Working from home can give you a space for reduced distractions, focused, productive work, and you even save some of your personal time by not commuting anywhere. It's ideal if these are the things that matter the most to you.

However, it can also mean feeling detached from your colleagues, a lack of enjoyable office conversations, and can even feel boring, and unstructured. The good thing is, there are things you can do to make home working more fun, and here we look at how you can do just that.

1. Build a Spotify Playlist for Work

Image of Spotify App on Phone

Research has shown that listening to music not only boosts productivity, but can also reduce stress, and raise your motivation levels. In fact, a lot of offices have a radio, for that exact reason.

Instead of working away in silence for eight hours of the day, try building and listening to a Spotify playlist. This playlist should consist of songs that put you in a good mood, and make you feel uplifted, but also enable you to maintain concentration.

To create a new playlist in Spotify on your desktop, just follow these steps:

  1. Click Create Playlist on the Menu.
  2. Edit the Name, for example, "work playlist".
  3. Click Save.

Then, when you see a song you'd like to add to it, just Right-click the song, click Add to playlist, and select your work playlist.

Related: The Best Music to Stay Productive at Work

Also, you can use Spotify's Search bar to find public playlists that other users have created. Then, either add them to your library, or hand-pick your favorite tracks.

2. Schedule Social Chats

Illustration of Person Wearing Headphones and Waving at Laptop

In a shared office, conversation flows naturally, and it's expected that some part of the work day will be taken up with socializing. It's a normal part of team building, and helps to build working relationships.

Working from home means you miss out on this, so you need to prioritize time to catch up with your colleagues, where the focus isn't work. This is essential for feeling connected to your team, and cultivating good working relationships. Plus, it prevents loneliness, which can have a negative impact on your mood at work.

Related: The Best Zoom Alternatives for Android and iPhone

Whether it's a phone call, or a video conferencing call with one or more of your colleagues, get something booked in your calendar at least once a week, and stick to it! Your team will be grateful, and you'll likely come away feeling refreshed.

3. Start an Exercise Routine at Your Desk

Exercise releases the "feel good" hormones called endorphins, which perk you up and make you feel energized. This is a fantastic way to bring more fun to your work day, and it has a positive effect on your overall cognitive performance, too.

You don't need anything fancy to get started, but if you want some inspiration, there are lots of office-based exercise apps you can use. These apps keep it simple with stretches and workouts intended for the office, and all you need is your desk and chair.

If you don't like the idea of desk-based exercises, you can always try some creative ways of adding physical activity to your shift, like replying to emails while going on a walk. The idea is that you do more of what you enjoy during office hours.

4. Entertaining Challenges With Teammates

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A bit of friendly competition with your colleagues gives you something to work towards, and is a great bonding experience for everyone involved. If you're the competitive type, setting weekly challenges with your workmates could be just what you require.

At the start of the week, set a challenge for your team to achieve by Friday. It could be anything, but be sure to keep it lightweight, and something everyone can participate in. Some ideas might be:

  • Decorate your desk and take a photo to share with everyone.
  • Send one nice comment to a colleague during the week.
  • Draw a picture of an animal that best represents you and share it with the team.
  • Make a nutritious lunch and show everyone.

Related: Tools to Overcome Remote Team Communication Challenges

To make sure everyone feels involved, you can create group challenges on The Goalify App, and track each other's progress. Or, you can even make a dedicated Slack or MS Teams channel to keep in touch as you go.

5. Recycle Your Commute Time

You can use what would have been your commute time to get yourself ready for the day, rather than just waiting around for your shift to start. A great way to do this, is to play brain games.

If you enjoy a good puzzle, you could try your hand at Wordle, or some Wordle alternatives, like Absurdle. This is an entertaining way to wake yourself up, and get your mind primed for any meetings or tasks you have scheduled in.

Plus, why not get your team to join in? Begin your work day with a show and tell, and share your results with each other. It's something small that could become part of your daily routine and job culture.

6. Listen to Your Favorite Podcast

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For those days that you haven't got any meetings booked in, or aren't feeling particularly social, listening to your favorite podcast can bring a lot of entertainment. Like music, it breaks up the silence of working remotely.

You can find huge libraries of podcasts on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. There's even a Find the One quiz on Spotify, that finds your perfect podcast, if you're not sure where to get started.

It could be something you do most days, or just something you treat yourself to on those quieter days. Either way, home working is the perfect place to start a podcast hobby, as you have more control over your environment.

Enjoy Working From Home

Just because you're working, doesn't mean that you can't benefit from some entertainment and lighthearted fun. Give yourself permission to relax and inject some excitement into your day, whether it's having a laugh with your team, or listening to your favorite tunes.

Your job takes up a large portion of your day, and it makes little sense for it to be boring and isolating. Try some things above, and you might feel that bit better by the time the weekend rolls around.