Put a lid on it
The case for using travel mugs, even if you aren't going anywhere
A key upside of remote work is that you aren’t traveling anywhere. If you like to drink coffee in the morning, and you don’t have to travel to an office, there’s no need to delve into the world of the insulated cups and thermoses that are required for you to get your caffeine during your journey.
But I’ve been working from home long enough to realize that not all journeys involve distances. Mornings can get long, and morning work hours can be fragmented. It is not unusual for me to work for a bit, deal with the kids, then get to work again.
As I’m distracted through all of this, my coffee will get cold. I’ll heat it up in the microwave…and it will get cold again.
For whatever reason, the original heat is nicer than the microwave variety, which leads to today’s tip: use a travel mug even if you aren’t traveling anywhere.
Still hot
Just put your coffee in the travel mug, put a lid on it, and it will stay hot for at least the next hour or so. When your coffee is still hot as you emerge from that intense Zoom meeting where you didn’t really have a chance to sip it, it will feel like a little treat.
Many other remote work beverage situations can also benefit from lids. For instance, perhaps you get thirsty during the day. You can fill a regular cup with water, but spilling said cup of water over your papers and laptop would be a disaster. And, if you’re working from home and there are other people at home, emerging becomes an invitation for people to demand your time and attention. A big water cup with a lid (like a giant Stanley) allows you to stay in your office and remain invisible longer. As a bonus, if you put ice in there, your water will stay cold!
Subtle cues
Aside from convenience, there might be an additional benefit to using a travel mug or a specific large water bottle in your home workspace: switching to these travel containers gives a subtle cue that you’re leaving home mode and shifting to work mode, even if work takes place in your home. Subtle cues like that can be helpful for maximizing productivity, and maybe even helping you switch back to home mode when the day is over — as you pour yourself some wine in a lid-less glass.
Late to the party. My son's been using one for 15 years. He now has four.
Love the ritual cue angle here. The phsyical shift to a travel mug as a mental boundary for work mode is such a simple hack but makes total sense. Started doing somthing similar with a specific water bottle last year and it actually helped me stay focused longer without getting up constantly. The microwave reheating thing is so real too, that first heat just tastes better somehow.