Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I will get a very small commission or referral fee at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping me keep the site online! You can read more on my affiliate policy page.
I’m going to be honest with you here: even though I’ve been working from home for years now, I’m struggling this time around. A lot of the small pleasures that used to make working from home enjoyable are now out of reach: from going out for a sit-down coffee break to taking walks with friends in the middle of the work day. It’s still too cold for botanical gardens. Museums are closed or restricted. And so are libraries.
Every day is Groundhog Day, it seems. And my brain is craving a jolt in my daily routine, an ounce of novelty and every so often a drop of variety. Here are a few really short activities I use to get out of the rut of working from home while also giving my plants some extra love. I’ve documented them over the course of a month, but they’re in no particular order. Feel free to do one (or more) or invent your own while you’re at it.
Call it self-care, plant-care or a mental-health break. It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re enjoying it and using it to clear your mind.
Take a plant break when you’re working from home.
1. Observe the light in your home at different times of the day. How are your plants interacting with it? Is there any plant that needs to be moved?
2. Rotate your plants. Nothing too dramatic; just a slight 10 degree angle should do.
3. Dust off your plants with a wet rag. A pair of used socks or mittens will do just fine.
4. Jot down some observations in your plant journal.
5. Have a cup of coffee (or tea) in your plant corner. Have a look at my favorite botanical-themed mugs.
6. Read a poem about plants and nature.
7. Look at some pretty pictures of plants on the website of your local botanical garden.
8. Have a look at the classes/workshop/lunch lectures organized by your local botanical garden.
9. Get up and check your plants’ humidity levels. Do they need to be watered?
10. Look up some information about a plant that hasn’t been happy lately.
11. Browse through a (coffee table) book about plants.
12. Take a quick botanical illustration class. Learn how to draw one plant.
13. Draw your plant, even badly. You don’t have to show it to anyone.
14. Rearrange your coffee brewing corner so that it contains a plant.
15. Run your fingers through the fronds of your fern. I wrote a few more tips for choosing sensory houseplants in this post.
16. Make little name cards for your plants with their Latin names.
17. Activate your sense of smell if you have fresh herbs in your house.
18. Give your plants silly names – Felicity Ficus, Jamila Fig, Monstera Smith, Brad Avocado-Pitt, Aloe McBeal.
19. Add some fairy lights to your plant corner. Turn on the lights even during the day.
20. Build a plant fort in your living room/home office. Nobody’s judging.
If you want to read more about houseplants, hop on our once-a-month newsletter list. We don’t spam! There’s no neverending email sequence here.
