Working from home, top tips.

hungryandhormonal · 28/02/2022 14:57

I've worked from home consistently for years - even before the pandemic.

You're overthinking this. I cant understand the need for a schedule which includes housework and getting dressed. You are managing to cram everything in to your day whilst also commuting to a workplace (I'm guessing), so the additional free time you have from WFH is an added bonus - not something you need to fill every second of.

I get the kids up for school and dressed etc as I normally would on an office day. I start work as early as possible - sometimes thats 8am, sometimes it 9.15 am - I have flexibility that allows this with my role. I'm guessing you do too as you've mentioned your preferred start time as opposed to a set time.

I work through the emails and the priority items before making a cuppa and some breakfast. Whilst I'm waiting on the kettle I might stick the washing machine on. Some days I can manage to take the dog a walk at lunchtime and hang a washing out. Other days I'm swamped and nothing much of anything gets done until 2pm or even until I finish work.

So, I dont cant see how its possible to make such a routine, or that its healthy to do so. Give working from home a try for a week and see how it pans out on average. Then look at how you can make the most of your time if its still something you prefer.

Your DH needs to understand that WFH does not mean you can take on more of the household/mental load - its still working!

ByHook0rByCrook · 28/02/2022 15:02

Agree with pp, your workday needs to be a workday, not an opportunity to squeeze in housework as well.

Are you not using childcare after school? How will you concentrate every afternoon?

Original poster

Yellowleadbetter · 28/02/2022 15:04

That makes sense, yes..defo overthinking things!!

Dh has been working from home for about a year and managed nearly all household chores & school runs etc with me working 50-60 hours a week out of the house.

From next week I’ll be working 37.5 hours a week (yayyyy!!) the majority of time from home. Some travel involved.

I’m just planning the 50:50 split with it all with dh.

OP posts:

ByHook0rByCrook · 28/02/2022 15:06

Much easier to keep on top of housework when most people are out of the house in the day.

Enjoy your new lifestyle! I'm sure a good routine will develop over time.

TheBeesKnee · 28/02/2022 15:10

Depends on the job! My work involves lots of meetings so I'll pop myself on mute and listen while I unload the dishwasher/put the washing out etc.

pitterpatterrain · 28/02/2022 15:13

Our DC are always in after school club when we are WFH as we are working - not sure I would cope well with the interruption (also not possible with meetings)

Agreed with PP - it’s my working day not an opp to do stuff around the house

I mainly do things like washing / dishwasher if I have a call when I just need to listen but that is relatively rare - most time is just doing work

AlisonDonut · 28/02/2022 15:13

@Yellowleadbetter

I’m about to start working from home. I’ve never done this before and I’m thinking about how to get organised.

Can you tell me how your day looks.
How do you factor in housework, kids school runs and work?

I’m thinking of starting at 9am.
Between 7-8.45 shower, dressed hair, kid ready for school & school run.
Then evening, wash load on, dryer.
Lunch break run the Hoover over and empty dishwasher.
After shower clean bathroom.
Then school run at 3.20, work 3.30- 5pm.
But then I’ve got to get kid to swimming lesson, football training.
Plan on sharing this 50:50 with dh who also works from home.

How do you do it?

I worked from home for over 20 years.

Start work at 8, break at 11, lunch at 1, break at 3 and finish work at 4 or 5.

You can't work from home and be a housewife. It is either or. Otherwise you are not working from home, you are doing some work at home.

pitterpatterrain · 28/02/2022 15:14

For example - the supermarket food delivery still comes out of working hours as I am working

NothingIsWrong · 28/02/2022 16:03

@Yellowleadbetter

I’m about to start working from home. I’ve never done this before and I’m thinking about how to get organised.

Can you tell me how your day looks.
How do you factor in housework, kids school runs and work?

I’m thinking of starting at 9am.
Between 7-8.45 shower, dressed hair, kid ready for school & school run.
Then evening, wash load on, dryer.
Lunch break run the Hoover over and empty dishwasher.
After shower clean bathroom.
Then school run at 3.20, work 3.30- 5pm.
But then I’ve got to get kid to swimming lesson, football training.
Plan on sharing this 50:50 with dh who also works from home.

How do you do it?

How old are the children? In my experience it's very difficult to go back to work after collecting from school, I use ASC even on WFH days.

Original poster

Yellowleadbetter · 28/02/2022 16:09

Between dh & myself we will do the school run and after school care. Child is 9.

OP posts:

reluctantbrit · 28/02/2022 16:12

My work starts at 9am but I am at the desk starting to log in at 8.45am as we are expected to be on teams chat at 9am.

DD leaves the house at 7.30am, so I have around 1 hour to put washing away and put another machine on or tidy up a bit. I may also spend 1 hour with a cup of tea and a book if I fancy.

DH (permanent wfh for 10 years now) sort out the dishwasher/does any washing up leftover from the night before.

Lunch is a proper break for me, I may hang up washing or run the dryer.

I work until 5pm, will do shopping, sorting out life admin and ferry DD to her activities and cook dinner.

Housework is for the weekend or my day off.

How old are your children? Unless older primary you may want to think about after school childcare, I wouldn't be able to work with school run and disturpance in the afternoon.

jazzhands44 · 28/02/2022 16:12

My main objective is to be up, washed and dressed as if I was going to work. At the beginning of lockdown I fell into a trap of getting up late and starting work in my pjs. It just sets a bad tone for the day and always made me feel like I was running behind.

Walk at lunchtime (and make sure you have a lunchtime don't get into the habit of forgetting just because you're at home).

And yes I do try and get a few chores done during work time because if I were in the office I would spend that time being distracted by chatty colleagues so it's fine

Original poster

Yellowleadbetter · 28/02/2022 16:17

I’m very much looking forward to it!
It’s a whole new world for me, a very exciting new world.
I can feel the stress of the last 5-10 years melting away already.
We have got a lovely office area organised so we have somewhere to work,
I’m thinking in my head of slow cooker meals, making big bowls of salad to put in the fridge for lunches, how smooth the house is going to run.
Can’t believe it’s happening!!

OP posts:

Blossom64265 · 28/02/2022 16:23

I’ve been wfh for over a decade.

I do the school run. Pre-pandemic I picked up a large tea from the corner shop on my way home. It was my “social” routine, super cheap, and calorie free. I had to stop that and I miss it.

I get myself some breakfast, give the cat her medication, start the laundry, and then head to my home office. I don’t eat before the school run because of my morning med timings.

Around 10:30 dh comes into my office and annoys me about picking lunch because he starts his day really early and never eats breakfast. i tell him to eat without me and get back to work.

midday i take a quick lunch and move the laundry along.

school run is at 2:30. i don't always have to go back to work, but if i do, i get child who is old enough to get herself to and from school independently if we lived somewhere with transit home, and head back into my office.

so really, aside from the laundry during lunch and the school run pause, it really isn't any different than being at work.

BobbinHood · 28/02/2022 16:28

I don’t do housework during the day, unload or load dishwasher at most, because I’m working. I have a lot of meetings and it wouldn’t be appropriate to stop and do the laundry. If it’s something that can be done in the length of time the kettle takes to boil then I’ll do it, otherwise it waits until outside of working hours. I might do a bit of food prep for tea in my lunch break but generally not. Aside from being home to receive deliveries etc there’s no difference to when I was working from the office, however I didn’t have a long commute and still have to do nursery run so definitely didn’t “gain” any time.

I go for a walk at lunchtime when I can because there’s a lot of incidental exercise you miss out on when wfh and it’s taken its toll on me. I also do the morning and evening nursery run via walking and public transport.

Enjoy, OP, I’m the other way round in that I’m heading back to the office for at least half the week from tomorrow and I’m over the moon to be working somewhere outside my home!