How to Keep Your Home Clean & Tidy when Working from Home

As many of us now adjust to working from home long term, keeping our homes clean and tidy whilst we live and work in the same space has become a daily stressor. How do we tackle the inbox or draft the next report when we know there’s a pile of laundry to do or dishes waiting to be washed? It’s exhausting, we know. But don’t worry. We’ve pulled together some of our top tips for managing the work/life balance when working from home, so you can keep on top of it all. 

Set Boundaries Between Work Life and Home Life 

When our home has become our office, the boundaries can easily shift. With our laptops and the managed IT support that comes with them right next to us, there’s nothing stopping us from getting into an email trail at 11 pm, or getting lost in spreadsheets when you should be relaxing. Maintaining clear boundaries for your workday and home life is essential to keeping a healthy balance, and your home a clean, calm space you want to be in.

One upside of working from home is that many of us can now decide our hours. If it helps you fit the chores in, focusing on work early morning and afternoon with cleaning hours around midday, for example, might be a good choice for you. Whatever your schedule looks like, dividing time between work and household chores means you can focus on the task at hand without feeling distracted or overwhelmed. 

Create A Meaningful Morning Routine

Even with a schedule in place, it can still feel difficult getting motivated in the morning when working from home. Losing the breakfast rush and morning commute can be a huge relief, but it also takes away some of the structure from our working lives that helped instil a daily focus. Creating a meaningful morning routine can help you prepare for the day, and ensure you have time for everything – including downtime. 

Setting your alarm for the same time each day, getting up and dressed – however comfy those favourite pyjamas are – helps us focus into a productive mood. When managing the work/life balance, this can also be a great way to get last night’s dishes done while your morning coffee brews or pop a load of laundry on as your laptop starts up. 

Create A To Do List 

Creating a fresh to do list each morning makes sure all of your tasks are accounted for and allotted appropriate time to be completed in. If you take the time to make sure everything’s noted down first thing, then you can simply concentrate on the task at hand – instead of worrying about what you might have forgotten. 

This is also the perfect place to make note of any household chores that need doing – when you need to take the bins out, or when a grocery delivery is arriving. Remember to prioritise the most pressing tasks, and be realistic about what can be left for another day – we only have so many hours and we can’t complete it all!

Value Your Downtime

It can be hard to unwind after a busy day, especially when juggling work tasks and maintaining our living space. But allowing ourselves downtime – rest, relaxation, and proper sleep – are all crucial to our wellbeing, and ensuring we’re working at our best. 

Taking breaks throughout your day for a cup of tea, a gentle walk in a nearby park, or a call with a friend, are important to maintain a balance and manage your stress levels. Sticking to a proper sleep schedule, aiming for eight hours of sleep a night with a set time for going to bed and getting up in the morning, also helps manage our mental health and keeps us in a healthy, happy space. When we feel good in ourselves, we feel more capable and prepared in tackling the day’s challenges. 

Charlotte Giver

Charlotte is the founder and editor-in-chief at Your Coffee Break magazine. She studied English Literature at Fairfield University in Connecticut whilst taking evening classes in journalism at MediaBistro in NYC. She then pursued a BA degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University in the UK. With a background working in the PR industry in Los Angeles, Barcelona and London, Charlotte then moved on to launching Your Coffee Break from the YCB HQ in London’s Covent Garden and has been running the online magazine for the past 10 years. She is a mother, an avid reader, runner and puts a bit too much effort into perfecting her morning brew.