8 Tips For Working From Home in Winter

Working from home. It has its lovers and its haters, but whichever side of the fence you fall on, it’s a bit of a different prospect in the coldest, darkest depths of winter. Working from home for at least some of the week is now the norm, but once the clocks change in the autumn, less natural daylight and colder weather can have a big impact on your frame of mind and productivity. There are things you can do, though, to give each day a lift. Here are our top tips for working from home in winter.

1. Keeping warm when working from home

With the cost of living crisis and rising cost of energy, this is a hotly (no pun intended!) debated topic at the moment. If you’re at home you’ll be likely to find you’ll need the heating on more than you used to. While this may be unavoidable, there are things you can do to minimise it while still keeping warm working from home.

Start with the usual things, like not heating rooms you aren’t using—if you can avoid it, using draft excluders and closing doors to keep the heat in. Then, focus on keeping yourself warm rather than your environment. Wear layers, including hats and fingerless gloves if you need to. A blanket and a hot water bottle can work wonders, or you could consider investing in a heated throw to snuggle under. They’re surprisingly cheap to use and get cosy very quickly.

And don’t forget, if your employer requires you to work from home (for example, because they don’t have an office) then you may be able to claim tax relief to cover some of your costs.

2. Getting some natural light

With the sun rising not long before the start of the working day and setting before it ends, it can be tricky to get any natural light when working from home in winter, let alone enough. So make sure you get outside at lunchtime to make the most of the daylight.

Got lots of meetings? Protect your lunchbreak! Put a non-negotiable appointment with yourself in your diary every day, so you have an hour to get some natural light and fresh air. This can be a game-changer for protecting your time from back-to-back video calls and can be a big boost for your mental health. If your home allows, you could also move your workspace next to a window to maximise your exposure to light.

The government advises all adults to consider taking a vitamin D supplement through the winter months when we get less natural daylight, and this can also make a big difference to your mood.

3. Exercising

Speaking of mood boosters, we all know exercise is a big one, but this is also less appealing when it’s cold and grey outside. Even a short walk or some gentle yoga will give you a lift by getting the blood pumping. Or why not make it more fun and dance around the house to your favourite songs for a few minutes?

4. Setting goals

Winter is a great time to be working towards a goal of some kind. If there’s something you’ve been planning for a while, like taking up a new hobby or learning a new skill, then now’s the time to get it off the ground. Need inspiration? Have a look at our ideas for boosting your career. Look forward to that sense of achievement at the end!

5. Brightening up your workspace

Another good tip for working at home in winter is to invest in some plants to brighten up your workspace. They have been found to reduce stress and increase productivity and creativity— with the added benefit of cleaning the air.

And as the light begins to fade in the afternoon, why not try lighting scented candles to give your senses a boost (although we recommend that’s not your only source of light—you don’t want to give yourself eye strain!)? This can help your work-from-home environment seem cosy rather than gloomy.

6. Staying connected

It’s even more important in the winter months to keep in contact with colleagues, as well as friends and family. Just like you might walk over for a chat in the office, it might be nice to call a colleague rather than email them. Or you could send someone a Teams message just to ask how their weekend was. If you’re feeling a little bit ‘meh’, then try calling a friend or family member at lunchtime for an instant lift. Bonus points if you can talk while going out for a walk!

7. Taking time out for yourself

Another great mood booster is to create some space for some ‘you’ time. Schedule in time to do something you really enjoy, even if you can only manage 15 minutes a day. Whether it’s watching trashy TV, soaking in the bath or reading a magazine, book in some quality time with yourself and look forward to it at the end of the day.

8. Practising gratitude

It can be easy to wish away the winter months of the year waiting for spring to come. But a simple way to feel a bit more positive is to practice gratitude. Every day find at least one thing to be grateful for and write it down. You might be a bit chilly at home, but be grateful you didn’t have to de-ice your car or wait on a freezing platform for a packed commuter train this morning.

Working from home in winter can bring new challenges. If you find yourself struggling then make use of any wellbeing support that your charity offers, such as an employee support line. If you notice a significant drop in your mood in the winter months that affects your day-to-day life, then you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and need to seek medical support. But if shorter, colder days just make you feel a little bit below par, then do some of the things above to give your mood, and productivity, a boost for working from home in winter.