With snap lockdowns and capacity limits on offices, working from home has become the new norm. It’s not all fun and games, and it can be challenging to stay motivated and productive while also being happy.

We wanted to share some insights from our team on how we stay productive and what we find motivates us while working from home. Hopefully this will help you create a routine in which you can thrive while working from home.

1. Get outdoors

Sitting inside all day every day isn’t good for anyone, so Abby, our Candidate Administrator, makes a conscious effort to get outside everyday and go for a walk. She finds it boosts her mood and gets her moving after sitting down for most of the day.

2. Take effective breaks

One of our Trainee Consultants, Laura, ensures that she takes effective breaks throughout the day. It can be easy to miss a break when working from home without the distraction of coworkers and general chit chat around the office. Put time in the calendar to get up and stretch, walk around the house, or give a coworker a call to catch up.

3. Start with mindfulness

Our Senior Candidate Manager, Anna, takes time every morning to focus on setting her mind up for the day ahead. Whether that’s taking the dog for a walk, meditating, or doing some yoga. She finds a slow approach to the morning can prepare her for a busy day.

4. Commute to work

While the normal commute to work doesn’t exist while working from home, Michael, our Team Leader for Public Sector, finds that taking a quick walk before starting work is a good replacement. He feels that this way he’s not going straight from bed to work.

5. Don’t go missing

Adam, our Manager for Engineering Civil & Infrastructure, highlights the importance of picking up the phone and calling people, whether they’re colleagues or clients. It’s easy for us to automatically resort to emailing and messaging colleagues when we have questions. This can feel impersonal and add to us feeling isolated. Feeling connected is more important than ever, so ask that question over the phone.

Want more tips from Adam for things to do during lockdown? Check out his ‘Iso Tips’ series he ran on his LinkedIn last year.

6. Set up a designated space for work

Marketing Coordinator, Josh, says setting up a designated space to work has helped tremendously. This doesn’t have to be a home office but can simply be a desk in the corner of the bedroom. It may not have the luxuries of the office, but it’ll help create the separation between home and work.

7. Define your day

Manager for Architecture & Design, Ben, finds that having something to mark the start and end of the workday helps create a separation between home and the office. When he opens his laptop and turns it on, it’s time for work, and when he shuts it down and closes the lid, it means work is over. It’s easy to work extra hours when working from home, so it’s important to set boundaries.

8. Bop to some music

Matt, our Managing Director, likes to create a bopping playlist that will instantly put him in a good mood. We should take advantage of the fact that we can listen to whatever we want, and not just what’s playing in the office.

Need some inspiration? Check out this playlist Matt has put together.

9. Call someone you know will make you laugh

Our Senior Manager for Town Planning, Urban Design & Landscape Architecture, Mark, calls a client or candidate that he knows will make him laugh when he’s feeling a bit flat. It’s important we talk to people we know will put us in a good mood to help add fun into the day.

Working from home can be difficult and isolating, but hopefully with these tips from our team you’ll be able to master it and create a routine to suit you.