I’ve been working from home long before COVID sent everyone rushing to secure the second smallest room in the house for their homeworking pleasure. And the thing about the serial homeworker is the ingress of the daily habits that become ingrained.

One of those is my unchecked coffee/tea drinking habit. Even the bathroom fitter who was working in my house for a week or two recently was impressed by the frequency of the tea run.

While I don’t want to sound like I’m stuck in my ways and am, of course, open to new and varied experiences, I am, dear LinkedInner, quite particular about what mugs I drink out of and at what time of day.

Mickey starts the day
First up, my working day starts with a decent coffee in a large Mickey Mouse mug, bought from a family trip to Disneyland some years ago. It’s a hefty mug for doing the heavy intellectual lifting (thanks Mickey!) that the morning demands.

Tea cup hierarchy (yes, there is such a thing)
From then on, I’m moving into the tea zone and I’m looking for a mug that’s a little smaller, but still capable of holding a decent slosh of tea. I have a wide variety to choose from: there’s the Macbeth “Out damned spot” mug bought from a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe, or the MG car mug, or the Clarke mug with its own Clarke coat of arms.

Of course, if I happen to be travelling to meet a client, I need to take my own mug for the journey. Enter the collapsible reusable – long admired by baristas everywhere (at least here in Norfolk).

Seb’s mug
My favourite mug, though, is my ‘Seb’ mug – an Emma Bridgewater special bought by some friends as a birthday present and tailored for my profession. But a warning (should you ever find yourself in the canteen making hot beverages for the thirsty staff at Paperplane Communications), I don’t want this mug until the late afternoon/evening when I’m easing down on my tea consumption and the more relaxed vibe of the day can do it justice. 

Mug manifesto
I realise this mug manifesto has little or no professional significance. But if you want to talk mugs, and perhaps even your need for some freelance communications support, I’m here for you.

Pictures of your favourite work mugs please.