25 Things To Do On A Coffee Break While Working From Home

**Collaborative post**

Working from home, I find that I am sitting in front of the computer screen for hours at a time and as I don’t have a desk currently, I work sitting cross-legged on the sofa, I get rather uncomfortable and end up with a backache by the end of the afternoon.

Of course, this can be the same if you are in an office sitting at a desk, it can become routine and you begin to seize up a little.

It is recommended that we take regular breaks to stretch our legs, the same as you would when sitting on an aeroplane.

I like to set timers and have a 5-10 minute break every hour, this also helps me to be more productive in my work. Instead of getting stuck with writer’s block and spending too long writing the same post I move onto another task after that timer goes off and then come back to it freshly at a little later.

As I work from home, I have housework I can be doing at the same time, here is a list of things which could be done at home during a 5-10 minute coffee break from work:

Table of Contents

25 things to do on a coffee break while working from home

Loading the washing machine
This takes only a few minutes and by doing a load each day it helps to keep the washing pile to a minimum.
Unload and reload the dishwasher
This can be done while the kettle is boiling. Unload into piles for each drawer and cupboard so you don’t need to keep walking around the kitchen with only a few items.

Unload the washing machine
This takes a little longer to do than loading but if you hang the washing on hangers it helps to save ironing and they can be put straight away.
Clean the bathroom
Wipe down the surfaces, empty the bin, chuck some bleach down the loo and wipe around – if done a few times a week it won’t take long and can be done in 5 minutes
Write a shopping list
Writing lists help to not only save time but to save money too as you’ll not be wandering aimlessly around the supermarket when you get there. You can also do a little online shopping for items you may need for yourself but never get time to buy such as a nice new ladies loungewear set for keeping comfy while working from home.

Read a chapter of a book
It’s hard to factor in ‘me time’ into your day, so instead of browsing social media while drinking your smooth decaf coffee, why not try to read a chapter or a few pages—even if it is just once or twice a day, you’ll finish it in next to no time
Paint your nails
While you are sitting still it is a great opportunity for a quick touch up and they will be dry by the time you’ve finished your cuppa. There nothing better than a nice mani-pedi but we can’t always fit in a trip to the salon so doing at home may be more time efficient – look into investing something such as a best professional foot file to make things far easier.
Play a game
I used to love Candy Crush to kill a few minutes while on a break, which I do still play occasionally, however playing games such as Monolopy Go is my current favourite, especially when Emmy realises I have raided all her coins while she’s been watching TikTok or chatting loudly on the phone with her friends.

Check the lottery results
We can all live in hope that our numbers will come up one day, you can check all the results in preparation for searching for Marbella luxury villas for sale – well you have to be ready for that big win and everyone dreams of moving somewhere hot, sunny and away from the bustle of everyday life.
Make a phone call
Has it been a while since you had a catch up with your Parents or even your Grandparents? Why not make a quick catch up call to check in on them to say Hi and make sure they are OK?
Open the mail
Instead of leaving it piled on the side, open it up and file away – most of mine is filed into the bin but at least it is out of the way.

Dinner Prep
Decide what it is you are making for dinner and prep what you can in advance, that could be putting it all into a slow cooker and turning on, peeling the potatoes and vegetables and leaving in a pan of cold water or even getting the meat out to defrost. Here Jen had loads of slow cooker recipes which you may like to try, or if meal planning is more your thing Jaime have 5 genius meal planning tips to save you money.
Run the hoover around
In just 10 minutes you can hoover all of the downstairs or upstairs depending on the size of your house. I often cheat and put on our robot hoover while I am on the school run….then play hide and seek trying to find where he got stuck and stopped working while I was out.

Strip and change the beds
I choose a room a day to change the bedding otherwise I end up with sheets hanging all over the house and it ends up looking like a laundry shop
Walk the dog
I fill a thermos and take it with me so I am able to enjoy a coffee while exercising the dog and myself.

Put the washing away
This seems like an endless task which needs doing almost daily.
Exercise
Yeah, don’t laugh, I didn’t say I did it personally – but you could if you wanted too!

Put away
I have a basket on the bottom of my stairs, when tiding up I dump all upstairs items into that basket to save walking up and down the stairs aimlessly. A few times a week I will empty this basket and find homes for all the items. I also have one in the kitchen which I dump in items and toys which need putting away later on, once filled I will empty it.
Dance and sing
Just because, do you ever just put on your favourite song and dance around the room singing away to it for no reason? I do. I love to have the radio on while I am in the kitchen cooking dinner, nothing cheers me up more when I am feeling a little down than turning up the volume and singing away – I have music in every room of the house – with Alexa’s upstairs, a radio in the kitchen and A google Home in the front room – all set up so I can listen to Spotify in every room.

Meal plan
This is something I like to do as it saves me time and money.
Cat Nap
Catching forty winks if needed never hurts, although I do have to set an alarm to ensure I don’t miss the school run.

A little TV
OK, this one is longer than 5-10 minutes however it could be done while eating lunch so you don’t feel you are wasting your working day.
Social Media
I try to keep social media switched off while I am working otherwise I become distracted and before I know it an hour has past and I am still scrolling my Facebook news feed, I instead check it when taking a break.

Do your hair
I tend to shower at 6.30 am and get dressed straight away, before taking the kids to school. I don’t then have time to dry my hair or style it – Paul is always still asleep and there just isn’t time with having to get the kids breakfast and dressed for school. I will try it and style it when I get back from the school run instead.
Drink a HOT cuppa
With all the other distractions around us, and of course the list of other things I have listed above, it is rare I actually remember to drink the much-needed cuppa I have made. Sometimes it is nice to do NOTHING and just drink that cuppa instead you could look into espresso machines or if you prefer you can make an iced coffee instead.