I wake up at 7:45am. ⏰

Not 5am. I’m not joining the Navy, training for a marathon or attempting to conquer the business world before sunrise. I just need enough time to become vaguely presentable before work. 😴

I shower and get properly dressed for the day. 🚿 I know some people enjoy working in pyjamas, but personally, I need a small amount of separation between sleeping me and professional me.

Then I take the dog out. 🐕🌳

When we get home, I make breakfast for both of us and log on somewhere between 8:30am and 9am. I play a relaxing or happy playlist. 🎶 There is no dramatic morning ritual. No inspirational podcast. No turmeric shot. Just breakfast, dog administration and work. ☕🐾💻

I usually work through until lunch at around 12:30pm, although sometimes I take a break at about 10:45am. It depends on how I’m feeling and what I’m working on.

Revolutionary, I know, but I try to listen to my body rather than treating myself like an office printer that should continue operating until smoke starts coming out of it. 🖨️🔥

At lunchtime, I make food for me and the dog. 🥪🐕 If the weather is decent, I sit outside in the garden. 🌤️🌿 If it isn’t, I put the television on. 📺

I don’t eat lunch at my desk while replying to messages and pretending that counts as a break. I actually stop working. ✋💻

I log back on at around 1:30pm and almost always take another break at 3pm. ☕ Then I work until 5pm.

At 5pm, I log off and take the dog for a longer walk. 🐕🚶‍♀️

That walk creates a proper divide between work and the rest of my evening. I leave the house as a worker and come back as a woman wondering what she can make for tea with the food she forgot she had already bought. 🤔🍽️

Once we’re home, I make tea for both of us. Then I might do a few household chores, watch television, work on one of my websites or play a game. 🧺📺🖥️🎮

I’m usually in bed by 11pm. 🛏️

Then I repeat the whole thing the next day. 🔁

It probably doesn’t sound particularly exciting, but that is partly the point.

I’m not constantly trying to squeeze more productivity into every available moment. I’m not working late to prove that I’m committed. I don’t need every evening to become a self-improvement project. 🙄📈

I also try to adjust the routine depending on how I feel.

If I’m tired or not feeling well, I don’t force myself to do a long, fast walk just because that is what I normally do. I might take a shorter walk or move more slowly. 🐢

Resting before you completely fall apart is allowed. 🛋️✨

Friday night is cinema night. 🎬🍿 It gives us something enjoyable to look forward to at the end of the working week and gets me properly out of the house.

Saturdays, if I’m not seeing friends, might involve chores, but they are generally relaxed. We’ll usually take the dog for a gentle walk and avoid packing the day with endless plans. 🧹🐕🌿

Sundays are much the same. 😌

I think the main reason this routine works for me is that it has boundaries. 🚧

I start work at a sensible time. I take breaks. I stop at 5pm. I go outside every day. I have quiet evenings and mostly quiet weekends. 🌳🌙

Working from home can easily become living at work. There is always another task you could finish, another email you could check or another useful thing you could do. 📧😵‍💫

But avoiding burnout isn’t necessarily about spa days, expensive wellness retreats or completely changing your life. 🧖‍♀️💸

Sometimes it’s just about logging off, walking the dog and accepting that you have done enough for today. 💻❌🐕💗