Over summer, my employer put out a mandate to say that all staff must now be based in the office at least three days a week. The golden days of being able to work fully from home are over for us – the hybrid work schedule has arrived.
I’m not complaining too much as I appreciate how fortunate I have been to be able to work from home when so many people have never had the option to do this. When I read on the news that Zoom Inc. were calling their staff back to the office, I knew it would only be a matter of time before our senior management would decide it was time to justify the office costs.
Now that I’ve been splitting my time each week between working at home and the office, I have realised that keeping a hybrid work schedule requires some serious organisation. Here are some of the tips that I have picked up to stay on top of things and ensure I have what I need at all times.
Meal prep your office lunches for hybrid work weeks
This is a big one when it comes to not seeing your bank balance taking a hit when returning to the office on a hybrid work schedule. Many of us have benefited from the savings that working from home provides – with less money spent on fuel, parking, transport, take-out coffee, workwear and lunches.
With the price of everything continuing to rise, it’s more than a little painful returning to the office and finding these extra costs are quickly creeping up again. One area that I can retain some financial control over is what I eat during the work day.
Why I don’t bring sandwiches to the office
Now, I know it might be tempting to think that the humble sandwich is an easy office lunch solution. However, consider the downsides if you are only preparing lunches for yourself.
Sandwich fillings and bread don’t have a long shelf-life and they’ll often expire before the week is out. If you’re anything like me, doing a mid-week shop on a Wednesday evening is not something you have the time or energy for.
The time it takes to make sandwiches is another factor – that’s a task that needs to be done each day, rather than being a once-a-week job. And when you’re running late, the sandwich-making is usually one of the first things to be skipped, leaving you to spend more money buying lunch on the day.
So, suffice to say, I’m not a fan of sandwiches for work – I think they’re more effort than they’re worth.
How I meal prep office lunches that are healthy and filling
My go-to office lunch is a vegetarian pasta dish with sweet potato to make it extra filling. It takes less than an hour to make, has less than 500 calories and costs around 90 pence per portion.
Every Sunday, I cook up a large batch of veggie pasta and divide it into 5-6 portions for my lunches that week.
Two portions go into the fridge for Monday and Tuesday lunches, while the rest go into the freezer. On a Tuesday morning, I’ll move one portion from the freezer to the fridge to do lunch on Wednesday, and so on.
The beauty of batch cooking is the convenience of it – you simply need to remember to pull out the day’s portion from the fridge when you’re about to leave home. Two minutes in the microwave and you’ve got a delicious, hot lunch. If you don’t have a microwave in work, you can heat it before you leave the house and bring it to work in a thermos container.
Meal prepped lunches are especially good for days that you’re working from home, giving you more time back on your lunch break to go for a walk or have some downtime.
It’s a time-efficient and cost-effective solution that frees up that part of your brain that has to worry about what you’re going to eat.
Use a tracking list for your hybrid work office essentials
Have you ever been halfway through your commute before you realised that your phone, laptop, notebook or charger was still sitting at home? When you split a hybrid work week between home and the office, there’s always a risk of leaving something essential on the wrong desk for the day.
I forget things very easily when it comes to that first hour of the day after getting out of bed. I’m not a morning person. I don’t have the headspace to remember everything that I need for the day ahead when my brain is more focused on consuming as much caffeine as humanly possible before I have to face the world.
The solution is to keep a to-do list note pinned on my phone. All of my workday essentials are listed here. In the evening, when I’m packing my bag for the next day (see my evening routine below), I’ll check off all of the things that are ready to go. Then I’ll know exactly what items I still need to remember the next morning before I leave the house.
Here’s what my own tracking list looks like:
All you need to remember is to uncheck everything at the end of the day, so you don’t have anything ticked off that hasn’t actually been packed.
Before I start my car, I’ll take a quick glance at the list and make sure that everything is ticked off – that gives me the reassurance I need to not to worry on the drive that I’ve forgotten an essential item.
Make use of flexible work hours to avoid the worst of rush hour
There’s really nothing worse than spending time in traffic during a hybrid work week. Of all the things that make going into the office worse, the rush-hour commute has got to be up there as my number one hate.
Thankfully, in my current job, I can choose when to start and end the day – providing that I am available during the core working hours of 10am to 4pm. If you have this option, then try to make use of it to avoid the worst of the traffic if you can.
Most days I prefer to go in earlier to work from 8am to 4pm – that way I’m missing the worst of the traffic and I’m able to get out of the office sooner.
There are days, though, where I’m hitting the snooze on my alarm a few too many times. Those days, starting later at 10am still lets me avoid the heavier traffic while getting a little extra sleep when I need it.
Create an evening routine for the night before an in-office day
I think it’s clear at this point that I am not a morning person. So my evening routine the night before I’m in the office is an essential part of ensuring my hybrid work week goes smoothly.
My evening routine before an in-office day involves three key tasks: packing my workbag, picking my outfit and preparing my food containers.
Pack your workbag for the next day
For my workbag, I’ll use the tracking list mentioned above to ensure that everything I need (except for things that I’m still using, like my phone or portable standing desk) is in my bag and ready to go.
Pick out your office outfit and check for any issues
Next, I’ll decide on what I’m going to wear. Check the weather forecast so you know what footwear will be suitable and whether you’ll need a warm blazer or raincoat.
Take a few moments to examine your chosen outfit and look for any creases, stains or loose threads. The last thing you need is to spot an issue with it when you’re about to head out the door in the morning.
Get your food and drink items ready
The last step for me is to have everything ready in the kitchen for the next morning. That means setting out my lunch bag with a snack and some cutlery popped inside, preparing the coffee machine with my flask placed next to it and filling my water bottle before placing that in the fridge.
I also get my cereal prepared as I bring breakfast to work rather than eating before I leave. So a portion of cereal measured out in a container goes into my lunch bag, and a little flask of milk goes into the fridge.
This means that the next morning, while my coffee is brewing, all I have to do is take my water, milk and lunch (see above) out of the fridge, pack these into my lunch bag, grab my coffee and go.
Do what works for your needs
Your ideal evening routine might differ to mine – you might want to incorporate some preparation to make your hair styling quicker in the morning (think heatless curls), or you might need to get some extra sets of outfits and lunches prepared if you’re getting others ready in the morning too.
Following a regular evening routine before office days can reduce a lot of the morning stress and set you up for a successful day at the office. Take some time to identify your own crucial tasks and you’ll find that a little preparation the night before will go a long way the next day.
Keep your office desk stocked with essential items
Another tip to avoid being at the office without access to something you might suddenly need is to stock up your office desk with essential items.
When I say essential items, I’m not just talking about things that you’d expect to find in an office desk – like Post-It notes, spare pens or a stapler. I mean the essential items that you don’t even realise you’ll need until you really need them.
Here are the essential items that I keep in my office work desk:
Wellness and Personal Care Office Essentials
- Painkillers and antihistamine - Tissues - Deodorant - Tampax - Bandages (essential for blisters) - Hand Sanitiser (I use Aesop Hand Mist as it doesn’t dry out my hands and smells divine) - Hair brush and hair ties - Concealer (you might want to have more makeup items but, for me, concealer solves most makeup emergencies that might come up) - A travel toothbrush and toothpaste (in case you go out for a work lunch that has a lot of garlic)
Food and Outfit Office Essentials
- Antibacterial hand wipes (I use these to wipe down my desk or rub off any food or ink stains on my skin or clothing) - Instant coffee sachets and tea bags - Long-life milk (I get these UHT Semi-skimmed Milk Sachets) - Clear nail polish (for ladders in tights) - A pair of tights (for when the ladders are past the point of nail polish) - Instant porridge oats (I keep a couple of pots from M&S - just in case you end up working late or you get hit with a wave of hunger after lunch) - A shawl (for when your chosen outfit isn’t quite as warm as you need it to be, or if you need some heat around your legs when you’re wearing a dress and the office air con is too high)
Miscellaneous Office Essentials
- A couple of £10-£20 notes (in case you forget your purse or there's an office gift collection when you don't have cash) - An umbrella (because if you’re anything like me, you’ll be sitting in the office looking at the torrential rain outside, thinking about the umbrella sitting in the boot of your car) - A set of generic greetings cards and envelops (to cover any birthday / leaving / congratulations events that you might forget about)
Again, your desk essentials are likely to differ from mine. Some people might want to keep a spare set of contact lenses in there, others might keep a mini sewing kit or shoe polish. The key thing is to create a hybrid work environment where you’re prepared for any situation when you are away from home.
Keep your desk essentials topped up
Whenever you need to use an essential item, make sure that you replace it if it was a one-time use item. Keep an eye on things like the long-life milk or porridge oats so that you use them up before they do eventually expire.
If you don’t have a dedicated desk, you might want to store these items in a locker if you have one. I didn’t have either option in my last workplace which used hot-desking, so I kept my essentials in an emergency kit that never left my workbag.
Quick tips to organise your own hybrid work schedule
1. How do I make my own tracking list?
Creating your own tracking list is simpler than it may seem. Start with the basic essentials that you know you’ll need for a day of work — phone, laptop, charger, and notebook. As you navigate through your hybrid work week, you’ll identify further items that are necessary for you to have with you. As soon as you identify these, add them to your tracking list.
You can use mobile apps like Apple Notes, Google Keep or Evernote to have your tracking list handy at all times. Make sure you use an app that has a checklist feature which lets you tick off items as you pack them.
2. How can I make an evening routine that works for me?
The secret to crafting a hybrid work evening routine that works for you is in identifying all of the tasks that you need to do before you leave your home for work. Once you have a list of tasks, identify any tasks that you can do the evening before – these will form your evening routine.
Not a morning person? Then your routine should include packing your bag and setting out your work clothes and lunch bag for the next day. Need to balance family and work? Incorporate meal prep or packing lunches for everyone into your routine.
Once you’ve identified your evening tasks, order them in a way that feels natural to your flow of activities. Try to keep this routine flexible for the first few weeks – you’ll soon find that it evolves into a natural order that works for you.
3. What are some good ideas for batch-cooked meals?
If you’re new to batch cooking, some easy meals to start with could include stir-fried vegetables with rice, simple pasta dishes or slow-cooker stews. Whatever you choose, the key thing is to select meals that are both freezable and microwavable. Have a look online for variations of your favourite meals and if you find a recipe that ticks both of these boxes then it’s ideal for any office lunches made ahead of time.
To summarise, the transition to a hybrid work schedule poses some unique challenges, but with a little planning and organisation you can avoid the worst of these. Implementing strategies like meal planning, preparing what you can the evening before, having some home comforts available at the office and making use of work benefits to streamline the commute will make a huge difference. By proactively managing these aspects of your hybrid work life, you can set yourself up not only for increased productivity, but also a lot more comfort at whichever desk you're working at for the day.