What Are The Best Days To Work From Home? (Survey)

 

I surveyed 483 people asking one simple question: What is the best day of the week to work from home?

I was curious to know from people who work in a hybrid setting (sometimes in the office, sometimes remotely) which was their favorite day to skip the commute. Here’s what we found out.

 

What is the best day to work from home?

Monday

In a survey of 483 remote workers, Monday received 146 votes (30%) to slightly beat out Wednesday with 140 votes (29%) followed by Friday with 125 votes (25%).

 

Ranking the best days to work from home, most popular to least:

1. Monday: 30% of people picked this day as the best
2. Wednesday: 29%
3. Friday: 26%
4. Tuesday: 7%
5. Thursday: 5%
6. Saturday: 2%, Sunday: 2% (tie)

 

Interesting takeaways about the best days to work from home:

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday make up 85% of the vote (overwhelming the other options)
• People really don’t like to work from home on Thursdays (just 5% voted for this option)
• Almost as many people would rather work from home on the weekend (4%) as they would on Thursday (5%)
• People don’t like to work from home on Tuesdays either (just 7%)
• Saturday (2%) and Sunday (2%) are equal, showing there is no preference if work needs to get done on a weekend
• Monday (30%) and Wednesday (29%) are nearly equal

See Also: The Best Excuses To Work From Home: Rapid Fire

 

What are the best days to go into the office?

Tuesday and Thursday

Tuesday (7% of the vote) and Thursday (5%) came in as the weekdays that people like to work from home the least. Conversely, that makes Thursday the best day to go into the office and Tuesday the second best.

 

Why is that your favorite day to work from home?

I asked survey respondents why they each chose the day they did. I thought this may be more insightful than the results themselves. If you have the chance to work in a hybrid setting and are deciding which days to work from home, here are some selected responses organized by day.

See Also: 9 Alternative Work Week Schedules

 

Monday (30%): The best day to work from home

“Mondays are never easy. You’re trying to get back into the work groove, plan your week and catch up on any news/changes from the weekend. Working from home gives you that added flexibility to begin the day your way.”

Thank you to Fraser Wilson of AnswerConnect.

“Mondays used to be a dreaded workday because it signals the end of the weekend. However, I don’t feel the same dread in the remote working environment.”

Thank you to Stephen Light of Nolah Mattress.

“Monday is the perfect day to work from home because it’s the start of the week. You can use this extra day to catch up on any work that you didn’t get to over the weekend, and start the week off strong. Additionally, working from home on Monday will help you avoid the Monday morning rush hour traffic.”

– Jennifer Spinelli of Watson Buys.

“Monday is the day everyone dreads with all the planning, anxiety, and new assignments on the way. It would be great to add a little extra flexibility to Mondays by making them WFH days. For me, it would allow me to tackle the week’s tasks and planning from the comforts of my home, and I would be 100% ready for the week by the time I hit the office on Tuesday.”

– Chelsea Cohen of SoStocked.

“Coming off of the weekend and relaxing on Sundays, Monday gives everyone that restart, refresh, and motivated energy to get the week started off great.”

– Keba Starks of Exclusive Business Solutions.

 

Tuesday (7%): The 4th best day to work from home

“I find that Tuesdays are the perfect day to work from home as usually Monday goes into planning out the week and setting tasks so Tuesday tends to be the main day to begin executing on those deliverables.”

Thank you to Sir Sanju Ganglani of gang&lani media.

“Mondays are generally more hectic since you’re not just completing tasks but also setting expectations and deadlines for the rest of the week. In the midst of this, you need to make time for in-person meetings or team calls to ensure everyone’s on the same page. For this reason, I personally find Tuesday’s a lot more productive and focused since you can zero in on tasks with a lot more focus without disrupting your workflow. Moreover, Monday pretty much acts like a primer that gets the ball rolling for the rest of the week. The next day is obviously a good day to ride this wave of productivity.”

Thank you to Richa Nathani of Dialed Labs.

“Tuesdays always seem to be more productive due to finally settling in to true work versus spending most of Mondays answering emails and blocking time for the upcoming week’s projects. Since my freelancing days to being a business owner, I’ve always spent a bulk of Monday’s planning the upcoming week’s work, and Tuesdays were super productive because you’d start the day with an exact focus and workload. Plans make everything easier, and I always get more quality work completed in less time with a plan.”

Thank you to Ron Lieback of ContentMender.

“Monday’s are unsurprisingly quite hectic and they demand for team members to collaborate closely and mutually agree upon the goals for the coming week. This makes Tuesday a great day to work from home since your workforce gets a little breather after a hectic Monday.”

– Harry Morton of Lower Street.

“Working from home requires a huge amount of self-motivation. I think that Tuesday is the best day to work from home because you have already had one day of working to adjust to the week and get in the right mindset, but you are still refreshed from the weekend.”

– Simon Bernath of Furnace Prices.

 

Wednesday (29%): The 2nd best day to work from home

“Choosing Wednesday as your work from home day might seem strange. It’s right in the middle of the week. But that’s exactly why it’s the most appropriate day. Firstly, having a WFH day in the middle of the week gives you a well deserved break from all the commuting and social interactions that drain you. You come back on Thursday all fresh and ready for the last two days of the week.”

Thank you to Elizabeth Hicks of Parenting Nerd.

“In case partially working from home I prefer to work from home on the Wednesday to use the middle of the week as a recalibration moment. Here I evaluate my actions that week so far and make adjustments to the plan for the rest of the week. Doing this from home gives me the mental space and opportunity to do this effectively.”

Thank you to Tom of Cat & Friends.

“Wednesdays are your best bet. It’s a nice way to break up the week: two days in the office, one day working from home, and two more days in the office. This results in a consistent workflow that includes a number of planning meetings early in the week, a productive working from home Wednesday, and two equally productive and collaborative days at the end of the week.”

Thank you to Edward Smith of Nootropics Official.

“Wednesday is a good day for staying at home because you split the week and allow yourself a day to rest from the routine. You can sleep longer, finish some housework and prepare everything you need for the rest of the week. When I went to the office every day, I would become very tired and nervous on Thursday already because I’d spend a lot of time commuting. That’s why I love making a short break from the traffic on Wednesday and staying at home.”

Thank you to Navarre Trousselot of Navexa.

“Wednesday is the best day to work from home because it breaks up the week with a rest day from commuting. You’re not spending too many days in a row at home or the office.”

– Ilya Vakhutinsky of Careswitch.

“My agency has put aside Wednesdays as ‘no-meetings’ days, where we have canceled or postponed all client meetings so that team members can get the time to complete independent tasks, recover from a busy Monday and Tuesday and prepare work due for the next few days.”

– Madison Kosater of M-Squared Public Relation

“I would choose Wednesday because it allows me a mental break from physically going to the office. Instead of having to wait for the weekend, I’d have an introverted work day in the middle of the week. This is especially well-suited if I don’t have any meetings to attend; I can wake up, get my coffee, stay in my pjs, maybe brush my hair, and no makeup.”

– Jennifer Jones of Beginner HQ.

 

Thursday (5%): The worst weekday to work from home

“The day you work from home will likely be your most productive day of week! You want it to be later in the week so that you can sit in meetings and gather all the tasks you need to do early in the week. Then, spend your day working from home getting all those tasks completed. I recommend Thursday instead of Friday to reduce any temptation of ducking out a little early for the weekend. You are also most likely to take Fridays off for a long weekend. If you are working on Fridays it’s a great day to wrap up any outstanding items from the week and have any necessary meetings.”

Thank you to Sarah Ohanesian of SO Productive.

“It will be more productive to do the most important collaborative works in the first three days of the week (Mondays to Wednesdays). Starting Thursdays, it is more productive to work on projects that need more time at home after tasks are divided or when you need to focus on your work without the constant pressure in the office.”

Thank you to James Idayi of Cloudzat.

 

Friday (26%): The 3rd best day to work from home

“In my experience as a marketing manager at a software company, the best day to work from home would be Friday. The volume of customer queries and meetings with potential clients and brand partners tend to decrease during Fridays, and so for me, it’s easier to work from home on that day.”

Thank you to Maya Levi of ReturnGO.

“Fridays are by far to the best day to work from home because it means you can start your weekend sooner! A long commute is an exhausting end to the week. Being able finish work and still have the time and energy to do something with the family with a blessing.”

Thank you to Scott Nelson of MoneyNerd.

“I have never gotten over the feeling of a 3-day weekend, and I think Friday is the perfect day to kick it off. My daughter also gets off from preschool early on Fridays, which is perfect because I get to pick her up and spend more time with her every week. Only going into the office 3 or 4 days a week has made a huge impact on my life over the years, as I consider the days I’m working from home to be just as good as the weekend.”

Thank you to Nelson Sherwin of PEO Compare.

“I find that I have more energy and focus on Fridays, likely because I am looking forward to the weekend. Additionally, there are usually fewer distractions on Fridays, as people are wrapping up loose ends.”

– Oberon Copeland of VeryInformed.

“It means I can leave at 5:30 on the dot if I’m going on weekend breaks, rather than having to commute home first.”

– George Clarke of Tally Market.

“On Friday, you wind down and swing into your weekend smoothly, avoiding any horrible work commutes along the way! Imagine a full hour or two of your weekend is recaptured by WFH.”

– Zerzar Bukhari of Zynq.

“Typically, Friday’s are the best day to work from home because it’s the end of the week and does not require much engagement with other team members. On Friday, no new projects are starting, there are no meetings scheduled, and everyone just wants to wrap up the loose ends before the weekend.”

– Scott Bates of Real Authority Media.

“We encourage WFH Fridays especially those with a long commute because it gives our staff extra time at the weekend to recharge that they’d otherwise lose during a long commute home, which tends to be exacerbated on a Friday too.”

– Danny Collins of Reg Car Check.

 

Saturday (2%): The worst day to work from home (tied)

“Every day is a good day to work from home, but having remote access on the weekend allows you to keep tabs on urgent tasks without having to waste time commuting or being tied to a desk.”

Thank you to Andrew Latham of SuperMoney.

“I know that working on Saturdays is not ideal for some people, but for me it is the best. I don’t have any business meetings (Zoom calls) on the weekends because the staff is not required to work that day. I also don’t have to answer any client emails on Saturdays as it is not an expected work day. I am able to just focus on my task list and get things done for most of the day. If I do make plans to go out or socialize on Saturday, I can work before or after the plans. I love the peace and quiet of working from home on Saturdays.”

Thank you to Addys Guerra of Alliance Technology Group Solar.

“Working on Saturdays might seem like a controversial thing to like, but it honestly is the best time to work from home. The ‘Sunday Scaries’ no longer exist when you work on Saturdays because you give yourself time to prepare for Monday, which allows you to relax for the rest of the weekend. It also means you have a day off during the week which is great to be able to do grocery runs or errands which it’s impossible to do on a weekend day. I also find I work at a less stressed pace on Saturdays as I know most other people aren’t working this day. It is the superior day to work from home!”

– Shaun Connell of Credit Building Tips.

“Working from home on Saturdays can give one the ability to focus on end-of-week tasks that need to be done without the distractions of the office environment.”

– Zachary Weiner of Finance Hire.

 

Sunday (2%): The worst day to work from home (tied)

“I would have to go with Sunday, because it’s the calmest day of the week. I don’t believe in Mondays, so I get a head start to my week by working on Sunday from home in tranquility.”

– Thank you to Sharon Van Donkelaar of Expandi.

“Because it’s the first working day of the week for me (I work Sunday-Thursday). Working from home on that day helps me avoid that first-day-of-the-week dread we all know and hate. It’s a really nice way to ease myself into a new work week.”

– Velin Dragoev of Keen Fighter.

“While it may be controversial, Sunday has always been the most productive day for me when working from home. This is because there are far fewer distractions as no one else is working that day!”

– Sarah Beaumont of Indoor Home Garden.

 

Which days to people choose to work from home the most?

According to data from WFH Research and shared via a tweet by Nick Bloom, Friday has become the chosen day to work from home for hybrid companies.

 

Looking to improve your home office?

Here’s everything you’ll find in my home office right now. I’ve honed the list over a decade working from home.