How to enjoy your lunch break whilst working from home

5 Ideas and 3 tips for perfecting your routine!

You may have read my tips on how to make the most of your working day but can you think of all the things you could be doing during your standard 1hr lunch break? Back in the good old days of working in the office or at a client site, I’d most likely be spending my 30 minutes – 1-hour break away from my computer by going on a light stroll with a co-worker to a good food street market (Leather Lane or Exmouth Market) or just my local Leon or Chilangos. I’d particularly enjoy grabbing lunch and eating outside when Spring would come and the sun would start coming out in London. Week 7 of Lockdown and I’ve spent the past fortnight trying to make my lunch a little bit more exciting… What activities can I do in an hour tops? My goal is to reduce my screen time and not try to get through all the “Trending Now” programmes on Netflix.

As a training Accountant, lunch was my main time of the day where I’d be able to network, collaborate with colleagues, meet new friends in the office, take old friends on a good lunch date at one of my foodie hotspots and sometimes time to myself to discover a new interesting cuisine along Fleet Street, Farringdon or Chancery Lane. When I was short on time, I’d eat in front of my desk. One of the benefits of being able to work from home is becoming the CEO of when you can take a break from work. Numbers. People. Zoom calls. The best way to manage someone is by being able to manage yourself, finding what works for you. Are you struggling to enjoy your break away from the computer? Are you fed up of just eating lunch in front of the TV or being stuck in the kitchen? Maybe you’re someone like me and occasionally have that awful corporate habit of eating your lunch in front of your computer or struggling to find a time to take a lunch break when it doesn’t conflict with calls and meetings. I’ve got the perfect habits and ideas you can do to make your lunch break a fun milestone of your remote working day.

Before I dive into specific things you can do during your lunch break, I think it’s important to find your perfect lunch break routine whilst you work from home.

How to plan your perfect lunch routine:

1. What time would you like to eat?

In the office, I’d be my most productive from the minute I’d walk through the office door; 9 am – 12 pm, I’d get my head down with the work, have in-person meetings, attend conference calls, take a break at 10.30 am/11 am for a coffee break with my audit team. The majority of this time, this would mean I’d not have breakfast, instead, I’d look forward to having a bigger lunch and lunch being an important part of my working day. However, some people are different  – I’ve worked with people who would prefer having lunch at 1/1.30pm and sometimes there are other factors to consider when you should decide to take time out of your day to have a hearty meal.

Since living with my partner Ryan, I’ve had to slightly adjust my eating schedule to 12.30pm. It’s not made too much of a difference and we always make an effort to do lunch plans together, after all, he is my new co-worker.

Factors to consider when taking a lunch break:

• What specific time does your body start to feel hungry? If you’ve not had breakfast, you are most likely a 12/12.30pm person
• What time are your conference calls in the late morning and afternoon? Do you have a gap between these calls?
• What time does your flatmates/partner/family members take lunch? Would you like to eat with another person or prefer to eat alone?
• Deadlines. Do you have any pressing deadlines you need to meet before you can take a break?

2. How long do I actually need a break to not feel tired/ exhausted/ demotivated?

This is a matter of personal preference and the key is to find what works for your schedule and provides balance. You have the power to start taking care of yourself, to begin finding your work/ life balance journey and to be able to put boundaries in place so that your co-workers respect you choosing to stay healthy whilst at home.

I personally prefer taking a 45 minute – 1-hour lunch break. According to the Huffington Post back in 2018, the average lunch break was 22 minutes. In the office, my lunch break would be 30 minutes. If there is one thing, this pandemic can teach us it is that we deserve to take as many breaks as we need and when we need them. So long as the work is done and deadlines are being met.

Suggested lunch break durations:

• 30 mins lunch break but frequent breaks during the day of 5-10 minutes every 2 hours
• 1hr lunch break with 5-10 minutes every 2.5 hours
• 1 hr lunch break with 5 minute breaks every 1 hour
• 30 minutes lunch break with 5 minute breaks every 30 mins
• 45-minute lunch break with frequent breaks

3. Try to be consistent with when or how long you take lunch for. This will help you with your body to become in harmony with your eating habits

My body is very good at telling me when it is time for lunch – I’ll start getting distracted, start craving for something warm, my eyes will become itchy and tired and I’d just be ready to head downstairs to the kitchen to ask Ryan what he’d like for lunch.

If you struggle with being disciplined for your breaks ( I struggle with this more when I need to take smaller breaks in between working 1.5 hours or 2 hours), I’d highly recommend setting an alarm, communicating to individuals who you are living or working with when you’re going to grab lunch and putting calendar invites in your Outlook inbox – blocking out the time for lunch!

The more consistent you are with scheduling a time to eat the less likely you will snack, your body will pick up your hunger cues better and you’ll actually be looking forward to this time of the day.

So if you’re up for trying something new during your lunch break or beating the Netflix @ 1 groundhog day routine, here are my top ideas for what you can do during your lunch break:

1. Read that book you’ve left on your table/bedside/ had rave reviews about but just not got round to doing yet…

This is something that I’ve seen Ryan do a lot more than me, so much so that he started to write about his top book recommendations on Medium (FYI majority of the books were recommended by me). We’ll have lunch together and then afterwards he’ll go upstairs on the balcony and dive into his latest read whilst the sun is shining. This makes a great break from your laptop but also the other tech gadgets that are eating up your time; the TV which has your new Disney Plus membership and Netflix.

If you’re looking for some alone time from flatmates, loved ones or noisy children this is an activity which will help you feel calm and relaxed during your lunch break. You can have 30 minutes to not think about pressing deadlines and the current lockdown situation, instead, you can choose to escape into a fictional novel or read some non-fiction based on experiences and memoirs. Reading whilst commuting used to be the norm but so can reading at lunchtime – you’ll get through more books quicker, feel refreshed, and have something interesting to talk about later in the day to your friends and family.

Personally, I prefer to read 30 minutes before bed. This is part of my evening routine and I started to do this to help me quiet my mind before I head to sleep and to improve my sleep cycle whilst learn something new before the day ends.

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS: Alone time, feel relaxed and calm and learn something new

2. Do a Couch to 5k run in your local park

The exercise tip. This would not be a complete list without recommending some form of physical activity. Whilst I never exercised during my lunch break at work ( I was not that committed to my HIIT classes and didn’t feel comfortable using my office showers and changing back into my office clothes etc), it is something that Ryan and I have started doing.

For the past 6 weeks, I’ve been trying the Couch to 5k program and as someone who was never good at running, not sporty, hated cross country at her grammar school specialised in sports I can say that this app has helped me stay mentally positive, consistent and become better at running. I actually started this app last year and never finished it but this year I’ll know I can finish those 9 weeks, keep running three times a week and feel great about it.

Sometimes your day needs a bit of a dose of endorphins to get those career goals met and to help cure Zoom hangover. If running’s not your thing, Class Pass and Move GB offer free yoga, HIIT, and body combat classes you can do in your garden or living room. However, I also enjoy running straight after I finish work, I’d look forward to doing my standard run in Ally Pally straight at 5.30 pm and 6 pm when its cooler and hopefully has fewer people…

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS: Happier, healthier and feel pumped for the afternoon

3. Decorate doughnuts because why not? It only took us 10 -15 minutes to do…

The unhealthiest tip on the list but by far the tastiest and most interesting. If you want to try something quirky, quick, and unusual during your lunch break with a partner/flatmate / by yourself, Doughnut Time does really cool decorating kits that are exactly like the Doughnut Time doughnuts you get in London.

I have about 4 Doughnut Times near my office. My office is barricaded by fluffy, chocolate coated, Instagrammable doughnuts that contain chocolate bars, sprinkles, and any topping you could think to be possible to put on a doughnut. I have fond memories of their Philip Snowfield doughnut which had Milkybar and was dipped in white chocolate or the Percy Pig doughnuts… When I’d revise for an exam, I’d resist the temptation of window shopping and buy one of these bad boy doughnuts. However, you can now create these doughnuts in the comfort of your kitchen. They come in a cute green box, contain 4 doughnuts, the easy-to-follow recipe card, the icings, the cookie dough, and brownie toppings, or Biscoff ( they have multiple types of boxes – Vegans, filled doughnuts or the other new ones!)

I begged Ryan to buy this craft kit for us to try (unfortunately this was not gifted by Doughnut Time) and it was so much fun! It was a very cute date idea but also one of the quickest dates we ever did together. I can certainly say that you can easily make the whole batch and eat them within the hour lunch break…

If you love having a bit of chocolate for lunch or a sweet treat to get you through the rest of the afternoon then this is the ultimate lunchtime activity for you!

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS: Tasty and fresh doughnuts in 15 minutes, make your friends jealous on Instagram and the buttercream is so creamy and sweet!

4. Replicate your office lunchtime by getting takeaway for lunch once a week

I miss street food markets. Korean fried chicken with salad. Cuban Ropa Vieja in Clerkenwell. These were all the lunch places I loved to go to with coworkers, managers, and myself. In a time of a pandemic, what can we do to help others? Support the community, local businesses, and treat yourself.

I’m fortunate to be staying in North London with my boyfriend and a short walk from where we live is the cutest, most authentic Italian wood-fired pizza restaurant you can find in Hornsey: La Giaconda! They’re a family-run Italian restaurant that is currently doing a really good £6 takeaway lunch deal on their handmade ravioli and pasta dishes and 12-inch wood-fired pizzas. It’s so easy to order – we call them up it’s ready for pick up 10 minutes later! Everyone in our local area knows this is the best Italian on the high street and whilst we’re lucky to be living near a high street of Italian restaurants, Tesco Express, cafes and coffee shops that are trying to stay alive and keep serving the community during a time of economic uncertainty, it does make my lunchtime routine feel a little similar to what I’d usually do if I was not working from home.

What is your favourite food places on your doorstep? If you’re not living near a high street or shops, why not try something new on Deliveroo or Just Eat and support local businesses?

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS: Takes the stress away from meal prep, try something new, support local businesses

5. Create your own llama cushion or try out a new craft kit and make some art or DIY around the house

The last tip is one of my favourite ways of how I spend my lunch break. I recently purchased the cutest craft kit I could find on Amazon: a llama cushion set. This stuffed furry animal cushion could have easily been finished in one evening but it wouldn’t have been as enjoyable. I decided to take my time with sewing and completing this project, I’m a beginner sewer, I don’t have a sewing machine and I wanted to spend lockdown time trying to make more stuff around the house. It’s a great thing to do if you want to make handmade gifts for friends and loved ones who you cannot visit as easily, a good project to get stuck in if you’re wanting to try a new skill and also provides great back support whilst I’m working.

There are lots of great craft kits that are comforting and fun to do during your 30 minute and 1hr lunch break: knitting, crochet, tapestry, watercolour painting, sculpting, sewing, etc. Amazon and Etsy are the best places to find craft kits otherwise do a Google search for something you’d like to make for your home, yourself, or friends!

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS: It’s fun, a great skill to learn and takes your mind off Netflix, computers, or work!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I wanted to provide some inspiration for ways you can make your workday more interesting in between the Zoom calls, emails and constant flow of tasks to do whilst things are taking longer to be completed.

What is your favourite way to spend your lunch break? Drop a comment below!