We have all done it. Nice top for the 9 a.m. call, blanket on the lap, two pairs of socks under the desk that are somehow not helping. If you are trying to figure out how to stay warm working from home without heating the entire house (or wearing a coat to your own kitchen table), the answer is rarely one big purchase. It is a handful of small moves, made at the right hour.
So here is one cold workday, start to finish. Nobody needs all of it. Steal the two or three that fix your particular kind of cold.
7:45 a.m. How to stay warm working from home starts with where you sit
Most desks end up wherever the wall looks empty, which is usually under the window. Lovely view. Terrible seat. Windows usually lose heat faster than an insulated wall, and air chilled against the glass tends to sink toward your ankles.
Turn the desk so the window sits beside you. You keep the daylight and lose the chill. Set up against an inside wall when you can, and stay out of the straight line between a leaky window and the door. If you get to choose, pick a small room with a door that closes: it is far easier to keep comfortable than an open-plan living area. In the US the winter sun stays in the southern sky, so south-facing windows tend to get the most of it. Open those curtains in the morning.
8:30 a.m. Go hunting for drafts
Coffee in one hand, strip of tissue in the other. Hold the tissue near window edges and door frames, then along the bottom of the door. If it flutters, congratulations: you have found the enemy.
The fixes are cheap and most of them are renter-friendly:
- Under the door: a door snake, or honestly just a rolled towel.
- Leaky window edges: foam weatherstripping tape or removable rope caulk.
- Big single panes: a clear window film kit, the kind you shrink tight with a hair dryer.
- The door itself: keep it closed so the warmth stays in the room you are using.
One thing not to block: heating vents and radiators. Your desk, your curtains and that box of holiday decorations all need to stay clear of them.
10:00 a.m. Your feet are filing a complaint
Cold air settles low, so the floor is often the chilliest thing you touch all day, and your feet spend the whole morning parked on it.
Get some distance between you and the floor. A thick rug over bare wood or tile is the big win. A folded blanket or a low footrest under the desk is the free version. Then socks that are thick but not tight.
Slippers finish the job by adding a sole. Our Flower Plush Slippers have a plush upper and a TPR sole for hard floors. They are open at the back, so your socks still earn their keep. They come in EU sizes, and if you land between two, take the bigger pair.
11:00 a.m. What does your webcam actually see?
From the collar to about your third button. Everything else is between you and your chair.
Up top, start with something thin and long-sleeved, then add a layer you can shed mid-call without messing up your hair. A button-front beats a pullover here every time.
The Relaxed Button-Front Knit Cardigan is a cotton knit you can wear open or buttoned up. It runs small, so order one size up. It is also not a magic heater: cotton is a comfortable layer rather than the warmest fiber, which is why it goes over that thin base and not instead of it. Our guide for people who are always cold gets into the why.
Nobody on the call needs to know about the slippers.
1:00 p.m. Leave the desk
Yes, even if the inbox is calling. Eat somewhere else, and make it something hot if you can. Soup counts. So does leftover anything.
2:30 p.m. Stand up before you freeze
An office commute used to hand you stairs, a walk to the train and laps to the printer. Now it is eleven steps to the kettle. Sitting still for hours can leave you feeling colder by mid-afternoon, and moving is the easiest heat you will make all day.
Set a timer for once an hour and give it two minutes:
- Up and down the stairs a few times
- Counter push-ups while the kettle boils
- Marching in place during the muted part of the meeting
Refilling your mug counts twice: you walk, and you get something warm to hold.
Safety note
Want to heat just one room with a space heater? The U.S. Fire Administration says to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away, and to turn the heater off when you leave the room or go to bed. Follow the manual for where to set it and how to plug it in. And never use an oven to heat your home.
4:30 p.m. Close the curtains before it gets dark
The other half of the morning trick: open by day to let the sun in, closed at dusk to hold on to what you have got. Heavier curtains do this better.
While you are there, switch off the overhead light and turn on a lamp. Does it change the temperature? Not at all. Does the room feel kinder at 4:30 when it already looks like night outside? Very much so.
6:00 p.m. Clock out like you mean it
Close the laptop. Actually close it. Then change out of your work layers, even if they were basically pajamas with buttons. A loop around the block or a warm shower makes a good full stop between the desk and the couch.
If your evenings could use more of that slowness, our slow Sunday reset is the weekend version. And for a wardrobe that does most of this thinking for you, see the cozy winter capsule.
One last thing. If you feel cold far more than the people around you, or it is new for you, mention it to your doctor. Not every chill is a curtain problem.
Short on time? Do this tomorrow
- Turn the desk so the window is beside you
- Roll a towel along the bottom of the door
- Put a rug or a folded blanket under your feet
- Set an hourly timer to get up and move
- Close the curtains before dark
When you are ready to soften the daily uniform, our Loungewear collection is where we would start.