As keen multi-taskers, the Couch?! team were interested to learn that more than a quarter of us are so short of time that we now eat breakfast at our desks.
A survey of more than 2,000 workers, conducted by pollsters 72 Point on behalf of the Travelodge hotel chain, found that two-thirds of weekday breakfasts consumed by adults during their working lives are carried out in front of a PC. (The Couch?! takes these figures on trust.)
Reasons cited by respondents for eating breakfast at work include wanting to catch up on sleep, spending time on chores and getting ready, rushing to get into work extra early and having their hands full with children.
Christine Webber, psychotherapist and life coach, said: “It used to be lunch at your desk that was the norm, but the sad fact that more Britons are now also eating breakfast at their desks because they don’t have time at home in the mornings can only lead to more stress in the workplace.”
But the Couch?! is sure that catching up on all important sleep and chores pre-work are great examples of improving the work-life balance.
With this precious balance in mind, the Couch?! has come up with some time-saving tips:
- Power shower: Clean teeth in the shower (try not to spit on your toes).
- Grooming on the move: Shave/put on make up on the way to work. It’s a much more useful way to spend your train commute than reading yesterday’s news in the freebie paper.
- Finishing touches: Ties, watches, earrings etc can all be added at the desk. If running very late, a long overcoat over your pyjamas before you jump in the car and a spare suit at work can save precious minutes.
- Revitaliser: To save time, why not pour coffee on your cereal? In fact, cereal manufacturers out there, how about combining the rejuvenating powers of caffeine and sugar for the ultimate “wake up and go” breakfast in a box?
- Clean up: Shower at work (yes we know these are meant for cycle commuters, but who is going to know?)
- Freeze time: Make all your sandwiches on a Sunday and pop them in the freezer. Take one out each morning and it should be defrosted by lunchtime, saving you that daily trudge to the canteen/sandwich bar.
- Shop smart: Use the time saved in lunchtime tip above, to buy all your groceries etc online and never waste a precious Saturday morning trudging around Tesco again.
- Fit in time for TV: Join a gym with TVs so that you can catch up on Corrie while burning off the morning (desk-bound) bagels.
- Get in first: S/he who gets in early makes coffee only for one.
- Leave on time: Resolve never to sit at your desk trying to look busy in the 5.30 “wait until the first one moves” ritual. You’ve finished your work – go home!
* Share your time-savers by posting a comment below.
