Ambience is everything
Without the background chit chat and comradery that comes with office working , people can feel isolated working in complete silence , so if you need the debate of Radio 2 nattering in the background , stick it on , or if you have a Spotify playlist that fires you up to get stuff done , go with that – replicate the office environment that you ’ re used to working in , but don ’ t be tempted to turn the TV on – you ’ re at home to work , not to watch This Morning .
Stick to your routine
As tempting as it may be to lounge about in bed until 10am , you ’ ll soon start to feel sluggish and demotivated so do your mojo a favour and stick to your weekday drill – get up at the usual time , have a shower and get ready for the day ahead before sitting down to work at the time you would usually do so . Don ’ t forget at least one daily dose of fresh air and exercise too ; one of the very best things about remote working is the time you save where you ’ d normally be travelling . Use this time to get your home workout nailed , or stroll around the park .
Make time for meals and eat good food
To be fair this should speak to a lot of office workers , who all too often sit slouched at their desk rushing a sandwich while remaining glued to a screen . Use working from home to your benefit : make a batch of overnight oats to have for weekday breakfasts , and take a full hour for lunch that you spend away from your desk – prep some grains , salads and meat / fish the evening before , so you can take a break from grab-and-go bread-heavy lunches and nourish yourself in the process .
Stick to a to-do list
Working from home means you can no longer lean back on your chair and ask Neil from sales to remind you what that thing was you were supposed to prioritise today , so the all-hallowed to-do list is now your best friend . Plan your day according to what needs to get done first and not what you ’ d rather do first , set daily goals and commit to completing at least three each day , and , at the end of each day take stock on what you ’ ve achieved ; you ’ ll wake up motivated and knowing exactly what tasks need to be tackled first .
Show visitors the door
Would your mum pop around to the office for a cuppa at 11am ? Nope . Probably not . Make sure your family and friends know when is acceptable to phone for a chat or ring on your doorbell . Breaks are essential during the working day , but so are definite do-not-disturb periods . Oh , and on a similar note , make it clear to your neighbours that you are not in fact an Amazon warehouse here to accept all the parcels that they can ’ t ; stick to taking in post for your neighbours either side if that ’ s the done thing between you and them .
Limit social media
Another one for designated break time , just because your colleagues can ’ t see you incessantly checking Instagram stories , or shopping on Facebook marketplace for the free weights you so suddenly need , doesn ’ t mean you should be doing it . Social media can also be more of a hindrance than a help – one minute you ’ ll be merrily watching a time-lapse recipe for inspiration and the next you ’ ll have fallen
down a wormhole of opinions and pointed fingers . Choose both your platform and the time you spent on it wisely .
Chat to your team about more than work
Communication is key to keeping everyone updated about professional matters and should be upheld throughout the day , but don ’ t forget that your colleagues are still there to chat about last night ’ s TV , or what everyone got up to at the weekend . You might not be in the same office anymore , but you ’ re still all working towards a shared goal , so if you need to a quick break to chat about what everyone ’ s having for lunch , take it .
Remember , you ’ re not Mrs . Hinch
Lastly , but by no means least , don ’ t do your head in with the minutiae of domesticity while you ’ re ‘ at work ’ – if you ’ d normally be out from 8.30am until 6pm , unloading the dishwasher , folding the washing or changing the bed can wait until the time that you ’ d normally do it at . Remember , you are not Mrs . Hinch , so don ’ t set about deep cleaning the carpet , or obsessively tidying three times a day . You didn ’ t do it before , so don ’ t start now .
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