Do you ever feel like life is so hectic sometimes that you just don’t know how to unwind? I mean, we hear about the importance of finding time to locate your inner peace and all, but how does one actually start that journey? Do we need a map to locate peace of mind? Sometimes I think so! In all honesty, I am writing this post for myself because I have been so out of it and stressed for so long that I need to remind myself to take time and unwind, even if it’s really really difficult to do it! So, I sat down and thought about all the things that are mentally blocking me from unwinding and relaxing and some ways that I cope with stress when it gets too out of control on my own life. Hopefully this list will resonate with you, too!
1. Turn off notifications that ding: The threat of a dinging notification is a stressor in and of itself in my life. I have taken to turning my iOS devices on airplane mode just to escape them!
2. Light candles all over your home: I don’t know what it is, but for some reason candles make me feel like I have a clean home (…even if my home isn’t clean) and this releases an OCD stress about everything having a place and being there!
3. Take a nice relaxing bath: I suggest using epsom salts for a deep muscle relaxation and using whatever aromatherapy bubble bath or oils you have available to do. When I take a bath when I am stressed, I drown myself in the stuff!
4. Drink plenty of water: If you are well hydrated you are less likely to get a headache and I feel like water also helps me feel fresh and clean on the inside. Its like the water is cleaning out all the toxins from my cells and flushing them out (I actually think that might be what water does, so the more the merrier)!
5. Listen to soothing music or a book on tape: This one is pretty self-explanatory. If I take a bath with epsom salts and then put on a book on tape (usually the Hobbit!) I am guaranteed to fall asleep in 5.7 seconds!
What other tips do you have for relaxing and unwinding when you are stressed out? Please, please, please tell me, because I really need to know!!
xoxo,
This article was first published on Strange & Charmed on February 27th, 2014 and is being reposted as part of my Holiday Prep Hiatus! For the months of November & December I will be recycling some vintage S&C content that you may have missed in order to give myself some extra time to finalize projects and spend time with my family during the holiday season. All reposted content will be marked as such. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past blog post!
It’s that time of year again, and no I am not referring to the return of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte at Starbucks, but if you want my DIY PSL recipe, click here! I am referring to the return of cold and flu season! I know, so much less delicious than a pumpkin spiced latte, but it’s here and we all have to deal with it! I know we have it drilled into our heads to make sure we carry around little bottles of antibacterial hand gel and to wash our hands frequently and sneeze into our elbows (gross, but it does help fight the spread of germs), but how often do we stop to clean our devices like our iPhones and laptops that we are constantly touching? Your iPhone can actually carry more germs than the lever on a toilet and you are putting that up to your face on holding it in your hands countless times a day! So, I thought I would review the steps to help properly clean an electronic device like a computer or smart phone so that you can start keeping your gadgets clean without fear of shorting a circuit!
Step 1: Turn off your device. Whenever you are going to clean your device, make sure its off. This helps prevent you from getting some sort of electric shock in case you do make a mistake and get moisture into a crevice in your device.
Step 2: Use an antibacterial wipe to gently whip down the surface of your device. I like to use Wet Ones wipes because they are antibacterial and easy to take along with me. The problem with some “tech wipes” is that many aren’t antibacterial so you may be cleaning dirt off your device but not preventing cold and flu germs from spreading! Make sure the wipe is moist but not to wet before you begin. If it is let it sit out for a minute or two to dry or try ringing out any excess moisture.
Step 3: Avoid any openings in your device like headphone jacks or charging ports. You can get close, but don’t try to clean inside because those openings go directly to the innards of your device and can cause damage! If you are cleaning a computer keyboard, you can wipe over keys and in the spaced between, but just make sure you don’t get moisture into the openings under the keys!
Step 4: Dry your device with a microfiber cloth. Although your device shouldn’t be wet, you will have some moist spots on the casing or screen from the wipe down. So, use a microfiber to quickly wipe off any moisture left on your device before you turn it on. Once your device is dry and clean, turn it back on!
Step 5: Repeat this activity 2-3 times a week! Technically, I think this should be done everyday, but I understand that not everyone has the time to do that so if you can do it 2-3 times a week you will probably do a lot to cut down on the amount of germs your devices are carrying around. If you think you will forget to do it, set a reminder on your phone!
Do you frequently clean your devices? What products do you use? Do you think that cleaning your gadgets helps to cut down on instances of illness for you? Let us know in the comments!
xoxo,
This article was first published on Strange & Charmed on October 8th, 2013 and is being reposted as part of my Holiday Prep Hiatus! For the months of November & December I will be recycling some vintage S&C content that you may have missed in order to give myself some extra time to finalize projects and spend time with my family during the holiday season. All reposted content will be marked as such. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past blog post!
How to Build Confidence, Boost Your Productivity & Be Your Own Boss!
It’s time for another link roundup! With only two months left in 2015, we have now reached that part of the year where we make our one final push to hit our goals and get organized before the new year begins. For me, I find the best way to get inspired is to immerse myself in great content that provides insight and advice to challenge my thought processes and engage in meaningful solutions to my everyday problems. That’s why I love doing these link round up posts for you! It gives me a chance to share the content that inspires me and helps me to be a better content creator for you, and in turn, I hope you find solutions and inspiration to help you make an impact in your life. So, here are some articles I have been reading and thought you might also enjoy!
I hope you found something new and inspiring to read from this post! If you have any other articles you have read this month that you loved and want to share, please do so in the comments below! Also, if you are a female entrepreneur, small business owner or aspiring #girlboss, I would love to welcome you to join my #CHARMEDBIZ COLLECTIVE Facebook community filled with like-minded women who are supporting each other to build their online empires! I hope to see you there!
If you haven’t noticed, productivity is a very important topic to me. Why? Because I don’t like to spend all of my time working. I, like most people I would assume, would prefer to spend my time relaxing, hanging out with friends and family or pursuing my favorite hobbies. We all have to work to live, that’s an essential fact of life, but working doesn’t have to take up all of your time. Through the study of productivity I have learned ways to get more done in less time, how to streamline my tasks and work smarter, not harder. If this is a concept that you can relate to and want to learn more about, I have a few of my favorite productivity tips to share with you, plus a great online resource that you can use to continue learning about the subject!
My top 5 productivity tips
1. Set your top 3 for the day
With multiple tasks on your to do list, you may find it hard to choose which items you need to start with. In order to simplify this process for myself, I identify the top 3 tasks on my list to be my priorities. These are items that are either time sensitive and must be done today, or items that need to get done before other items can be accomplished. When working on my task list, I try to get my top 3 done as soon as possible so I know I have made important progress for the day.
2. Create routines for everyday processes
I’ve read a few different books that discuss the importance of controlling your daily habits and from them I have learned the importance of creating routines for your day. When you create a routine and build it into a daily habit, you are able to auto-pilot your choices which leads to greater self control at a lower cost. People only have a certain amount of self control to make positive choices, so when you can relieve your mind from this burden my instating routines, you are able to use your will power on more important tasks!
3. Say no to the non-essential
One of the major killers of productivity as I see it is the wasting of time by taking on non-essential tasks. So many of us struggle to get the big, important things done in a day, and that’s likely because we have a lot of little, non-important tasks to weed through. The best way to stop wasting your own time with non-essential tasks is to learn to say no to anything that isn’t the best use of your time. This is easier said than done, especially if you are a people pleaser, but I can’t tell you how many people I talk to who are unable to spend their time on things that matter to them because they are overwhelmed with tasks that just don’t matter, but they feel obligated to perform.
4. Batch and delegate work
Now, if you have been a student of productivity as I have for some time, you may feel like this tip is the equivalent of beating a dead horse. It’s the one productivity tip people refer to over and over again, but for good reason; it works! If you think you are batching a delegating your work as much as possible and yet you still feel overwhelmed with your tasks, you are doing something wrong. There is some place you are missing an opportunity to save yourself time by either batching like tasks together and finishing them at one time, or you aren’t delegating enough to others. You need to constantly evaluate your systems in this case, so I suggest checking out this post on how to stop over scheduling your day if you need additional tips to overcome this common issue!
5. Build white space into your day
When I say white space, I am referring to free time. The concept of adding in free time into your busy day may seem counterproductive to productivity efforts, but I promise you, when faithfully implemented, white space can actually lead you to greater productivity. Not only does white space give you time for self care and to calm your mind by spending time not working, but it’s actually been proven that by working free time into your day, you actually perform at a higher level. White space fosters time for your brain to process new information, and to think creatively because it’s not being forced to work. Give it a try and build some white space into your day as soon as possible.
If these 5 productivity tips have you curious about the different strategies you can use to work smarter, not harder, or if you want to learn more about implementing these tips, I am very pleased to announce that I have reopening my Productivity & Planning Master Class. If you aren’t already aware, back in August, I held a live Master Class webinar event where I shared my best productivity tips and strategies. The class was a massive success, but ever since I held it, I have been asked by numerous people to open access to the replay for the event to the public so that more people can access the information and the exclusive printables and resources I provided to attendees. So, that is exactly what I am doing now! If you missed out on my Master Class live, you can still access the replay as well as all the class materials. Just head on over to my shop and purchase your ticket to the Master Class replay and get started learning even more great tips and strategies for being more organized and productive!
The end of the day has come and instead of feeling a sigh of relief and excitement that your day is over and you can finally relax, you feel completely anxious. You’ve been working steadily all day but looking back at your tasks you don’t seem to have accomplished much, and to make maters worse, you have more things left on your to do list than you were actually able to check off. You aren’t just worried because you have a lot of work left to do, but you know that tomorrow when you start all over again you are going make another list of even more tasks to get done and you know that you are going to fall further and further behind as new tasks pop up faster than you can finish your existing ones. If you can relate to this feeling of constantly over scheduling your day, the amount of work, events and tasks that you can reasonably manage, you are not alone. Time management is tough and as a skill, it requires time, focus and the ability to self analyze to master it. To get you started, I have a few tips that I’d like to share to help get you on the path to time management recovery, and hopefully help you start getting out ahead of your tasks, instead of constantly falling behind.
Tip #1
Log your work day to account for all the tasks and actions you take and the amount of time spent on each. Like I said, excelling at time management is no easy feat. You need to have a complete accounting of your time first and foremost to get visibility to the blindspots and pitfalls that are sabotaging your productivity. It’s not enough to sit down and recall the events of the day after its all over, you really need to actively write down your tasks and the time it took you to accomplish them as you are working. Since this could be hard to do, I suggest setting a timer to go off once an hour, and when it does you write down all the things you did during that time, even if you didn’t finish them yet. Try to make sure you keep all the activities in order so you can see if you were jumping between different types of tasks and make note of interruptions to your workflow and the reasons for them. This data is going to be very important!
Tip #2
Once your workday is complete, review your data. I want you to look and see how productive your day really was. Perhaps you did get a lot of work done, it just wasn’t work that came from your to-do list. Maybe reviewing this information you will see that you lost significant periods of time to interruptions that were unnecessary, like calls from friends or chats with coworkers. You need to use your best judgement to understand what issues were standing in the way of you working on your to do list. Did you have to attend unnecessary meetings? Or perhaps the meetings were productive but just a little too long, or you didn’t need to be there for the whole thing. Once you know where the problems are, you can start addressing those with superiors or coworkers and putting new systems and habits into place to ensure your productivity is protected from outside influence.
Tip #3
Now you need to take a look at the tasks you completed and those that were left open on your list. Did you work on things during the day that you weren’t actually responsible for? Perhaps a coworker delegated a project to you and you accepted it because you didn’t want to seem rude or you wanted to take on the project because it was important, even though it was just one more thing you didn’t have time for. Remember, your to do list is sacred space. You shouldn’t put items on your list that don’t fall into your realm of responsibility or you don’t actually have the time to get done. We all leave items on our to do lists that we look at and know we won’t work on, but we feel guilty that we haven’t done so and we think, perhaps today will be the day I do this! No. You don’t have time for these sorts of games and you need to treat your to do list with a sense of respect because its the outline for your plans for the day and the way you will spend your precious time. Don’t let things fall onto that list that don’t deserve your attention and don’t accept new tasks that you don’t have the time to devote your attention to fully!
Tip #4
Start assigning yourself less to do and find a way to batch and delegate essential tasks that someone else can do for you. I like to use the top 3 list in order to achieve this. Focus on three essential activities or events you need to accomplish for your day to be productive and take care of those as your priorities. Try to focus on the activities that will be the most important and impactful use of your time and get those out of the way as soon as possible. You will also want to batch similar tasks together and delegate whatever other tasks are in your way that someone else can handle. Do you have a team admin that can run some reports for you or schedule some of your meetings so you don’t have to? Is there an intern that you can borrow who can print and assemble a presentation you are working on? Can your office secretary that sits right next to the fax machine send those faxes you have piled up on your desk while she’s taking calls? Obviously you want to use whatever tools are at your disposal, and of course you want to make sure you are being courteous with other peoples time as well, so make sure you give clear, concise directions and make the tasks you delegate simple so you aren’t creating more work for another person as well.
Tip #5
Start pushing back on new tasks, events and projects that are unnecessary. We all get asked to do lots of things throughout our day that aren’t necessary to our job function. Perhaps you have been invited to sit in on a leadership meeting or to volunteer as part of an organization with your work. Even offers for long lunches out with coworkers can be tempting yet unnecessary interruptions to our days. Now, I am not saying that you should never volunteer for special projects at work or avoid a great networking opportunity to advance your career, however, if you are constantly behind on your work, you are in a situation that poses a real risk to your current job. I’ve worked with people in the past who were completely overwhelmed with their job, the only real work they were able to achieve from day to day was to put out fires from overdue products and tasks that should have been handled weeks or months prior, and still whenever a “good opportunity” came to them to be part of a leadership team that involved extra weekly meetings or to volunteer their time creating goody bags for an extracurricular networking event, they never said no. I think part of this is the nature of individuals to want to please others, so many people find it hard to say no, especially when it seems like these extra tasks will further their career. The truth is, however, this mentally eventually leads to ruin! So, push back on whatever new tasks and projects land on your lap, and cut out the fat of extra work you are volunteering for until you get yourself to a place where you are out ahead of your work. It’s not like you have to say no to every offer forever, you just need to say no long enough to get your priorities and your schedule in order!
Like I said, time management is not easy but I hope these five tips make it a little easier for you to get started reorganizing your task list and making the key habit changes that will help you to stop over scheduling your time. If this topic of productivity and structuring your time to be more efficient and more in control of your work day is interesting to you, I have a very exciting announcement! On Monday I will be RELAUNCHING my Productivity & Planning Webinar, so if you missed the webinar the first time around and want to catch the replay, sign up for my wait list and be the first to know when the webinar has gone live in the shop!
Add one of these activities to your morning routine for less stress and more productivity
As an entrepreneur who works from home, I have found that how I spend my morning often reflects how productive the rest of the day will be for me. It doesn’t matter what time I wake up per se, but how I spend that first hour or so upon waking can lead me to either have a productive day or a wasted one! There are many different idealized morning routines you can adopt that promise health and wealth, but let’s be honest- designing a whole new routine is pretty hard. So, instead, start off with one of these and add it to your existing routine for a day that promises less stress and more productivity!
Guided Meditation
Meditation is one of those activities that you expect to find on lists like these, however, as someone who has tried every which way to incorporate meditation into my days and failed, I know it isn’t as easy as you’d think. Forcing yourself to sit still for 15-30 minutes without falling asleep is hard. Having to control your thoughts in the silence of your room is hard. But listening to a guided meditation instead, while you sit or lay in bed, is actually pretty doable! I keep a few guided meditations found on YouTube saved in my iPhone’s bookmarks, and in the morning when I wake up, I put one on. This routine works for me because it fulfills my need to stay in bed when I first wake up, and because I know all I have to do is turn on the guided meditation and listen. I can stay in bed, remain in a reclining position and just listen. It’s a very peaceful way to wake up in the morning, especially if you’re not a wake up and jump out of bed sort of person! If you aren’t sure where to start with something like this, here is the YouTube channel of an account that I love to go to for my meditations. This guys voice is very soothing to me and he has targeted guided meditation audios for a number of common issues.
Breath deeply
Starting your day with a workout is often touted as a secret of success for many, however, that exercise doesn’t have to be cardio. Even a simple routine of yoga in the morning where you are controlling your movement and breathing deeply is an excellent way to keep in shape, and lower stress. If you want to get started with Yoga, but think it’s too complicated, check out this article to get some helpful tips and tricks for beginners!
Journaling
In Julia Cameron’s bestselling book, The Artist’s Way, she instructs to keep a journal to write in stream of consciousness each and every morning. A few pages a day is all it takes to process through the events of the previous day that may still be having a sway over your mind, and really help you start your day with everything off your chest. It’s like having a morning therapy session with yourself! So, if you find that you wake up anxious and feel stress from the moment you step out of bed, I suggest keeping a journal by your bedside and giving this a try!
Make your bed
Making your bed in the morning is the start to a great foundational morning routine. Not only does it leave your space neat for your return in the evening, but it gives you an easy mental win in the morning because you have checked one item off your to do list without even leaving your bedroom. Start making your bed in the morning as soon as you get out of it and you will feel the positive affects on your day!
Hydrate early and often!
After hours of lying in bed, your body is in need of hydration immediately. Try drinking a big glass of ice water or start your morning with some warm water with lemon! You may want to reach for the coffee machine first, but caffeine actually dehydrates you further, so make sure to get in a good 8-12 ounces of water before you touch any other liquids!
So tell me, do you have any morning routine non-negotiable activities that aren’t included on this list? I’d love to know how you spend your morning!
Why knowing your Myers-Briggs type can help you become a more successful individual!
Perhaps you’ve heard someone mention the Myers-Briggs test before. Maybe it was mentioned in a class you took in college or you heard it on a great business scope. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test designed to help people identify their dominant predispositions when it comes to the way they think and interact with the world, based on the writings of notable Psychiatrist, Carl Jung. When you take a Myers-Briggs test, you are asked a series of questions meant to determine which 4 dominant traits make up your personality from a possible 8 total traits. The result is that any given person can have one of 16 personality types and knowing your type, as well as the dominant traits that make up your personality, can really help you to understand yourself, your tendencies, your strengths and weaknesses. I also believe that it is helpful for you to understand the personality type of those closest to you, specifically people you live or work with on a daily basis. For this reason, many companies will have their teams take a test like this to get a better understanding of how each individual works on a physiological level, and will make sure the teams understand the personality types of each of their co-workers for harmonious and fruitful interaction!
When it comes to my Myers-Briggs type, I am an ENFJ, and I have come to memorize that personality sequence as though it was my blood type because in the online business community, more and more, knowing and understanding your Myers-Briggs type is important and you never know when you will be asked about yours!
What does that sequent of letters even mean?
Let’s talk a bit about the personality sequence and the options there are that make up the 16 total possible personality types you can score as in the test. Like I said, there are 4 dominant psychological traits and those are expressed as 4 letters in your personality type.
The first letter, in my example, E, refers to your overall focus as an individual. E stands for extroverted, which is my outward focus, the other possible option for this trait is I, which means introverted. You may already know whether you are an extrovert or introvert, introverts prefer to be alone, and aren’t necessarily the most outgoing, and extroverts enjoy being in a crowd and feel comfortable as the center of attention.
The second letter, in my example, N, refers to how you process information. I process information with my Intuition (N) but the other possible option for the second trait is to process information by Sensing (S). Because I process with my intuition, I tend to be idealistic and see the greater possibility in situations, always focusing on the bigger picture, but someone who processes information through sensing prefers to look at cold hard facts of reality and really pays attention to the nitty gritty details!
The third letter, in my example, F, refers to how you make decisions. I make my decisions through Feelings (F), which means I let my personal values guide my actions and draw upon empathy and how to bring harmony to a situation when I make a choice. The other option for this trait is to make decisions by Thinking (T) which means you use logical reasoning to strike a balance that is just and fair, as opposed to emotional reasoning.
The fourth and final letter, in my example, J, refers to how you live your life and interact with others. My natural preference in this trait is Judging (J) which means that I like to have rules, deadlines and general order in my life. The second option, Perceiving (P), means that you live life with a more flexible set of rules and tend to be more of a spontaneous person who enjoys surprises and likes to improvise as you go along.
The important thing to understand when determining your Myers-Briggs type is that no one personality or choice is better or makes you a more desirable or successful person. When you take the test or determine your dominant preferences, which you could reasonably do based on the explanations I have provided here, it is very important that you choose which trait comes natural to you, not the trait that you wish you had more of. As people, we all have dominant elements of our personalities and sometimes it’s important for us to suppress our dominant urges in certain situations. For example, someone with the Perceiving type in their personality would need to learn to follow rules and regulations at work or in certain scenarios and not act on their first impulse, but it is important to know exactly what those first impulses are. Said person would probably want to implement planning into their daily tasks to ensure they were following along with what was expected of them so that they didn’t get distracted as per their free spirit nature and fail to complete their work! If you get honest with yourself about which tendencies are your dominants, it makes it much easier to understand how to best control yourself for your own success!
Once you know your type you can identify areas of sensitivity in your life where you think your dominant tendencies may be inhibiting you from being the most successful and productive version of yourself. Remember, your dominant tendencies should be honored and whenever possible it’s important to let those dominant tendencies have their moments, however, if your tendencies conflict with certain priorities in your life, understand those limitations will help you make better choices and become accountable to your own specific needs!
Finally, grab your spouse, children and perhaps some of your closest co-workers and share this information with them. The test is free to take online so this could be a fun bonding activity to see which personalities those around you have and how to best work together going forward for greater success and harmony!
I’d love to know what your Myers-Briggs personality type is, as I find this whole topic incredibly interesting! Leave me a comment down below and tell me your personality and what you’ve learned about yourself just from taking the test and reading this article! I do hope it brings you some clarity and self-awareness so motivate you become the best version of yourself possible!
In my Youtube video about How to Get a Fresh Start, I explained that one of the ways I like to motivate myself to start fresh is by purchasing a few new accessories for my home office. Nothing motivates me to work like office supplies and decor, and I’ve been eyeing some lovely items that would fit right into my office space. Since you are also equally obsessed with stationery, I thought I’d share these items with you in this months installment of Office Oasis to give you some ideas of some items you may be missing that you could purchase to reward yourself for making a fresh start this fall! Be sure to check out my video here when your done with this post if you haven’t seen it. I give some great tips on how to make the most of the last few months of the year and provide you some actionable steps you can take immediately once the video is over. Enjoy!
1. Chic Happens Notebook: I really love the Kate Spade journals and this pretty light blue number has actually already made it’s way into my home office. It’s currently acting as a bit of decor in my new shelving unit, but I have plans to use it as an entrepreneurship journal as well.
2. Top of the Line Pen Set: If you know anything about me, you probably know I’m obsessed with stripes, so when I saw this pen set, I had to have it. Again, these guys are currently at home on my desk, and I have to admit, they are almost too pretty to use, but I am committed to putting them to work.
3. Telegram Notepad: I admit, I have way to many notepads! This one is just darling though and the perfect size for jotting down notes and thoughts. I am currently using a large jotter style notepad on my desk or else I would totally purchase this one.
4. Crown Point Frame: It took me a white to realize that these beautiful silver frames were actually from Kate Spade, but I guess I really should have known! I plan to upgrade a few frames in my house to this lovely flourish style because I find them to be very elegant and in line with my overall home decor.
5. Start Something New Scented Candle: Hello! Stripes + turquoise + my motto for fall = this exact candle! This is such an adorable addition to any desk or home office space, and I do already own the black striped version of this candle, but the more the merrier, right?
Working from home is a concept I am all too familiar with. Even before I left my job to go full-time for my own business, I was a home based employee. Working from home has a certain allure that many office goers are often curious about and sometimes envious of, but trust me, working from home is no cake walk! I’m often asked about how I stay productive when I work from home because to be completely honest, working from home can be a total productivity killer. Unlike working in a structured office setting, home based workers are faced with many different obstacles that often cause them to be less productive. This may not translate to all at-home workers, but I know I have experienced challenges working from home and I know others who have as well. The way I see it, there are three main issues that home based workers face.
Isolation: Working from home often times means working alone and this issue often caused me a lot of grief even when I did work for a Fortune 50 company and technically had co-workers. When I worked in an office I often felt like my co-workers were a major distraction to me because they would pop in and out of my office all the time, but when I transitioned to working from home I realized that those interruptions actually forced me to take a break from my work every so often. You see, when you work from home you don’t have the same pressures and excuses to get work done that you do when you work in an office. There is no “Oh, I really need to finish up this report quickly before my co-worker stops by to chat about our project.” Although many of us dilly dally when we work in an office, we also have some institutional pressures that actually help us get our work done!
Lack of Accountability: Depending on the type of work you do and whether you work from a home for a company or for yourself, you may feel a lack of accountability looming over your head to keep you productive. This is something I felt as a home based employee and something I struggle with now that I work for myself. When your supervisors or co-workers aren’t watching, you feel like you can slow down your pace, engage in more distracting behavior (like turning on the TV or doing the laundry) that can waste much of your time when you should be working.
Distractions: As much as a formal office setting has its own unique set of distractions, nothing is more distracting that working from home. Seriously, your bed in never more than a few steps away from you at all times which is a very tempting trap I often fall into! Working from home gives you a lot of freedom, many of us think that if we work from home we can get all our work done and clean the house and make dinner as well, but in my experience that isn’t the case. Unless you are highly disciplined it’s going to be hard for you to get your full 8 hours of work in and then a bunch of extra personal items as well. Other than the time you get back from your commute, you really don’t get anymore hours in a day when you are a home based worker!
So, what can we do about this very common issues that at home workers face? I have a few tips that I use to keep myself productive and I suggest you put these into practice for your own home/work balance!
Create a defined office space: It’s very important as a home based worker to have a defined office space. Your bed cannot be your office! Get a desk and a chair, set yourself up an area of your bedroom or home to be your office. I am lucky enough to have a dedicated room in my apartment that I use as my office space and I feel drastically more productive when I work from it. Make sure to add personality and decor to your office or workspace as well by adding inspirational artwork to your walls, keeping a supply of stationery and office supplies on hand and of course, having all the necessary office gadgets you need to get your work done like a printer, fax machine etc. Now, although you may have a defined office space, I also find it helpful from time to time to get yourself out of your space and work from another location. Take your laptop and some paperwork and head over to a local cafe or library to get some work done at a remote location. I have a very close friend who actually books a private room at her local library to work from about once a week just to shake things up and to give herself a distraction free space to work from!
Engage in a morning routine: For a long time I woke up, got out of bed and went straight to work in my office. Since I didn’t have to get ready to go into the office, I thought there was no reason for me to establish a morning routine, but I find that having a morning routine and getting dressed and ready in the morning is a major boost to my productivity. Although no one sees me when I work from home except my dog and husband, I find that I actually get more done on the days where I actually wake up, put on a cute but comfortable outfit and do my hair and makeup just a bit! The ritual of getting ready establishes a sense of accountability for me that really helps me to stay focused and productive during the day.
Connect with other at home workers: To combat the isolation that comes from being an at home worker, I highly recommend connecting with other at home workers to create a support system. These workers could be other home based employees as your company, or friends and family members that also work from home. I think it’s a great practice to have an instant messaging application open on your computer and connected with these individuals so that throughout the day you have people to talk to. You can even schedule lunch dates to meet up with a friend during your lunch hour or have a Skype date during lunch time with another virtual co-worker!
Set a consistent work schedule: Another issue I have is that since I work from home, I end up working at all hours of the day and night. Usually I do this when I haven’t felt particularly productive all day and feel like I need to make up for my laziness by working well into the night to complete a project or tasks, but it is a terrible practice that I highly suggest avoiding. To combat this, I think it’s important to set a work schedule for yourself. Set your start time, breaks, lunch and end time for the day and try to stick to it. It will be hard at first, but if you can set yourself alarms to remind you to start and stop working that may help you build the habit.
Define an end of day routine: Like your morning routine when you get up to go to work, I realized that as an at home worker part of the puzzle I was missing was also an end of day routine. When I worked in an office I had this end of day routine where I would stop working on my projects, organize any in-progress information for the next day, clean up my workspace, and then shut down my computer before I left. As an at home worker, I think it’s very important to establish an end of day routine like this that works for your own situation. It will help you prepare your mind to shut off from work for the day, and leave your space ready for you to pick up and get back at it again in the morning!
I hope these tips gave you some inspiration and ideas for how you can be more productive when working from home. Being a home based worker isn’t always as easy and care free as you might think so if you are an office based worker that is considering transitioning to home based, I highly suggest giving this some thought before making the leap and establishing good habits from day one that will make your transition easier! Of course, let me know if any of these tips helped you or if you have any more tips to share with the community!
This past weekend I had the most amazing opportunity to teach my very first Productivity and Planning Master Class Webinar! It was two hours packed with theory, strategy and my personal tips to being more productive and the key role your planner plays in keeping you productive and organized. Here’s what I covered in the webinar:
Why Productivity is important to me and how I approach it.
The important relationship between Productivity and Planning.
What Productivity is and what it is NOT.
The things you need in order to be Productive.
How to find Focus.
Learning how to prioritize and my strategy for handling conflicting priorities.
How to define and track your productivity objectives.
Digital and Analog planning tools, their pro’s & con’s and how to choose between them.
What to use your planner for.
Choosing your planner style
Choosing your planner size and why the size planner you carry matters.
The different options of calendar styles.
Different trackers to use to organize your tasks and items.
Pretty planning.
My personal productivity strategies.
Specific productivity strategies to consider .
How to avoid burnout and overwhelm.
To-Do list strategies to help you get more done and see your progress.
And then, of course, after my two hours of teaching, there was an hour long Q&A that went into even more specific topics that were brought up by the audience. Here are a few of my favorite questions from the Q&A session:
How to organize your planner as a college student?
How I evaluate my processes to ensure I am as productive and efficient as possible?
How to keep up with a planner and productivity if you have trouble sticking to your plans?
How to stay productive when working with a team?
How to be productive if you are constantly interrupted at work?
Those were just a handful of the many great questions and topics we covered in the Q&A in addition to all the content I covered above! Overall, the event really seemed to go over well and the attendees on the live call were so wonderful and thoughtful in their questions and insights that it truly made the event a joy to host!
Thank you to all who signed up for my first event and for all your support and encouragement in my endeavors. You are truly all wonderful people and I hope I can rise to the occasion to serve you to the best of my ability!
Did you miss out on my first Productivity & Planning Master Class Webinar? I have received emails and messages from many of you asking if and when I will be hosting another event or making the reply available for purchase on my shop. At this point, I haven’t decided how I want to proceed with this, however, I have gone ahead and added an interest list to the info page for the webinar so if you want to be the first to know how you can get access to this awesome webinar, sign up for my interest list and if I see that there is enough interest, I may open up the replay or even schedule a second webinar event!
