Workation Schedule Examples

We’re currently finishing up Week 5 of 6 of our London workation. I can’t decide if the time has gone by quickly or not. Sometimes it seems like it has, but when I think about all we’ve done in such a short period of time, I feel like we’ve been here for quite a while. Living in a huge city is a thrill (loud, stimulating and diverse in every sense) because it’s the opposite environment of life in rural Minnesota (quiet, spacious, mostly homogeneous).

Regardless, six weeks is a good amount of time for our family. The boys are happy but ready to go home, and I’m looking forward to being back in our own house with no one around but the sheep, birds, clean air and Mississippi River.

I want to provide as much logistical, detailed advice as possible in this blog, and to that end I’m sharing our family’s typical weekday schedule while we’re in London: A schedule version in which we combine sight-seeing, and one that’s a typical full work day schedule.

Workation Work Day Schedule (1-3 days of my work week)

7am: I wake up (kids are probably already up)
This is 30-40 minutes later than my U.S. wake-up time, and I feel so much more rested. I can wake up later mainly because I don’t have to drive the kids into school, and that saves a lot of time. When I get back to the States, I’m going to work on prepping more in the evening for the next day, and maybe get myself a bit of extra sleep in the morning.

7:45-8:30am: Everybody eats breakfast and gets dressed/ready for the day

8:15am: Joe heads to work on the bus (about a 30 min. ride to the financial district) OR he joins me for some sight-seeing.

8:30am: Nanny arrives; we discuss the plan for the day.

8:30am – 12pm: Explore the city
I’ve visited the British Library, the London Museum, had a three-hour coffee date with a friend and checked out Westminster Abbey while the rest of the U.S. is sleeping. It’s a great way to take in the sights and still be back online for the U.S. work day.

Around 12pm: I start work (either at my coworking space or, if the commute back isn’t worth it, I find a coffee shop for the rest of the afternoon)

4:30 or 4:45pm: I leave work
This is later than I typically leave work at home. At home, I usually pick up our boys around 3pm or 4pm, then come home and do some more work just before supper. 

5pm: I arrive home, the nanny gives me a recap of the day, we chat, and she leaves.

6pm: Dinner; husband usually arrives home around this time
My husband’s job involves a lot of U.S. phone calls, which typically take place in the late afternoon/early evening because of the time difference. I enjoy making our favorite meals while we’re here in London, but we also take full advantage of all of the diverse, nearby restaurants and take-out places. We don’t have anything like it back home!

8pm: Boys are in bed
This is the same bedtime as is in the U.S., though it seems to be earlier than most kids in the neighborhood go to bed. For us, it’s important to have some kid-free time in the evening.

8:30-10pm or 11pm: Since I’ve been sight-seeing that morning, I’m usually making up some work time in the evenings: Responding to emails, working on projects; taking the occasional conference call.

A Full Office Work Day Schedule (2-4 days of my work week) 

7am–8:30am: Same as above

8:45am: I leave for work (15 min. walk)

9:00am: I start working
A few years ago, a 9am start time would’ve seemed VERY late to me, but a slightly later start time has resulted in MUCH less stress in the morning. Because inevitably, I will be running late and then I start the day already feeling behind. That is stressful! So not having anything on my calendar before 8:30am is a big stress reliever (and all the work still gets done).

Noon-1pm: Lunch
I don’t ever take an hour lunch at home, but I do work out for 30-60 minutes almost every day. So time-wise, this is about the same the same break I’d take in the U.S. (Here in London, since I usually walk 3-5 miles a day, I haven’t been working out regularly – though I’ve found I miss it!)

4:30 or 4:45pm–8:00pm: Same as above

8:30-10 or 11pm: Check work emails and answer anything urgent (since it’s still the mid-afternoon in the U.S.). If work is in good shape, drink wine and/or watch British TV (current favorites: Have I Got News for You; Gogglebox; Parliament debates; The Graham Norton Show; BBC News; Doctor Who; The Last Kingdom)