Many of us have been working from home for several months now and there are undeniable upsides, such as hearing the rain pelting against your window in the morning and knowing you don’t have to venture outdoors until you want to, and only ever needing to worry about the top half of your outfit. However, now that the old nine-to-five has been replaced by ‘the new normal’, most of us will end up craving some sort of a routine eventually. So this week, our editor has been compiling her top tips for keeping some routine in your life while working from home.

Keep track of the time

Although you may have a lot more flexibility over when you go to bed and get up in the morning these days, it’s still worth making sure you allow enough time to get eight hours of sleep if possible. I’ve set a ‘bedtime’ on my phone, and also tend to split up my working day (aiming to get a certain amount of work finished by lunchtime to take the pressure off in the afternoon, for example). If you find that checking the time on your phone can lead down the rabbit-hole of ‘accidentally’ checking every notification and inadvertently scrolling through the Instagram posts of everyone you know and plenty of people you don’t, investing in a traditional watch can be a great way to improve your timekeeping (also, checking the time on your watch, rather than your phone feels weirdly grown up and sophisticated, for some reason). Look out for watches like these from Chapelle, which look a lot more expensive than they are.

Exercise helps

With less time spent on commuting or getting to the gym, you may find that you have a bit more time available for exercise. Also, if your home office set-up isn’t all that ergonomically friendly, moving your body could be a big help in terms of soothing an aching neck or back. I’ve become a tad hooked on online yoga classes during lockdown, as I can feel the physical benefits, and also find that they can help psychologically at those times when your thoughts are racing (this is especially helpful when it’s not so easy to get any worries off your chest with a lunchtime chat). A quick midday class could be all you need to get back to work in the afternoon feeling calmer and more energised. Also, if you’re aiming to build a new online exercise habit, there are plenty of short videos available to help you incorporate a little exercise from home into your day gradually.

Reward yourself

For most of us, a lot of the usual rewards for working hard (such as going out to dinner or for a drink at the end of a long week, or planning a holiday) are off the table at the moment, so building small rewards into your week can help to keep you motivated. I find that treating myself to a phone call with my family after completing a piece of work that’s taken concentration, or even just bribing myself with the occasional tea and Ferrero Rocher break works pretty effectively!

Please let us know about any new helpful habits you’ve started while working from home in the comments section below or via our social media channels.

We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Chapelle watches. The stylish timepieces are theirs, but the words are all our own.  

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