With 38% of UK employees having worked remotely within the last 7 days, many of us have discovered the hidden gems of WFH success.
From getting the most out of your morning routine to combating feelings of loneliness (and perhaps the hardest of all: keeping out of the kitchen), we’ve all got our favourite WFH habits that we swear by.
And whether you’re looking to get out of a procrastination rut or want some new tips for hybrid working, here are some habits we’ve tried and tested that have certainly helped us thrive from our home offices.
Download our hybrid working brochure for some great product inspiration that’ll help you stay focused and give your remote working routine the productivity boost it deserves.
Some days, keeping that productivity train chugging along can be a real uphill struggle. But, with these core daily habits in place, you’re sure to stay right on track with your goals.
Having a routine that works for you will make you feel on top of your game, meaning you’ll be way more productive than you would have been without one.
The key is sticking to it. Whether that means waking up at 5 am or 8 am, as long as you’re following it and getting your work done, that’s all that matters.
Create your ideal routine using our favourite cork notebook and pen set.
This may sound counterintuitive to having a stress-free day, but hear us out.
Planning too much work for a day, and overreaching yourself workwise will ensure that you put that pressure on yourself to be your most productive self. You’ll work smarter, not harder, finding loopholes in your day to multitask and get as much work done as possible.
And at the end of the day, evening if you haven’t got everything done, you’ll have that sense of accomplishment that can sometimes be hard to find when WFH.
You’ll never love your to-do list more than when you work from home.
Allocate, delegate and colour co-ordinate all your daily tasks to add a succinct structure to your day, helping you to get those important jobs done.
We’ve all been there. Just a few more minutes of procrastination before you get started tackling the day's tasks…
…Aaaaand what do you know, it’s 5 pm already.
Here are some secret tips for staying focused all day long that don’t involve tonnes of caffeine.
Keeping busy is a surefire way you’ll keep your focus on the important projects at hand. You’ll have to use your time wisely to ensure everything gets done making you more focused and less prone to distractions.
When working from home, it can be easy to take it, well, easy some days. To counter this urge, keep your career goals in sight with manageable steps to keep you focused and write your goals on your seed paper memo block to keep them growing!
Make sure your office space works for you, and not the other way around.
Keep things light and airy. Banish clutter to prevent distractions, but ensure it’s comfortable enough for you to actually want to work in your allocated home office space.
We love a standing desk to stretch out your legs, and you can’t go wrong with having a wireless desk charger to keep your devices powered all day long.
Plants turn any boring office into a jungle of creative possibilities!
A study in Norway in the 1990s showed that having plants in the office reduced the symptoms of ill health (such as fatigue, dry skin, and concentration problems) by a whopping 25%.
Plus, having approximately 1 houseplant per metre has been shown to improve memory retention and productivity can grow by at least 15% if a few plants are scattered around the office.
They’re your secret productivity heroes.
Okay, so this may sound like an odd one, but wearing shoes indoors can improve your focus.
This is because your brain associates wearing shoes with work mode, “triggering your brain into being productive,” explains Marcy Caldwell, a licensed clinical psychologist and ADHD specialist.
Maybe it’s time to ditch your fluffy socks?
Be ruthless and declutter your workspace of any unnecessary distractions.
We know this is totally dictated by where your home office is, but if you’re able to keep your work zone as tidy and clutter-free as possible, you’ll have fewer distractions to procrastinate with.
We love this hybrid desk pad for separating your office and home environments.
WFH alone can feel like a perpetual ground-hog day with no end in sight.
Sometimes.
You don’t have the luxury of venting to colleagues in the staff room, nor can you ad hoc brainstorm ideas with your team.
You can feel quite down-heartened, stuck in your routine of sleep, eat, work, repeat.
That’s why we wanted to share with you some of the best tips for staying positive when working from home by focusing on the perks.
Don’t feel like just because you’re at home you have to be at your desk 24/7.
That’s just not healthy.
Get up. Stretch your legs. Make a coffee. Do everything you would usually do in the office, just, you know, at home.
Set boundaries with yourself and your family to minimise any stress from you working from home.
If others are home during your scheduled work day, make sure they know when you’re due to start work, and that you don’t want to be disturbed (fluffy companions are excluded from this, of course).
Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you’re at home.
Also, set boundaries with yourself. If you find yourself working past 5, or not taking your lunch break, change your ways and make sure you do. We promise you’ll feel better for it.
Movement, however gentle, will do wonders for your mental health.
Whether you decide to go for a 5K run before work, take out a new gym membership, or just do some sweet soft stretches from your desk, try and carve out some time each day for you to move your body, whatever works best for you.
Check out our blog post full of motivational merch to get you started.
That being said, moving and getting your steps in can be hard whether you’re working from home or for the office, but they’re definitely worth the extra effort.
You don’t have to do 10k a day to feel the benefits, just try and aim to do more than you usually would. Having this goal will ensure you get up at regular intervals to move, energising yourself and keeping your positivity levels high!
We love Fitbits to help keep a track of our steps.
When you work from home, you don’t get to enjoy all those lovely distractions that come from a regular office environment. Be it a colleague who wants to rant, or a surprise delivery you need to sort.
Sometimes, your mind just needs to have a break between tasks. Don’t beat yourself up over it and allow yourself to be distracted (but only for a little bit).
It’s ever so easy to just keep snacking when you’re at home.
The fridge is RIGHT THERE.
Counter your inner snack goblin by preparing tasty treats the night before, and make sure you’re reaching for foods that have slow energy release (we’re looking at you, bananas).
Staying hydrated is one of the easiest and best ways to do more and feel better.
Ensure you have a favourite water bottle, and if you’re still struggling, try adding some fruit to your water for flavour and a vitamin boost.
Working from home every day can be lonely, there’s no doubt about it. When you’ve only got yourself for company, feelings of loneliness can hit you suddenly and without warning. Here are 3 ways we try to minimise the effects of loneliness during the working day.
Studies have shown that 46% of us in the UK have experienced loneliness whilst working from home at some point, so you’re certainly not alone.
You can however minimise these feelings by interacting with as many people as you can, even if it’s just a little smile and a wave.
Chatting with your postman, popping out to the shops at lunch, and catching up with your partner can all make a BIG difference. It might not stop you from feeling lonely 24/7, but it’ll definitely help, if only a little.
WFH can also make you feel disconnected from your team because you’re not physically seeing them every day.
Research shows that only 1 in 10 people will bring up feelings of loneliness with colleagues, so why not be the one to take the plunge and start the all-important discussion?
Schedule daily casual catch-ups with your team daily and enjoy a brew together. We love Google Hangouts for doing this, and there really is nothing better than catch-ups with your favourite people, even if it’s just for 5 minutes.
You’ll probably need to discuss it with your line manager first, but working from home doesn’t have to mean working from home.
Why not pack everything into your backpack and go to a busy coffee shop or cafe?
Changing up your scenery can help stifle those initial feelings of loneliness as well as work wonders for your productivity.
And you never know, you might meet some other remote workers!
For more advice on how to feel less lonely, we’ve written a blog post about 12 amazing ways you can combat feelings of loneliness. We hope it helps!
WFH or in the office, we’ve got you covered with the best promotional merchandise to help you be your best work self every day.
If you’d like to find out more about our hybrid working merchandise, check out our hybrid working brochure full of WFH inspiration and support, or get in touch today for your free consultation with one of our Merchandise Consultants.