6 ways to refresh your work from home routine

After almost half a year in our ‘home offices’ – on the sofa, the kitchen counter or relegated to the garage ¬– working from home might be starting to lose its appeal. But fear not, we’ve pulled together a few thoughts on how you can reinvigorate your remote working time.

Set a routine.

There’s probably a lot of things we’ve let slide now that you can roll out of bed into the ‘office’. But it’s still important to set a few boundaries and create a routine. How about getting up at the time you would normally do if you were commuting, and using that time to take a walk around the block. It’ll wake you up, get you some fresh air, and set you up for the day.

Water cooler chat.

Can’t go into the office? Bring the office gossip to you. Set up a coffee date with a colleague or two and catch up over Zoom. It might be easier to watch the TV at lunch time or even just work on through, but it’s much more rewarding to chat with your work buddies.

Exercise at your desk.

Follow Well and Good’s 60/60 workout and stop yourself feeling antsy after a hard day’s work. You’ll need zero equipment and you can do it anywhere. All you have to do is get your body moving for 60 seconds, every 60 minutes. Simple, right?

Have fun with your team.

Morale is everything, even if you’re not in the office. So why not have a bit of fun with your team in the downtime. From quizzes on Sporcle to exploring on GeoGuessr, take 5 minutes to just relax and have a bit of healthy competition.

Change the scenery.

Sick of looking at the same four walls? Go to a local coffee shop for an hour, or, while the weather’s still reasonable, head to the park. You can use a WiFi hotspot from your phone to get connected to the internet. But if you’re not sure your current SIM plan can handle it, pick up a SMARTY Unlimited SIM for just £20 a month, with no contract and all the data you’ll ever need.

Decorate.

It may sound silly, but it’s amazing what an inspirational workspace can do for your productivity. Get a comfy chair, or invest in a standing desk. Put up a few pics on the wall – maybe a motivational quote, or add some foliage to brighten the place up.

It’s likely that working from home will not be forever, but you may as well make the most of it. After all, when that 5:30am morning commute begins to beckon, you may just realise how good you had it.