This week, we learned that we won’t be going back to the office until January 2021. And whilst it was the news I was expecting and hoping for, it still feels a little shocking. It’s taken a while to perfect a working-at-home during a pandemic routine but, now, at the very tail-end of August and summer, I think I’m nailing it. As a little bit of a disclaimer, I currently work part-time for a beauty retailer and I run my own copywriting business around that. So this post will detail how an average work day looks whilst I work for my employer.
7:15am
My alarm sets a touch later than before, these days. I used to have it set from 6:30am so that I could get ready in time before leaving my house to commute at 7:20am. Needless to say, this new wake-up has been a godsend!
7:35am
After a little lay-in, I hop on my Nintendo Switch to play a little Animal Crossing before work. I do all of my dailies, check in with my Discord server members, and then shut the game.
8am
Not having to put makeup on means my morning routine is chopped down. Once I’m ready, I head downstairs to prepare breakfast and make a coffee, and then I’ll enjoy those with a book. I’m really enjoying my morning book and coffee hour.
9am
Work begins! I’ve always kept roughly to a 9-5 working day, as I found I needed to be present for my clients. Now that I’m working part-time for a brand too, not much has changed. I’ll always start my day with half an hour of admin. This includes responding to emails, compiling to-do lists for the day, for projects, and for other days in the week. I like to whittle my emails right down.
9:30am
Mornings are often spent working on new and outstanding briefs. I like to write in the morning, with a clear head and full tank of inspiration.
11:30am
Just before lunch, I do another round of emails. Of course I check my emails throughout the day, but this second emails session gives me a chance to have a proper read-through of any important or longer messages. Plus, it helps me to switch off during my lunch break.
12:30pm
Lunch time! My sister and I will prepare a fresh lunch in the kitchen, something I always enjoy when I’m working from home. We usually make Buddha bowls, simple wraps, or a jacket potato.
1:30pm
My afternoons tend to consist of vigorous editing of my own work. I’ll complete any amends, rework my morning copy, do some research, and pick up on smaller adhoc tasks.
4pm
Time for my third emails session of the day! Again, I find this helps me to stay on track with my to-do lists and eliminates the anxiety of having looming emails. Another thing I do is have a master to-do list for the week where I jot down everything that I need to work on.
5:10pm
I finish at 5pm, and am pretty good at finishing on time these days. It’s so important to ensure work/life boundaries are adhered to, especially when I’m at home all the time. I tend to head straight for a shower, just to create that physical distance between my work day and leisure evening.
5:30pm
Having said that, I still like to bullet journal a little before I carry on with my evening. This allows me to sink into my reading, writing, gaming and hanging out with my family, without having to stress about whatever was on my mind. I note all sorts of random things down, pop the journal in my drawer, and then the evening begins!
Have you established a pandemic working routine yet?
