How to Stay on Target
Posted on July 4, 2011
Guest Post by Christine Speno @http://wordsetcwriting.com/.
Those of us who are self-employed or working virtually may have a particular hard job of staying on task. This is especially true if you work from a home office. I know for me, I have to set boundaries so that I don’t let distractions interfere with my work schedule. So here are some ideas to keep you from going crazy while working from home.
- Get some exercise to start your day – a short walk or bike ride will do it
- Eat something for breakfast – even a piece of fruit, some yogurt or toast to get your brain charged.
- Get dressed – and I don’t mean in sweats or a bathing suit (a particular challenge if you live in Florida like I do and have a pool outside your door!) You don’t have to wear a business suit, but do try to be somewhat professional. You never know when a call will come in requiring you to run out the door to a spontaneous meeting. Being prepared as best you can help make that less stressful.
- Close the laundry room door – leave the laundry for a non-work day.
- And on that note, if you can be in control of your own schedule, do set aside a part of a day (I do mine on Monday) to get caught up on personal errands, banking and straightening up your office and your home. If you don’t see that messy living room tornado left over from the weekend, it won’t bother you during the rest of the work week when you’re trying to work. Make your “to do” list for work projects and goals during this time too. A whiteboard works well for this or evening a legal pad. Be sure to make it visual so you see it frequently.
- Try posting an inspirational quote where you see it every day. See some suggestions on my “great quotes” link on my blog, or check out my post on Inspiration from June 27, 2011. Suggested link: http://www.worldofinspiration.com/
- Keep lunch time and snacks time on a schedule. This is important not only for your focus, but to keep your brain charged. If you have to close your eyes for a few minutes and just breathe in some fresh air.
- And try fragrance to refresh your brain with an herb – a mint, lavender or rosemary plant can help. They’re all easy to grow and small starter plants are available in most garden centers. A plant will also brighten up your office and these herbs, among others, have been credited with improving concentration and memory levels. Mint is probably the easiest way you can refresh: sip a mint tea, chew some mint gum or just inhale some mint candies or better yet, eat a few!
- Make your office comfortable – view, chair, music, – whatever you need to make it a place that you want to be will allow you to be more productive.
- And last, but not least, have your resources handy. If you have to go looking for them, you’re likely to get distracted. Keep a bookcase nearby your work area with references, cell phone charger, notepads, pencils, or whatever you find you use often throughout the day.
If you have other ideas that work for you as you strive to Stay on Target, I’d like to hear about them so leave a comment or connect with me on my blog — http:// www.wordsetcwriting.com
Thank you to Sherry Zander for inviting me to “guest post” on her great blog, Writing4Effect. Look for more soon!!
Christine Speno is a freelance writer, project manager, editor, and blogger. She writes a semi-monthly column for The St. Augustine Record about Palm Coast/Flagler County, Florida. She formerly served as editor and layout designer for The Palm Coast Neighborhood News. Prior to that, she worked for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach as Associate Director of International and Graduate Admissions. She has many years of experience as a writer and editor, having worked in the legal field as well as higher education. She has a B.S. in Sociology from Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, Missouri, and did her graduate work at UCF in English/Technical Writing. Find her on her blog at www.wordsetcwriting.com
Michelle Baker
July 5, 2011
Great post Christine. Thanks for the tips. I especially like the ones about maintaining a schedule and keeping our food under control. And I definitely need to get better about getting dressed. Working for 8 hours in my dirty yoga pants is not the most professional way to go about things!
One of the best things about working from home for me is the total integration of my work and home life. So I actually blend the two. My morning meditation is time spent with my pups. We sit together on the floor. They get tummy rubs, and I get my day in order.
My daily exercise is gardening–gets my blood pumping, gets me outside for some fresh air, and keeps my flower gardens fresh and beautiful.
And throughout the day when I’ve worked on a task too long and I need some right brain creative help, I do a household chore, like vacuuming. That 15-20 minutes away from the desk is productive, energizing, and oftentimes problem-solving.
cspeno
July 6, 2011
Michelle
thanks for your comments to my post. I think your point about integration of work and home life is well taken. Although I try to stay on target, it is nice to take that lunch break outside on my patio — a luxury you can’t indulge in from a traditional office space.
Thanks again for reading and for your thoughtful commentary.
Penelope J.
July 5, 2011
Christine,
What excellent advice. Will try to follow whatever I can such as exercise first thing and breakfast, I work at home and I used to be very organized, but since moving into another house with 8 other people, and an area where, if I want to go for a walk, I have to go out and drive first, it’s become quite a challenge. My biggest problem is distractions to which I’m also a party.. When you live alone, you can measure/schedule your time and have your own working space. Also, privacy.
Penelope J.
Christine Speno
July 6, 2011
Thanks for reading Penny and for your input. I will have to admit, I am much more productive in my home office when no one else is here. I commend you for meeting the challenge of working from home while sharing a home with others. Good luck and keep me posted!!
cspeno
July 6, 2011
Thanks again to Sherry for agreeing to exchange posts with me. Watch for her upcoming post on my blog too!
Writing4Effect
July 6, 2011
Christine, I love it that you were willing to do this, too. Thank you! I will definitely be submitting something to you this week. I am very excited and look forward to it. I’m scared now, though. You did such a good job on this one that I don’t know if I can live up to that, but I will do my best — 😉
Safwan R.
July 6, 2011
Christine,
I really love your advice. I personally find it hard to focus on my freelancing while handling real-life issues. Hopefully these tips will help! Great share.
@Sherry: I am sorry I forgot to update you earlier. Thanks to your help I got accepted at TCA and they reviewed my application much faster since I told TCA that you referred me. A friend of mine applied with me but my application was processed much faster. Thank you!
Writing4Effect
July 6, 2011
Hi, Safwan. That is A-W-E-S-O-M-E news. Good for you. So happy it worked out for you. Shawn is a good guy and treats his writers well. I know you’ll do great. And don’t forget to apply for higher paying positions as you get the hang of writing and feel really confident in your skills. Some of them are listed under the “Writing Jobs” tab on my blog. Also, visit this blog post of mine to get a list of job sites I use to find freelance writing jobs.
Christine Speno
July 8, 2011
Anything you can do to focus helps!. We all have different strategies. Please share yours…
And Congrats on the TCA acceptance. 🙂
Samantha Bangayan
July 6, 2011
Absolutely loved this post, Christine! =) I’ve been making it a point to go out and buy bread and a tamal every morning — the walk is certainly refreshing and puts me in the mood to work! =)
I also really like the idea of posting an inspirational quote. I used to have my personal mission statement on my computer desktop, but now my desktop is always cluttered with windows that I almost never glance at the image. =P I have a whiteboard that I can definitely use to post an inspiring quote right in front of my desk! I think I’ll choose Winston Churchill’s “Never, never, never give up.” — it has been an important one for my life. Short and sweet!
Sherry has also taught me about posting up things I dream of having or owning where I can see them every day. It really motivates me to keep focused! =)
Christine Speno
July 8, 2011
Love your inspirational quote. Isn’t it great to share these ideas and see what helps others?
Good luck with your writing and keep up that morning walk!!
youtubeanonymous
July 9, 2011
These are really great, practical tips. I just started my website and I know these tips are going to be helpful to me in the long run. I love the “get dressed” tip. I know that working in pjs makes a person feel more relaxed and prone to neglecting work. The one about “have your resources ready” is so true. I’m guilty of this. I go downstairs to get a cup of coffee and a book – – thirty minutes later I find myself watching television. Great job, Christine.
A tip I suggest to writers is to let their family know which hours they will be working. A lot of the time the children, husband, other family members and friends will not consider writing as a “job”.
cspeno
July 14, 2011
I think the comment that youtubeanonymous made about letting family and friends about the hours that you are writing. I think many people think that anyone that works from home (whether writing or not) is not really “working”. Oh how very wrong they are!
If you are on a chat application while online, you might make a custom message that says,
“Writing now (or working now), please leave me a message.” I’ve done that on my gmail account and it helps 🙂
cspeno
July 14, 2011
Sherry
sorry for my confusing first sentence in my last comment, but I know you’ll edit to say:
I think the comment that youtubeanaonymous made about letting family and friends know about the hours that you are writing is a great suggestion!
Writing4Effect
July 14, 2011
No problem, Christine. I agree with YTA’s suggestion and I like yours ab out the “working now” notice — that’s a great suggestion. And there are so many great suggestions in your post here that I don’t know where to begin. I will say this that keeping a schedule is imperative to feeling like you’re in charge of your writing responsibilities, instead of the work controlling you. That probably continues to be my biggest challenge.
cspeno
February 7, 2012
Reblogged this on Exploring communication on all levels…. and commented:
Are you staying on target when you work from home? Here is a post I did as a guest for Sherry Zander of Writing4Effect
Michael
February 8, 2012
Great suggestions and all can be tried with little if any money needing to be spent!
Thanks for sharing with us all!
Michael
OutMaturity
Writing4Effect
February 24, 2012
Thank you, Michael. Glad you enjoyed the post. Christine Speno was the guest writer on that one — she’s a friend and a talent!