Working from home is honestly as great as it sounds. With my job, I can pretty much work from anywheres. It's a dream come true to not have to go into an office every day to work at a job that I hate. My bedroom doubles as a studio and my computer work can be done from my desk, table, kitchen, Starbucks, bed,
a patio with beers
, you get the point. On days I don't feel like getting out of bed, I literally don't have to. I get asked a lot how I stay focused at home and don't get distracted. Honestly it's hard to stay motivated every day when I don't have a boss telling me what to do and what to work on. I don't know how many of you can relate to this, but I'm going to share some key things that keep me focused & motivated during my rather relaxing work days.
1. Coffee
Coffee first thing in the morning is something I used to make fun of old people for. I remember seeing in movies the parents always drank their coffee in the morning while reading the newspaper. Who knew this was actually an amazing way to start your day. Replacing the newspaper with Snapchat stories of CNN, but catching up with whatever you've missed over night. I try to give myself this little time in the morning before jumping into emails or posting on social media. A little reward for getting out of bed hahaha. Also this part of my day really made me have a whole new appreciation for coffee mugs. I have quite the collection and it also makes choosing one in the morning a little more interesting.
2. To Do lists
I've been writing to do lists since elementary school. It used to be because I would make any excuse to buy new stationary or a Backstreet Boys note book. But now it's part of my daily routine. Every morning I make a list in my planner on things that need to be done that day. This keeps me so focused. I tend to get really overwhelmed and anxious when I have a million things to do, and sort of crash without organization. This helps so much. I remember seeing something about "10 successful people who make lists" or something like that and remember thinking, hmm, that makes sense! Once things are written down, you're more apt to do them, and crossing them off feels amazing. I also like to mix in a couple fun ones in there so it's not all work things. Try it xx
3. Podcasts
Podcasts & Audible have changed my life. Seriously. I first discovered them when I lived in Halifax and did a lot of driving back and forth from Halifax to Saint John/Fredericton. I couldn't stand being in my car driving for 4 hours without doing anything productive. It killed me, I just felt like I was wasting so much time. I hate the radio and can only listen to music for so long. Audible was recommended to me by my aunt Marianne and as soon as I downloaded the app I realized this was going to make driving insanely more bearable. I don't drive as much anymore but I find it extremely helpful while I'm painting, drawing or editing. I find I paint a lot better when I'm not thinking about it, a lot better when it's mindless and I'm not so so focused on what I'm doing. I use a bluetooth speaker and listen to all sorts of podcasts. Sometimes about startups & business, sometimes about celebrities and sometimes crime. Depending on my mood. Painting & podcasts = double the productivity. I'll list some of my favourites.
Podcasts
CBC Cold Case Adrien Mcnaughton
Audible
4. Leaving the house
Ok so sometimes I go insane without really realizing that I'm going insane. I think anyone can find this if they're in their house for too long. I get this anxious feeling and sometimes don't even recognize that it's happening until I'm really irritated. I need to get out. I get out for meetings frequently during the week, so instead of scheduling them all in the same day, I like to try to spread them out and move them to late afternoon when my craziness starts to kick in so I can get out and get some air. I find working from a coffee shop or collaborative workspace helps with this too. When you see & interact with people during the day it really helps keep things fresh. But I do like to be alone most of the time so I try to find a balance. Last Summer I worked from ConnexionWorks in Saint John and found it really refreshing. In Halifax some of my favourite coffee shops to work in were HumaniT and Le French Fix. In Fredericton I loved the Second Cup on Prospect and Coffee & Friends on King. Saint John is a little tricker.. There are very few to choose from, I like Starbucks on the West side and have just tried the new one that opened on Canterbury, Locavore Cafe.
5. Disconnecting
I still struggle with this but I've come a long way since a year ago. Disconnecting from work/email/social media is kind of stressful but so so important. Once I just accepted that whatever's happening can wait until the next day, I now feel a lot better sleeping at night. This took me a longggggggg time to be able to do. I don't know if it's because I'm mega motivated or just know that it's people that work after hours that get ahead of the game. But I found my relationships, social life & sanity were suffering. More recently I've been able to throw my phone across the room and let it sit there until the morning & let my laptop go dead without panicking. Making time for yourself & your friends or significant other is really important. I also give myself more of a break on weekends. I do understand that startups don't sleep, but you can't sacrifice your sanity
so stop feeling guilty for taking time off!!!!
I don't know how many of you feel like this or have a day to day that look even anything like mine, but I would love to hear what keeps you motivated. Also if you can suggest any podcasts or tricks to help keep you productive, I'd love to hear them!! Comment on IG or leave a note at the bottom of the post.
Happy Sunday lovers xx
Allie
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