Shay is home from nursery which is a massive change to my typical routine but I’m managing thanks to a supportive partner who is looking after Shay in the mornings while I work, and then I look after him in the afternoons while his dad works.

Even though I’ve been working from home for most of my career, making the time I do have to work as productive as possible is more important than ever to get everything done, here are my top tips for a successful day working from home:

Make a to do list

I always begin my day by filling out my planner with my tasks for the day, If I don’t have a plan for the day I find it really hard to maintain focus and find a way to procrastinate with anything and everything. Here is the planner I use which you can screenshot and print to use yourself. 

Structure your Day with lots of breaks

For me, working in short windows of around an hour followed by a 15 minute break really helps my productivity and focus. I’ve been using amazing online resources for short exercise videos to do in my breaks as well as meditations which are featured on my youtube and IGTV. 

Get into sunlight

When you are commuting you begin your day by getting outside and into sunlight which helps to reset your circadian rhythm and let your body know the day has begun. If working from means staying inside in pyjamas all day you miss that shift from chill time – work time. If you are lucky enough to have a garden why not spend some of your time working outside, the vitamin D is also great support for your immune system

Prepare your food in advance so you don’t get distracted for ages by cooking

typically, I spend a couple of days a week testing and filming recipes to share with you guys and the rest of the week eating the leftovers while I work on the computer. I know from past experience if I start cooking on a computer day I end up getting distracted and giving up on my work

Put your phone away

The one thing none of us need is extra distractions, if you have an iphone limiting your screentime on certain apps is a great way to maintain focus, channel your work communication through zoom and email so that you aren’t tempted to swap work time for scroll time

I’d love to know what’s been working for you during this period of working from home, let me know by sending me a DM or mentioning me in your stories