Working from home: Miles Briggs

The Lothian MSP describes his working from home set-up

What’s your home office like?

I tend to sit with my laptop on my knee when I’m working from home with all my papers scattered on my coffee table. I’m lucky to have a fantastic view of Arthur’s Seat from my flat with it’s ever-changing weather, so try not to get distracted. 

Describe four items on your desk.

I have the most recent school photo of my nephews James and George (like many kids not in school at the moment I’m often thinking about the challenge of home learning which my sister Philippa is now tasked with). 

A Chinese Bowl, I bought at the house clearance sale of Scottish actress, Edith MacArthur. Maggie Thatcher nut crackers, which my sister Christina gave me for Christmas. Piles of books, I really need to buy myself a bookshelf, I’ve loads of books I’ve bought or been given but still not found time to read them. 

What’s your top tip for working from home?

I’m not used to working from home and in normal times tend to use Holyrood or my regional office, or get out and about across my Lothian region to meet constituents, groups and charities.

Like many people finding themselves working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak, I’ve tried to set myself a daily routine – from PE with Joe to phoning constituents in the morning. I’m taking part in a number of COVID-19 conference calls, so pencil these in throughout the day. I’ve also downloaded the Couch to 5K as well, so that gives me a good break from emails to get some fresh air and clear my mind. 

What do you miss most about being in the office?

I miss the camaraderie between colleagues and my office team. It’s also a real reminder of the fact Holyrood has everything onsite to help support MSPs. I’m not known for being very IT-savvy and have been on first name terms with the parliament’s IT department since I was elected.