If you worked continuously through the pandemic, you might’ve been part of the 37% of people working from home in the UK last year. Without a commute and daily lunch run from the office, most of us have found ourselves with an extra hour or two outside working hours.
In this guide, we’ll look at results from an exclusive study by poster printing experts instantprint into the new habits and routines we’ve started to fit in around our working hours at home.
TIME FOR THINGS WE LOVE
Findings suggest that working from home could be beneficial for our wellbeing and productivity, giving us more time during the week to do things we enjoy.
Results from instantprint’s study show that only 3% of people admit to wasting those precious extra hours, and most instead turned to leisurely, relaxing pastimes. While 26% said they’d turned to reading, the same portion of respondents confessed they’d enjoyed binging their favourite shows on Netflix.
Likewise, a just over a fifth of people surveyed said they’d either been listening to new music, squeezing in a quick powernap, or cooking up a healthy lunch in the kitchen during the working week.
IMPROVED WORKOUR SCHEDULES
A major trend reflected from the data is an increased ability for people to get active around their daytime working hours. With no time needed for a commute, it’s easier to quickly pop outside for a brisk walk or run and still be back in time for a usual morning or evening routine.
Almost one fifth of us have been making more of an effort to follow an exercise routine since working from home started, with cycling and running being the most popular choices.
HOUSEHOLD CHORES
With a little bit more time on our hands, it’s been too tempting for some of us not to do chores before work, at the end of the day or during a lunch hour. A fifth of respondents said they’d been doing housework with their extra time since ditching the office.
This highlights a curious question: is a five-day working week with a commute too much? If it’s a challenge to keep up with scheduled work and regular household tasks on top of maintaining good health and mental wellbeing, it will be interesting to see if incentives like the rise of four-day working week trials continue.
Since lots of us have discovered we can maximise our time if we work from home, many are reluctant to return to the office permanently and prefer flexible working policies.
The results of this survey suggest that ordinary working hours – alongside a commute – still leave us short of time we’d otherwise use to boost our emotional and physical wellbeing.
How have you found working from home? Do you love it or hate it?
Be sure to let me know in the comments below.
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