Months of worry, a tangled web of shifting restrictions, and near-ubiquitous homeworking – you’d think by now lockdown would fit like a (admittedly ill-fitting) glove.

But lockdown life does not suit most humans, and many of us are still thrashing around in the dark, despite having little to do.

Here’s a few habits not to slip into, however tempting they may be…

1. Working in your pyjamas

We’ve done it, and admit it, you have too. Rolling straight out of bed into your swivel chair may sound like a pandemic perk, but it’s rubbish for your routine, rubbish for your sense of professionalism, and, over a long period of time, rubbish for your self-respect. Lockdown isn’t code for duvet day, and on some level, people can tell. We don’t know how, but they can.

2. Not keeping up with friends

Lockdown socialising requires effort. The group chats have fallen silent, the working lunches are now bureaucratic emails, and the weekly pub trips have slowly receded into distant memory. Social contact doesn’t just happen anymore, and keeping friendships alive now takes commitment and creativity.

During the first spate of lockdowns Zoom quizzes and group hangouts got a (not unreasonably) bad name, but from Netflix parties to online Scrabble, there’s plenty of other ways to see a friendly face. You will feel a bit better afterwards. It’s practically science.

3. Doomscrolling

A longstanding phenomenon with a nasty lockdown twist, you can spend entire evenings listlessly flicking through your social feeds, digesting the same item of bad news again, and again, and again. Everyone’s a news junkie these days, but social media is not particularly good for the soul, and doomscrolling can quickly lead to catastrophising.

We recommend reputable news sources a couple of times a day. We do not recommend the IV drip of Twitter’s innate negativity.

4. Drinking too much

… or drinking too often. Gone are the Friday night blowouts and the book club that’s actually a by-the-bottle wine night, so bingeing may be less of an issue. But in their place we have the domestic, ‘I’ve-had-a-long-day-and-there-are-beers-in-the-fridge’ drink that you feel you’ve earned for reaching 5pm in a pandemic.

These post-work units can quickly become habitual. It might be time to explore the rapidly expanding world of no or low percent beverages, or, for a nuclear option, Dry January.

5. Buying way too much stuff online

Online shopping is one of a handful of pastimes (almost) unaffected by Covid-19, so it’s tempting to lean into it. Your bank account will not thank you and the environment will not thank you. Retail therapy might work. Compulsive consumerism does not.

6. Being far too ambitious

Ah, the halcyon days of March 2020, when a lockdown still had some novelty, we merrily booked holidays for 2021, and were convinced we’d spend the pandemic learning how to do our own dentistry and becoming fluent in mandarin Chinese. Fast forward 10 months and we still can’t play the trombone, we haven’t mastered origami, and are still unable to set realistic goals.

If you ever need proof of the hubris of man, dig out your first post-pandemic to-do list. Nope, we didn’t do any of ours either.

7. Buying too much takeout

They say that if you want something done, ask a busy man, and it sometimes feels easier to be lazy when stuck in lockdown stagnation. Neither your wallet nor your arteries will thank you for constantly ordering in, and no, you’re not ‘supporting local restaurants’ by blowing a week’s wages on KFC.