What’s your WFH routine?

[parrotonmyshoulder]

I start a new fully remote job next month. I have been doing one day remote for a while, but the rest of the week has been in the workplace. This new job will be all at home (except for 10 face to face team days a year, which will involve travelling).
Looking for tips to make it work, separate home life and work life. The hours are quite flexible so I can build in breaks/ errands etc.

I work fully remote too. I like to go out for a walk at lunchtime, get some shopping in or do some gardening/housework. I drink about a cup of tea per hour.

Mine is super flexible, so take it with a pinch of salt! My company is very happy with what I do (and aware of how I work) and so I flex happily depending on what's going on but normally:

• Wake up & check emails/messages before I go for a run

• School run

• Clear inbox and messages

• AM: any UK/Europe/Asia calls, and work on longer term goals. Walk on a walking pad throughout (highly recommended if you have a busy life/struggle to get exercise in!)

• Lunch, this is normally something quick at my desk as the US folk get online

• PM: any US calls, and short/medium term goals.

• School run, normally picking up DS and dropping at another club, or coming home. I'll check and answer emails/messages if they come up.

• Nothing during 5-7:30pm for dinner/bedtime

• 7:30pm clear inbox/messages and do any leftover work

Something I would say is consider the boundaries you want to build. If you want a separate home/work life and to not work any hours outside your set ones, expect to only take a lunchbreak and have that time cover errands. IME companies are either super flexible because they know you'll give back hours/work late when it's busy, OR they want you working your hours. Not many are happy with you working set hours and then taking time out of your day for errands etc too (a few unicorn companies do!)

I WFH full time (bar a handful of in person meetings per year) and these are the things I find help me keep my work/home balance:

• a separate dedicated workspace. I’m lucky I have a spare room as an office so I know when I close the door I’m at work now with no distractions
• I always walk my dog before and after work - this is what would have been my commuting time so it feels like I’m going into work/coming home from work
• I always get fully dressed/ready for the day so I’m not in PJs etc - always feels much better!
• try not to eat lunch at my desk unless I’m super busy with a tight deadline. I used to be really bad at this, but I realised I would always take my lunch when I was in the office and it gives me a break from looking a screen all day

Childcare sort of forces me to work standard office hours when I WFH and actually I think it's better.

I try really hard to keep the work to the home office, rarely bring my work laptop downstairs

I always eat my lunch at the dining table, usually while reading, I don't take food upstairs

I keep some dumbbells and an exercise mat next to my desk and do some exercises in between meetings and sometimes during meetings I am primarily just listening to

I don't know if you have kids - mine are primary age and I try really hard not to work while they are around (unless DH is looking after them) because I just don't like them to feel like they can't disturb me/have to keep quiet.

Oh and I always get dressed and I also always work at my desk, unless unwell, I don't do bed or sofa working

I'm up at 6 take the dog out, breakfast, shower start work sometime around 7.30 (flexi time just need to start before 10.30!) , 30 minute lunch, finish 3.30ish. My office is in the box room, I think it's important to have a separate work space when WFH full time. I put a wash on etc, jobs that take 10 minutes or so, but I dont leave home during working hours.

Work in a different room to the one you spend your evenings in (if at all possible).

Look to see what lunchtime activities are on around you. Work priorities permitting, I take a longer lunch break a couple of times per week, one for an exercise class one lunchtime and another to join a local walking group.

Use your former commuting time to get chores done.

What walking pad do you have and would you recommend it? I really want one and don’t know where to start!

8.00 start hopefully DS school bus will arrive so he heads off to school.

Work until lunch. Might throw a load of laundry in. Let the dog in and out to the garden as necessary.

Lunch and dog walk. Nip to shops if necessary.

Work to five.

Sometimes I'll do a sweep of DS1's room. I've a cleaner so don't do much actual housework so it's mainly laundry. I sometimes make a hair appointment and will work off my phone at that.

I WFH permanently, unfortunately in the front room so I have to work round others. Get up at 8, log on at 9 lunch at 1.30 for 30 mins log off at 5.30

I sometimes watch a movie in the afternoon, just as back ground. I listen to Radio 4 on BBC sounds expect in December when it's R2 for the Christmas songs. Generally get the housework done in ten min bursts whilst waiting for kettle to boil, but oh works from home too and helps out

DH and I both WFH, but I usually pop into the office once a week.

my at home schedule looks like this, which seems to be fairly similar to others.

Early AM - wake up, check emails, respond to overnight issues or questions on Teams. Review calendar

School Run - I try not to do calls before the school run as I like the 2.5km walk beforehand.

AM - Usually on calls from 9:30 onwards with maybe an hour or so without. I’ll make tea as soon as I’m back from school and then whenever I get chance. Will put a wash or drying load on between calls.

Lunch - Try to go for another walk, but it’s really depending on call times. Once a week go for a walk with other friends who WFH.

PM - tea after lunch. My afternoons generally are more call heavy so can sometimes rely on DD getting in about 3:20 before I get another tea.

Usually finish with calls about 5, and immediately have to make dinner while DH collects DS. Then it’s football training for one kid or another most evenings.

I do keep an eye on Teams and Email most evenings, but I have an enormous amount of autonomy and flexibility so I don’t really mind.

I wfh 3-4 days a week, and go into the office on the other 1-2 days.

To be honest my wfh routine is pretty much the same as my office routine. I log on at 8:30, take lunch at 12:30 and log off around 5:00 unless there's work I need to finish in which case I'll work later. I usually go for a walk at lunchtime, which I also do in the office. I tend to have the radio on in the background if I'm not on Teams calls.

7am - gym, walk or yoga
8am - home, shower, breakfast, make up
9am - log on
1pm(ish) - lunch in kitchen or in garden
5pm - log off for the day. Absolutely never do any work outside of core hours

I try to do a walk during the day if I can manage it, I manage it around half of my WFH days. I usually WFH 3-4 days a week

Up, showered and dress by 8.30 to log on.
Cuppa Dan a snack about 11.
Lunchtime I do either go for a walk or watch telly for an hour
Snack around 3pm and a cuppa with my dh when he gets home from work
Log off about 5ish

During that time I might put a wash on, sometimes I do my dd's horse before work. Also might pick her up from college etc.

My job is very flexible. Supposed to be 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, but I'm expected to work out of hours and weekends if the work dictates it. So if I'm slow I take time to myself during the week and will bunk off early or start later

Thanks all. Helpful to hear. My job will be pretty flexible in that the job needs to get done, meetings attended when booked, but the work can be done any time. I intend to make sure I don’t let it just spread out into being low intensity but all the time.

I’ve got an office, shared with DH when he’s home and full of mess. I can tidy it up and use it when he’s not here. There’s another space I can use, to avoid the sofa (or bed!).
Interesting to hear that most of you get properly up and dressed. I’ll want to be Teams ready through the day.

DC leave soon after 7am for school, so I’m hoping to start work early in the day and have afternoons more free, especially in the summer.