Buzz
At first glance, working from home seems like it would provide unmatched control over your meals. You’re in charge of your own schedule, and the fridge is always within arm's reach. But what could go wrong?
Order lunch, fire up Slack, and plan your afternoon shower. It’s Work From Home Week! Whether you're working from your couch or a local café, Mytour is offering tips on how to stay productive, balanced, and sane, whether you’re working from home for a day or for the long haul.
In short, everything. While working from home offers great freedom, it can be too much freedom. A traditional office brings structure and rules. Without the social cues and norms of the workplace, it’s easy to slip into bad habits—whether it’s snacking endlessly on cheese puffs or skipping meals entirely. With no one overseeing your work, it’s easy to neglect things like feeding yourself or even showering.
Fortunately, these obstacles are not impossible to overcome—you just need a strategy. Whether you’re a habitual grazer or one of those people who “forget to eat,” a meal plan will help you eat like a responsible adult, not a mischievous raccoon child. Here are some common work-from-home eating challenges, and how to tackle them.
Problem #1: You wake up at the last possible second, leaving no time for breakfast
Besides attempting to rise earlier (which, frankly, I’m terrible at), there are a few strategies to help with this. Like any meal planning, it’s key to recognize the type of eater you are. Reflect on how you ate when you worked in an office (if you’ve ever had that experience), and notice what you crave most in the morning. If you typically enjoy a coffee and pastry to kickstart your day, prepare the coffee maker the night before and stock up on croissants or scones for the week.
If you were the type who ate breakfast in the car, consider making a batch of freezer-friendly breakfast burritos or sandwiches that can be quickly heated and eaten while you boot up your laptop. If you’re more of a smoothie person, pre-portion your frozen fruit into small bags, so all you need to do is dump and blend. Personally, I always keep at least six hard-boiled eggs in my fridge; pairing one or two with a clementine or another fruit makes for a simple and surprisingly filling breakfast.
And here’s my secret breakfast trick: order a large pizza, leave any leftovers on the counter—low risk move—and devour them straight away after getting out of bed, still unshowered and in your pajamas.
Problem #2: You just can’t stop eating
Constantly snacking is a common pitfall when working from home. The key to avoiding this is to pre-portion your snacks and resist turning your kitchen into a mini vending machine. As much as it pains me to say it, try to limit your chips and candy selection to just one or two items, and stock up on fruit instead. If you think you're hungry but can't imagine eating a banana or an apple, you're likely not really hungry at all.
Remember how you used to pack your lunch for school or your office job? There’s no reason you can’t keep doing that. Grab some reusable containers or a bento box, and prepare a sensible meal for the next day. If you finish your lunch and still feel hungry, eat an apple. If you're still craving something specific afterward, feel free to indulge, but don’t let it distract you from your work.
Problem #3: You don’t have time to cook
Packing your lunch once again comes to the rescue. Not only will you have your meals cooked, portioned, and ready to eat, but you'll have full control over the microwave (or stove), so no waiting in line. Depending on your eating habits, here are a few ways to prep your meals in advance:
Prepare a sandwich the night before: Even if you end up eating something else, having a quick and tasty meal ready to go can be a lifesaver when time runs short.
Cook a big batch and eat from it throughout the week: Soups, stews, casseroles, fridge-friendly salads, and pasta dishes are all excellent options.
Set up a flexible meal plan: I'm not a fan of eating the same meal day after day, but I don’t want to cook from scratch when I’m already hungry. So, I prepare a variety of ingredients that I can mix and match for multiple meals. I'll cook chicken thighs (or a whole chicken), roast a pan of veggies, and grab some pre-washed salad greens. I’ll also stock tortillas and instant ramen, and then combine the proteins, veggies, carbs, and greens to create tacos, salads, and soups. (Bonus points if you make a big batch of veggie broth or stock for cooking the ramen.)
Make a bento box or Ploughman’s lunch: A selection of small portions of your favorite foods—like quality cheese, a piece of fruit, and artisanal bread—will make your lunch more exciting, and it’s easy to put together.
Problem #4: You get so absorbed in your work that you forget to eat until 3 pm, and by then, you're a hangry wreck
Implement all of the above strategies, but also set reminders on your phone or computer to ensure you take a break to eat. You can even label it “EAT DUMMY,” if that helps. If you have a pet to feed or a plant to water, use those moments to care for yourself too, so you don’t feel like you're constantly interrupting your flow. And if you start feeling guilty about taking a break to eat, remember this: you’re not so important that the world will collapse if you step away for half an hour to eat. You're just like everyone else, and not only do you deserve to eat, you need to.
