Everyday Life

1Emma’s morning routine

Emma’s alarm goes off at half past six, but she never jumps straight out of bed.

She usually stays under the covers for a few minutes and checks her phone before she gets up. Then she takes a quick shower and gets dressed for work. Breakfast is her favourite part of the morning — she almost always has yogurt with fresh fruit and a cup of tea, and she rarely skips it, even when she is in a hurry. “A good breakfast puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day,” she says.

Last year, Emma changed her routine a little: now she works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the days she goes to the office, she leaves the house at half past seven and takes the bus. On her home days, she uses that extra time for a short walk instead of a commute.

2Emma’s working day

Emma starts work at half past eight. Most mornings, she answers emails and joins a few online meetings with her colleagues. She likes her team, but she admits that meetings sometimes make the morning feel very long.

At half past twelve, Emma stops for lunch. She usually goes to a small café near the office with two or three colleagues, and they often talk about anything except work. In the afternoon, she focuses on her own tasks and tries to finish everything before a deadline. Some weeks are busier than others, but she finishes work at five o’clock most days.

3Emma’s evening

After work, Emma travels home and starts to unwind. Two or three evenings a week, she cooks dinner with her partner — their favourite is a simple pasta with vegetables. On other evenings, they go for a walk in the local park before it gets dark.

Emma tries not to look at her phone too much in the evening. Instead, she reads a few pages of a book or watches one episode of a series, and she goes to bed at around half past ten. This weekend, she is going to visit her parents in the countryside — a nice change from her usual routine.