Skip to main content
Commsy creative stuff straight to your inbox

Blog

Five ways to get some structure back in your day when working from home

< Blog home

Five ways to get some structure back in your day when working from home

As much as we all enjoy a change sometimes, we are creatures of habit. Routines are a way we feel secure, whether it’s having a whole meal plan set out for the week, or just knowing what the first thing you’ll do when you get home is.

If, like me, you were travelling into the office every day and now working from home, you’ve probably also had your routine thrown completely out of the window. I’m a big believer in finding the silver linings, like saving money on my train fare! But also in acknowledging the truth: nobody’s finding this easy.

I’ve found getting a bit of structure back helps, so here are 5 tips I’ve used in case they’re helpful for you too.

I work in a talking therapy service – one of the IAPT services that are available on the NHS in every part of England – so I’ve picked up some great tips from the practitioners here. But I’m also sharing a few that I have just personally found work for me.

 

  1. Worry time

This is one from my therapist colleagues. It’s a technique from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for dealing with those unsolvable problems that play on your mind.

It’s hard to leave home problems at home and work problems at work when they’re the same place. They interrupt whether you’re trying to concentrate or relax.

Personally, ‘worry time’ has been like hiring a PA for my brain. It helped me stop problems barging in on my thoughts while I’m trying to do something else.

In a nutshell, you schedule time each day to think things through. Whenever a problem comes up that you can’t solve straight away, you put it on the agenda for that ‘worry time’ meeting with yourself.

Then, you’re not brushing it away or ignoring the problem when it comes to mind. You’re arranging to give it the focussed attention it deserves. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that, and it does take practice but it’s useful.

The talking therapy service I work for has made this worry time video to explain it. And there are also a couple of Apps you can use:

  • Reach Out Worry Time helps you list those unsolvable problems and during your scheduled ‘worry time’ you can work through them.
  • The Worry Tree starts a step before, and helps you see whether the problem is solveable or not. It then ‘branches’ off so you can take action, or add it to worry time to think through later.

 

  1. Know when you need a break

“Take your breaks” is advice I see all the time in the workplace wellbeing space.  I completely agree it’s one of the best tips, but it’s easier said than done on those days when your workload is piling up faster than you can trawl through it.

So my tip isn’t about encouraging you to get away from your desk. It’s about recognising when you need to, so you can justify it when the deadlines seem more important.

Do you have those moments where you notice you’re really flagging? Where you end up losing more time than you saved by powering through, because now you’re making mistakes?

My tip is to work back from that and look for the early warning signs that you missed. Because when you can spot them, you can time your breaks like pit stops.

  • Mindfulness is a really useful skill for this. It brings your attention to what’s happening now, and trains you to notice what you’re experiencing.
  • If you’re in Hampshire, you can join us for a little intro to mindfulness in our Breathing Space class. Or reach for – Headspace.

 

  1. Start the day with movement

We all know exercise is good for our mind and body – but have you wondered if any of the ways you’ve been feeling lately might be down to your lack of commute?

I am one of the fortunate ones that find a lot of positives in working from home. But after a few months, I definitely found it hard to get going in the morning.

Now, I can’t say I had that much exercise to lose from my routine. But it turns out that brisk walk from my car to the office was doing a lot for my mood without me realising it. There’s something in the fact that the less we do, the less we want to do. So even losing that little bit of movement from my day started a bit of a slump for me.

  • If you’ve noticed similar, I found a CBT technique called Behavioural Activation really helpful for this. And if you’ve ever thrown yourself into a new activity, only to lose interest after a little while, it includes tips for staying motivated when starting something new.

 

  1. Limit your media consumption

This tip is a little controversial as a marketing professional and writing for the blog of a comms agency… but have you noticed the more time you spend on the news and social, the worse you feel?

It’s hard because social can also be a lifeline. Especially now that we’re not able to catch up in person as often, I’m not suggesting we give up one of the only ways we can stay connected.

Like anything, the key is moderation and my tip is to use this as a way to add structure to your day too.

Set yourself a window each day to catch up on the news and social media, and be firm with yourself when you catch yourself reaching for the app outside of it.

I’ve found it helpful to pick a time when I’ll be interrupted, because it’s too easy to get drawn in. Mine is while I’m cooking dinner – a little scroll while I’m waiting for something to boil or bake or brown. Because I can’t be the only one, where the harder a day I’ve had, the less time I can be bothered to spend cooking? It works out well that when I’m feeling my least resilient, I’ve probably only got a few minutes waiting for the microwave to ping!

 

  1. Schedule time to check in with family, friends and colleagues

We’re different things to different people, aren’t we? So it can feel awkward to be work-you and home-you in the same place. If you’ve found yourself applying the situational leadership model of management to the children, or attachment-parenting your colleagues, you wouldn’t be alone!

I know among my friends, we’re all noticing different challenges of being physically present at home, but not really able to be around. Or of finding extra time to stay in touch with people you’d usually bump into during the day.

One friend has started having virtual lunches with colleagues they’d usually chat with in the office, rather than trying to borrow from family time in the evening to stay in touch.

Another has set an hour after work to catch up with his partner like they used to when they got home, rather than popping in to see each other during the workday.

This tip isn’t easy, but if you can relate to this, I hope you can find something that works for you.

 

And if you feel like you’d benefit from some focussed support around your wellbeing, NHS talking therapy services across the country are still accepting referrals. If you’re over 16, registered with a GP in Hampshire, and not being supported by another mental health service, you can contact italk without needing to see your GP.

Outside of Hampshire, you can find your local talking therapy service on the NHS website.

 

By Sara Langston, Patient Engagement and Marketing Manager at italk.

“The guys at Alive understand the complexities of our business which means we don’t need to explain the detail of every project or design piece – they’re already on it, which keeps things moving and delivers the results we need.”

Emily Stoten — Head of Marketing, Selecta

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Alive were professional, friendly and great to work with. Most importantly they were creative, helping us to bring an extremely important safety campaign to life.”

Jack Grasby — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“This looks amazing - brought a smile to my face scrolling through it :-)”

Jack Ford, Head of Marketing — streamGO

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
Alive logo