What kinds of things make working in an office 5 days a week most most manageable?

[Anonymous]

Brew nice coffee for the metro ride;
Pack healthy lunch;
If time allows, seek out exercise class during lunch break, or take a walk;
Occasionally indulge in blue bottle, lunch hair blow out and shopping in person.

[Anonymous]

If you have room, a hot water kettle. Helps with making tea, instant oatmeal, etc.

I bring a case of seltzer every couple of weeks and just re-stock the fridge.

Stock up on healthy snacks in the office.

Set your phone alarm so you get up at least once an hour or two - take a 5 minute walk or walk the stairs. Sitting at your desk all day is not good for your health.

[Anonymous]

I will get a work girlfriend again. Attention Hot Indian Woman down the hall--prepare yourself!

[Anonymous]

Leave stuff at your work desk if you can so you aren't lugging everything around. For me this was: a glass bowl to heat lunch, a set of silverware, a reusable water cup, a coffee mug, a heavy and professional sweater, a cell charger, a laptop charger, snacks. A little bag with some first aid basics like advil, band aids, vaseline.

I also kept shoes in my desk drawer and I'd wear sneakers while commuting and change when I got to work. You might want to ease into this type of comfort level with storing stuff in your office haha. The last thing I had in my office was backup clothes. An old pair of leggings, socks, an old pair of sneakers and a sweater. That way if I was facing the idea of walking home for some reason (9-11 often came to mind) I was at least a little prepared. This was because I worked in DC.

Definitely use your commute to do something you might enjoy, like reading or listening to an audio book or podcasts.

Next scope out what is close to your office and run errands during the day close to your office. If they are making you come in, steal some time back when you can .

[Anonymous]

I am strict with myself about reading on the train -- vs. scrolling on my phone.

It honestly makes the trip so much more enjoyable.

I try to pack a lunch 3x a week, but am happy to let myself buy lunch the other 2x. I try to go to places that we don't have in the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First thing to find out- will you have a dedicated desk/cube and/or storage? If you have to take all you need with you like a turtle, strategies will be different.

This.

If on-site storage space is limited or non-existent, really think about what you need vs. what you (might) want. And, consider a rolling backpack and channel your inner "travel" (size) mentality. I also love my standup pencil pouch (got the idea from the kids). Holds all my favorite writing utensils, pair of scissors, 6" ruler, a sticky note pad. Have ended up gifting several over the holidays to admirers (and thiefs!).

A decent backup/power pack and a cord organizer with a variety of adapters can be lifesavers regardless of if you're hoteling at work or on-the-go commuting.

Label anything of yours that's personal so it can be returned to you if/when you left it somewhere (which is inevitable).

If you're fortunate enough to be able to use public transportation, consider your "commute" either learning or lazy time. Embrace the dedicated time to either do something or nothing. Either one is acceptable!

On the home front, pack the night before. It'll make getting out the door that much easier in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First thing to find out- will you have a dedicated desk/cube and/or storage? If you have to take all you need with you like a turtle, strategies will be different.

This.

If on-site storage space is limited or non-existent, really think about what you need vs. what you (might) want. And, consider a rolling backpack and channel your inner "travel" (size) mentality. I also love my standup pencil pouch (got the idea from the kids). Holds all my favorite writing utensils, pair of scissors, 6" ruler, a sticky note pad. Have ended up gifting several over the holidays to admirers (and thiefs!).

A decent backup/power pack and a cord organizer with a variety of adapters can be lifesavers regardless of if you're hoteling at work or on-the-go commuting.

Label anything of yours that's personal so it can be returned to you if/when you left it somewhere (which is inevitable).

If you're fortunate enough to be able to use public transportation, consider your "commute" either learning or lazy time. Embrace the dedicated time to either do something or nothing. Either one is acceptable!

On the home front, pack the night before. It'll make getting out the door that much easier in the morning.

This is an excellent list. As a hot desker, labeling everything is critical. I also leave shoes in a bag in a coat closet. If they are not going to give me space, I'll just take some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will get a work girlfriend again. Attention Hot Indian Woman down the hall--prepare yourself!

LMAO!

[Anonymous]

People did this for generations! You'll get used to the new norm probably faster than you think. There's a virtue to getting out of the house.

[Anonymous]

Great list so far. For me, it's having nice work clothes and getting to pick out a week's worth of fashionable business casual outfits. After years of working from home, I found myself looking forward to my in-office days for this reason and treated myself to a few wardrobe upgrades. I love feeling put together from outfit to bag to outerwear to shoes; not always the case when sitting in a home office.

I do not have a dedicated office space and am often hoteling at client sites, so good noise canceling earphones and headphones for calls, a pouch of extra meds and travel-size hygiene supplies, and protein bars are always in my work bag. And yes, label EVERYTHING.

[Anonymous]

Personal laptop with good hotspot capability. Good for paying bills, planning vacations, etc etc (only during lunch, of course).

[Anonymous]

I willingly work from the office almost every day—though I telework an hour in the mornings/evenings. No idea if that will be an option anymore but those two things are really what makes working in person tenable for me. Takes our stupid 8.5 hour day and makes it more reasonable. I spend my 30 minute commute planning my day and responding to emails, and after bedtimes, spend 30 minutes wrapping things up (sometimes I leave later from the office and this is unnecessary).

For work, I make 5 lunches on Sunday. I know, it’s depressing. The kale is pretty wilted by Friday. I leave a bottle of salad dressing in the fridge at work. I also don’t bother doing things like cutting fruit up or washing it at home. I do all that at the office.

Both my husband and I work in person. The other thing we do is the bar is very low for dinners. We don’t eat anything that takes more than 15 minutes to make. this might look like a leftover soup (from the weekend) on Monday, pasta with meat sauce on tuesday, slow cooker pineapple chicken with broccoli and microwave rice on wednesday, another round of pasta on thursday, rotisserie chicken with hummus and pita and a freezer air fryer bag of veggies on friday. I go to the grocery store on fridays so that we don’t feel like we must do it on the weekend (hence the rotisserie chicken).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will get a work girlfriend again. Attention Hot Indian Woman down the hall--prepare yourself!

Hard pass (pun intended)

[Anonymous]

The collection of wine in individual bottles and cans has gotten quite luxurious. If I took the train, I would absolutely be having a “glass” on the way home. Reading a book. Unfortunately, I drive and tend to make client calls when commuting. That will stop.

[Anonymous]

Meal prep. Download content for downtime. Invest in work-appropriate clothing up front so it's not a daily struggle.