Blogging is not my full-time job. It would be great if something like this was, but I’m just not there yet. Being a mom isn’t my full-time job either. Now it is a full-time job, but after Cameron was born, we discussed that it just wasn’t feasible for me to stay at home, so back to work I went. Now, I am lucky because I have a remote position with the job I do have, so I get to work from home. It has it’s perks, such as being able to walk out of my room to my office, not really having to dress up, and at the end of the day turning off your computer and being home. But some other times it’s hard to stay motivated not being in an actual office setting. Here are a few things I do to stay motivated.
Getting Dressed: This one isn’t as hard as it used to be. Back in CA I basically wore my pajamas or some sort of comfy/yoga/workout attire everyday. Now, because I get up and take Cameron to school each more, I need to put actual clothes on because I don’t want to embarrass her or me. But I found, that once you’re dressed you feel like the day has started and it’s easier to stay on track.
Give yourself deadlines: Even if you don’t have to finish something for someone at work, still give yourself deadlines. If someone didn’t see something by Friday, I would try to finish it by Thursday or before so that I wasn’t just sitting around and taking my time. Now obviously I won’t rush through anything, but it helps keep me busy trying to meet my self deadlines.
Turn off distractions: Now it’s easy for us to think, that since we work from home, we can have noise in the background. And while most of the time that could be true, I also noticed it deterred from getting anything done. So, if I just HAVE to have noise, I make sure it’s not going to distract me or take me away from my work.
Pay attention to schedules: Make sure you know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and any roadblocks that you may hit. Just knowing what’s out there in front of you is a good way to stay motivated.
Know that you are allowed breaks: For me personally, I always feel like I shouldn’t be allowed to get breaks, or lunch, because I have the luxury of working from home so if I want to eat a snack, I can just grab one. But know, that if you work yourself to the bone, and don’t take breaks, you are going to run out of steam and not get as much done because you are run-down. You are working, just like your co-workers, the stuff is getting done. It’s OK to take a 15 min break, or a 30 minute lunch. I’m pretty sure it’s also the law. Heck, I utilize my lunch break to sometimes get chores done around the house, two birds, one stone.
As I think of other things, this post may receive some updates and re-blogging. But for now, these are the things I do to stay motivated working from home.
