Some people will have taken to working from home better than others as we all adjust to the new normal, but it's always good to have a little helping hand. If you're struggling to stay on schedule with your work, or could just do with the occasional moral support, this latest Google Assistant routine feature could be just what you need.

With workday routines, you can have Google automatically remind you of all the important things you need to do each day, whether they're work-related tasks or personal wellbeing actions like going for a walk or drinking a glass of water. You'll start off with a preconfigured, suggested routine, but you can personalize to fit your needs and it can all be interacted with via voice commands.

Once you've established your workday routine, the Assistant can keep you on track via any Google Nest speaker or smart display, or simply via your phone. It works on both Android and iOS, too. Even the simplest of things like reminding you of the time at set intervals could make all the difference with your productivity — I know I often go over on my lunch break, so I could probably benefit from Google's nagging.

You can get it to give you an overview of what's on your calendar and run through any reminders you've set for the day, so you'll really have no excuse for forgetting things anything. New appointments and reminders can be added using your voice, just as before. To make sure you feel well-rested ahead of the working day, the Gentle Sleep and Wake feature that came to Philips Hue lights in the spring will be rolling out to more smart lights in the coming days. You can use this as a reminder to go to bed and also as a way of waking you up more naturally.

It looks like many of us will have to continue working from home for the foreseeable future, so Google's workday routine and associated features could really help us stay motivated and productive. I'm sure Google will be encouraging its own employees to utilize it.