just aren’t going into work. Set our alarm, get up, shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and go to work. Finish work, make dinner, catch up with the family, chill, go to bed.

As much as PJs or leggings are comfortable, don’t be tempted, you will not get in the right headspace. Dress for work, dress to send a signal to your brain. You don’t need a suit on but your PJs probably won’t cut it.

READ: Self Employed Uniform

It will be hard at first but it gets easier and you will find routine and productivity.

Pace Yourself, It Could Be A While

For some, this is the norm anyway, but for others, it can be hard. Day 1, 2, 3 of isolation and you might find yourself glued to your computer and even working longer than usual. But how long can you keep that up? Make sure you are looking up, moving your eyes and body, eating and fueling yourself, and drinking water.

To-Do lists

I use a bullet journal and plan out my week and days. I also have a desk weekly planner which I use to make notes on and scribble. I find writing out a to-do list for the week and then listing goals for each day gives me an overview and targets to meet. If you have a plan, goals, then you have a strategy in place. No plan and you’ll get no work done.

Switch Off Social

Don’t have Facebook open all the time. Try to only check your social media in break times - i.e. 11 am coffee break, lunch, 4 pm chill break. Right now it is easy to get sucked in and overwhelmed by all the news, stories, stats, and feeds. It can lead to anxiety. Try to limit how often you are exposing yourself to it all.

Communicate

If you usually work with colleagues then don’t lose this. Set up skype or Facetime calls, and use apps like Slack to communicate. Use your breaks to call family and friends, this is a great time to check in on people.

Playlists

If the task in hand suits, then I pop a Spotify playlist on. Often I find that fast paces music makes me work faster, so this can be beneficial. Depends on the task though.

No TV

This is not the time to have the TV on in the background, you will quickly lose your focus and get distracted. TED talks and skillshare online learning is one thing, Netflix is a completely different story.

Eat, Fuel Yourself

Whether you have stocked up sensibly or gone mad in the supermarket, plan meals and allocate who is cooking them if you’re sharing the duties. Meal planning is a great idea and will help you sensibly get through the larder and not waste food. Try to not eat at your desk. If you do have an outdoor space, use it. Get some fresh air, vitamin D, and enjoy the break.

Move Your Body

Hop on YouTube and find a stretching video, try Yoga with Adriene, and other at-home workout videos. This is a great way to start the day before you sit down at your desk. Do this with the kids too, look up Cosmic Kids Yoga.

I also use the app Calm for meditation and to help me wind down for the day. There are loads of yoga tutorials online if that’s your kind of thing. If your body is used to the daily exercise, keep moving.

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How are you finding working from home?

Do What You Love, and the sh*t that comes with it

What does ‘doing what you love’ really mean, and look like?

Since moving to Iceland 4 years ago now, I have worked for myself. Working for myself is an easy phrase to type or say but the action of making it happen and being successful, as in profitable, is a different story. Working for myself looks like running this blog, posting on Instagram (now 2 accounts), collaborations, filming editing and uploading videos to YouTube, running an Etsy shop, commissions, online course creation, client interior and architecture projects and all the marketing and admin that come with it. I don’t say yes to everything, it’s not all fun and games. I’ve learnt many lessons along the way so I wanted to take a minute and discuss what working for yourself and ‘doing what you love’ really looks like.

Build a life you love

People today seem to think that they can find their passion and do that every day, all day long. Easy, right? Your life will be amazing. Your work will be wonderful. You’ll never be bored. You’ll never get stressed. You’ll never have money worries, and you’ll only do what you want to do.

In reality, all that is kind of false.

Everyone’s an Entrepreneur

I feel like I hear this everywhere I turn right now. On blogs, Instagram, podcasts, YouTube, Facebook. Maybe that’s just a reflection of what I’m listening to and attracting but is it true? Are we in a generation of entrepreneurs?

Most entrepreneurs start out either with an idea or a solution. The main aim is to make a difference, either in someone’s life or as an impact on the world. A lot of these entrepreneurs will claim they can teach you how to ‘build a life you love’, ‘'build your business’, ‘build your following’, etc and a lot of them are very successful at it - if you’re willing to put in the hard work then hopefully you’ll see results. This can, of course, make a difference in your life, work and purpose. But then it doesn’t appeal or apply to everyone. Not everyone wants to, or should, be their own boss.

80/20

Running your own business can take about 80% of your time (spent on marketing, admin, etc) to allow for the creative part, that part that you’re really passionate about, and there’s only 20% of your time remaining. It’s a juggle and a struggle, and it’s not often how you imagined you’d be spending your time.

Live a Creative Life

As creatives, our personalities don’t necessarily lend themselves to being the boss - at least not straight away. My advice is to build up loads of experience, learn from others. Work in different companies, on different projects, with different clients, and budgets, and problems. Try hard, ask questions, work late, stick around, sit in on meetings you don’t need to be in (if allowed), offer ideas, find solutions, build your confidence.

I’m not one to quote Oprah but she said “Are you going to get bored with your job, yes. Are you going to get restless, yes. Are you going to love every second of it, no”…“Your job is not always going to fulfil you.” And of course she’s right, there will be days where you don’t feel like going…go anyway. “Your job is not who you are, it’s just what you’re doing on the way to who you will become.”

Building a working framework isn’t glamorous

Routine is important in life, in work, in our jobs and in building a framework for our future self. Think of your future self. Think back 1, 2, 5, 10 years ago and imagine what you would say to yourself about growth and personal development. Now think 1, 2, 5, 10 years ahead and start working on what that future self needs, now. Massive question…Are you happy in your life, where it’s going and in what you have achieved so far? If no, doing just read on, it’s time to make a plan and start it today.

Become an Expert

Routine can be boring, mundane but the action of doing something over and over and over again, eventually makes you become an expert. Over that time you will no doubt get good at it. Now apply this thinking to your skillset, especially the items you aren’t so keen on; sketching, CAD, writing, presenting, making phone calls.

This has helped me with things like working under pressure. Sure, it gets easier with time, you learn how to respond to pressure and priorities. Juggling it all is something I still find challenging, and probably will for a long time; projects, clients, employees (haha Ingimar), contractors (both online and off), suppliers (both online and off), and deadlines.

Clients

Working with clients is possibly one of the best and most challenging parts of my work. The best for obvious reasons; you wouldn’t be working without them, but clients often don’t understand the process, or that they might not be your only client at one time, yet they will demand your attention and creativity whether you’re ready or not. I’ve had a client give a project brief on a Monday and they’ve expected ideas to follow pretty much instantly.

“It doesn’t matter what you do and how much you love it, you will still have a tonne of sh*t you have to deal with in order to do what you love.” - Marie Forleo

Wearing all the hats

Facing the good and the bad in business is a necessity, it’s just how it works. Working for myself means I wear many hats, some I don’t like as much as others, some I wish I didn’t have to wear (especially on Monday mornings). For me, like many, that’s unanswered emails and following up on phone calls. But my biggest pet business peeve is having to chase up fees from clients who haven’t paid - it’s so disrespectful and rude.

Be your own Boss, in time

Having said all that, I love it and it’s all worth it. I love Layoutlines, I love Iceland Family Life, I love my work, I love working for myself and I love that I’m building my little empire. But remember it takes time. Respect the time it takes to build your empire. Those who rush, make mistakes.

Yes, I get impatient at times, I want to see the numbers higher and the pressure less. But all of that comes from my boss; me. That’s what being your own boss sometimes looks like. And that’s completely normal, we all do it. So I keep on writing these blog posts, picking up my camera, doing commissions, designs for clients, chasing fees, opening emails, and replying to DMs. You just have to do the ‘sh*t’ to make the good stuff keep happening.

Let’s embrace all the stuff we don’t necessarily love about building our empires and think of our future self. Turn up to work, even when we don’t want to. And once we are in a routine, going with the flow, open to new ideas - that’s when the magic will happen. What do you think?

Working From Home Guide

It’s a crazy time right now and, as we all settle into working from home for the foreseeable future, I thought I’d share a Working From Home Guide. Here are my top tips for working from home and how to make the most of your space to create a ‘home office’. 

Working from home seems like the dream to many and, though it does come with many more pros than cons, it can be filled with distractions and motivation zappers. After all, your bed is warm and cozy, and your sofa is comfortable and only a few steps away…and you’ve almost finished binge-watching [insert series]. 

Get The Right Desk

Ok, so back in your office you might have one of those adjustable desks so you can stand more but in reality, at home, you’ll probably just sit. Try to use a good chair and be aware of your posture, the right chair for your new ' workstation is so important. Think of your back and look after it. If you can order a new one then do that but it might not be an option right now. If you plan to have a home office then it’s worth investing in a good setup. If you have the budget for it then look into an adjustable desk and make sure it’s one that can be raised and lowered easily so there’s more chance you will actually adjust it. Look at where and how you work - do you actually work at your desk, where it currently is? If not then rethink the space, turn things around and face a different direction. Get your set upright and you will be more productive.

Avoid All The At-Home Distractions

That super comfy sofa, Netflix, a full fridge, kids, argh. Try to be strict with yourself and treat your work/office like you would if you were going out to work. I try to start my day by 9-9:30 am and finish by 4-5 pm. I have my breakfast before I get to my desk and keep a lunch hour where I try to take a walk, move my body and enjoy some fresh air. I start dinner prep at 5 pm but if I’m still finishing tasks then I will keep working until 6 pm. Sometimes I work in the evening, depending on my workload and deadlines but I try to keep weekends work-free, where possible. Working from home becomes a habit, and if you get good at it then it can be hard to walk away from. Be strict but fair with yourself.

Sit Near The Window

Expose yourself to as much natural light as possible as this will help you focus, concentrate and can promote a happier mood - plus you’ll have access to fresh air. Natural light is better for photography so grab those Instagram shots. If you don’t have large windows or live in a country with long dark winters, like here in Iceland, invest in a daylight light - this can also help with waking up in the mornings.

Avoid getting hit by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) a form of depression related to the change in season. Don’t brush this off as the winter blues it can get serious. Symptoms usually start showing around autumn/fall and continue throughout winter. It can zap your energy, mood, and motivation. Make sure to move your body, go for a walk and get some fresh air, be social (if you can). Fuel yourself, eat well and go easy on yourself - often we can be our own worst critics.

Become A Plant Lover

Don’t sigh, it’s not just a trendy interiors thing but plants are both pretty and practical - they clean the air helping with co2 levels so what’s not to like. I’m a sucker for succulents, and house plants like ivy and spider plants which are easy to look after (seemingly). My love pottering with my plants and looking after them - yup, I’m a plant lady.

Get An Essential Oil Defuser

This is the one we love, add a few drops of lavender oil to the water and it will relax you. I did this in our bedroom whilst I was breastfeeding Mia and have continued to have it on in the room as I get ready for bed or whilst I enjoy some me-time. A defuser is a great gadget to have at home and you can add different oils to help with your mood.

Surround Yourself With Pictures

These can be of your family, friends, happy times, inspirational quotes, pretty artwork, etc. Post-it notes might not look cool but they’re useful and can be great for covering your screen with ideas, notes, to-do items, and so on. I use them when planning my online courses to help structure lessons as I can easily move topics around and stand back from the course to really see the overview.

I’m a list-lover, lists on my phone and in my bullet journal (what did we do before bullet journals, have random lists everywhere?!).

Pinboards are back and make great physical mood boards, brand, or vision boards so why not try this to help keep you visually stimulated and on-brand. I am currently making a vision board which I’ve never done before. Try making one by looking through magazines and cutting out anything that “sparkes joy” as Marie Condo would say. Write words or quotes relevant to you, print images, add text, textures, and materials, flowers, or whatever works for you. Keep it somewhere you will see it every day as a reminder of what you want in your life.

Music

I use Spotify on our Sonos to play playlists or just listen to the radio. I’m pretty bad with music and would honestly listen to whatever - I’ve been known to listen to the same CD in my car for months without bothering to change it. Having playlists set up where I can easily stick them on in the background is good for me. I like chill, coffeehouse kind of playlists.

Dress For Work

This helps with the point above and will help you take working from home more seriously until you find your flow. I recommend you dress comfortably but not too comfy or you’ll just lounge around the house. Working from home comes with the big advantage of being in PJs but I find I work more productively if I actually get up and dressed, ready for the day. This might mean hair brushed and makeup - some mascara and lippy - to feel a bit more put together.

READ: My Self Employed Uniform

Work Outside The Box (when you can)

Not that your home is a ‘box’ but I really recommend trying this. Change up where you work once a week by heading to your local library, a coffee shop (though coffees can really add up), try a friends place (also great for collaborating and bouncing ideas around), an open office space (check Facebook to see if there’s a place like this in your area) or if your budget allows, rent a desk in a shared office space (great for networking and collaborations). I do have what I call a ‘soft office aka my bed where I often edit photographs, plan my Instagram feed, and download clips for my YouTube videos. Road trips are a great place for thinking, I love to dream up new projects and discuss them with Ingimar. My favorite place for planning and daydreaming is in a hot tub (lucky me, I know). Escape from behind your laptop - get some space and distance for good perspective. 

The True Gem Of Working At-Home

…that you can have your office assistant/motivator with you, aka baby Mia (can also be your pet).

Becoming a Mum has motivated me on an entirely different level, something I didn’t expect. Though my time, energy, and focus are so precious now, and my brain is still a bit baby brain blurry, I have a bigger reason, purpose, and even more, drive to succeed.

I feel like I’m creating my legacy, I’m building my dreams not just for me but for Mia and our family. Mum guilt plays a huge role in my day and I often feel like I can’t win. If I’m working, I should be playing with her and if I’m playing with her, I should be working. It’s hard but I want her to be proud of her Mummy, to see me working, and to know why it’s important.

She is 21months old now and that time has flown by. She has taught me that time is precious and you can’t get it back - every minute away from her has to count. Time is a precise commodity. I have to work smarter, not harder - now more than ever.

I used to work as an Architect, in a very stressful and highly male-dominated, competitive environment. It was a classic case of the last one in the office meant you were the hardest worker. It’s nonsense. Busy doesn’t mean successful. The hardest worker doesn’t make them the best. The self-employed Mum-life is far busier and I probably get more done now. I don’t want to work a 10, 12hour day building someone else’s dreams when I can work on my own dreams.

Be Proud Of Your Accomplishments

Working from home takes a bit to get used to so don’t be too hard on yourself. You have to manage your time, juggling things, be your own boss and possibly look after the kids too. Celebrate the wins, even if they are small. Keep track of them in your journal, stats, income, clients, projects, and look back on the last 30 days.

I did this recently with my Etsy shop and compared it to last year and was so surprised at our growth. I now keep track of all my social media accounts and following. It puts less pressure on to see the slow and steady growth other than just looking at the actual numbers. It makes it easier to be more realistic about growth and targets and on yourself.

Learn to look back often on what you are building, and have already accomplished and celebrated it. 

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this post was originally written in 2020 and has been updated