online meeting tips

Home Office Essentials for Online Video Meetings

Working from home certainly has its ups and downs. We’ve all been there: the one day where you decide you’re going to work in your comfy clothes and save showering until the afternoon, only to receive a message from your client or boss, asking you to hop online for a “quick video chat”.

When you’re absolutely not camera-ready but are in a pinch, there are a few things you can quickly do to seem like you have it all together. Here is a list of 5 items to keep by your desk in case you find yourself jumping on an unexpected video call:

A Light Scarf, Cardigan, or Blazer

Have some options hung up close by so that you can quickly throw on over casual clothes you may be wearing. Make sure you check on your options after a few times worn – your go-to-in-a-pinch items should be wrinkle-free and clean.

A Long Necklace 

There’s something instantly stylish about adding a long necklace to even the simplest of shirts. Keep a necklace hanging with your other options, so it’s within easy reach in an emergency. Adding a bit of flare will dispel any ideas that you weren’t prepared for a professional video chat.

Hair Care

Keep a hair brush or hair serum on hand by your desk, to help smooth down flyaways and frizz. Add a few drops of serum if you want to take a messy bun to a more polished one, in under a minute!

Lip Gloss & Blush

A quick application of a tinted lip gloss will add some colour and take you from blah to refreshed. You can even dab a bit of that gloss to your cheeks to give a quick flush of colour, or keep a traditional blush and brush in your desk drawer.

Bold Earrings

If all else fails and you’re feeling particularly casual but too rushed, throwing on a bold pair of earrings will give just the right amount of oomph that nothing else will really matter…


Video conferencing has removed a lot of the pretences of meetings, and has humanized the working world in a fantastic way. Everyone is doing their best with other distractions at home as well, so no matter what, give yourself some grace and remember that done is better than perfect.


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