Returning to the office? here’s how to make it a happy one

Here’s 5 tips for getting back into the swing of office life in a healthy happy way.

Get organised

Let’s face it.  The first morning before going back to the office is going to be pretty stressful.  Don’t make it worse by not planning ahead - there’s nothing worse than scrambling through your washing trying to find clean pants and socks that match 2 minutes before your due to leave the house.

Spend an hour then night before sorting out your clothes, doing you ironing and packing your bag.  That way you can sail through the next morning, enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee and potentially even be on time for once.

Take a break

Not right away obviously.  You’ll need to show your face and put some work in before disappearing for a bit.  But make sure you take at least a mid-morning and mid-afternoon break.  Getting away from your desk for 10 minutes and stepping out for some fresh air works wonders for your mental wellbeing and gives you an extra little productivity boost when you come back too (so your boss will be happy as well.)

Declutter

If you’ve not been in the office for a while, you’ve probably forgotten what you left on your desk.  Hopefully the cleaner moved that half-eaten banana…   Given that you haven’t used whatever is on your desk for a few weeks, it’s probably safe to assume you don’t really need it.   They say an organised desk = an organised mind, so use this return to the office as a chance to start a fresh.  Chuck everything in the bin and start again with a clean, paperless, mouldy fruit-free working environment.  Without all the distractions you’ll be able to concentrate on sorting out all the folders and document cluttering up your pc’s desktop…

Eat well

For most of us lunch in an office means quickly eating a sandwich with one hand while continuing to type away on our laptops with the other.   Lockdown has given us the excuse to break this unhealthy habit that benefits no one but the boss.  It’s time to fall in love with lunch at work again.  This means a couple of things….

Firstly, it’s usually called a lunch hour.  So, make sure that’s’ what you have – one whole hour of ‘me time’.  An hour is actually quite a long-time and when you consider it probably takes 5 minutes to eat a sandwich, you have 55 minutes to do with what you please.  Try popping out for a walk or a run.  Or kicking back to listen to a podcast.  Or even just having a gossip and a catch up with your colleagues. Whatever you do, try to never spend your lunch hour in the company of a powerpoint presentation or excel spreadsheet.

Book a holiday

Yes, you’ve just go back, but everyone needs something to look forward to.