A lot of us are still getting used to working from home - fighting the temptation to log on from under the duvet and struggling to stay focused. But for Customer Champion Polly, it’s business as usual! She works remotely from our main office anyway, so is the perfect person to give us some much-needed advice…

Polly’s top tips for working from home

- Most important: Get dressed everyday. As tempting as your dressing gown is… don’t do it!

- Don’t get up five minutes before you’re due to start your day. Get up in reasonable time and allow space at the beginning of your day to sit down and eat breakfast/read a book/watch some TV/walk your dog

- Only ever have a small glass of water on your desk - this way you have to get up a couple of times an hour just to refill it (but do stay hydrated!)

- Get up and move around at least once an hour. Run up and down some stairs… do some star jumps… it’s important to get your blood circulating, when you’re sitting still so much!

- Don’t always stick to sitting in the same place to work if you can avoid it - try and change your scenery a couple of times a week. Avoid working in your bedroom if you can, so this remains a calm and work free space

- Go out for a walk/run at lunchtime

- Practice yoga before work, or do a home workout. You will feel energised for starting your day, and it’s also beneficial if you’re indoors a lot, or not walking or commuting

- Define your working hours. Take a proper lunch break and don’t look at your phone/laptop for half an hour. When you finish your day, unplug properly! The lines blur too easily if you’re always plugged in and, although it can be tempting, it will lead to burn out, you not enjoying being at home, and ultimately being less productive

- Set up reminders on your laptop like ‘11am - make a coffee’. Regular breaks from your desk and work are vital to productivity

- Don’t be tempted by household chores/life admin during your working day. Ultimately it just leads to procrastination, and your work day may end up being longer. Set aside time to do this separately. If you want to feel really smug, do chores before you even start your day!

- If you need company, consider having Google Hangouts switched on with a colleague for a certain hour or two during the day for company whilst you work. I’d also recommend having some quiet music on or the TV in the background

- Keep in touch with your friends and family if you’re social distancing. I send my friends voice messages when I’m making a cuppa, for example - this helps with feeling connected and is really beneficial if you’re missing the social element of an office

- Chat on slack, or any other messaging app your workplace uses! Ask colleagues how they are. It all helps