Okay, it is Sunday morning and I have been up for hours checking emails, updating twitter, and seriously debating if I really need the rest of those time sucking social networking sites before I get into research for a PR campaign. Ideally I would be doing all of this from my fantastically tidy home office, which I imagine would look a lot like this . . . a magical place where my productivity slips into warp speed and my muse is always at the helm.
Realistically my home office looks more like Einsteins desk from Princeton. Not that I am saying my piles of papers are signs of genius mind you, but that Einstein and I share the same cleaning habits of our work space. . . none.
Working diligently on applying my '9 inches to success' theory to my workspace, I have been recycling, donating and throwing things away for the last week. All of this being done with the hope of reclaiming my home office, keeping my living room work free and decreasing my overall stress level.
Yesterday I came across a fantastic post on Wired, aptly titled, Actually Work From Home When You Work From Home. This post is for those of us who stay up until 2am working on a project and then get caught the next morning taking calls and answering emails in our PJ's, while we wait on a load of laundry to dry and the dishwasher to finish.
Building the firewall between work and home and creating a functioning home office is difficult to do. I know first hand and am trying to find that balance with the help of Michele Connoly's Getting Organized Blog.
To those of you who have mastered the art of work and home success - I admire your discipline to manage your time effectively and commitment to your long term goal of self employment. If you are considering starting your own home based business I recommend reading this article by Randy Duermyer.
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I understand this challenge myself. Thanks for sharing good ideas and resources for more. My office is only for work and it's off limits when I say I have stopped. My challenge is the laptop is so easy to take with me to other rooms. I have learned to put all work related stuff in one bookmark folder and Chrome window. I close the window when I decide to stop working and don't open it until I decide to go back to work. The Iphone no longer alerts me to emails. This helps to shut it down as well. Create separation - it helps make life better and does not stunt success when done well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestions Teddy! In the 3 years since I made this post I have graduated to an organized studio space that I share with my husband - It's not shiny white like the ideal picture - but it has a calming picture window and a vintage file cabinet to control my paper - and a place for Charlie dog to nap in the sun!
ReplyDeleteI agree that having a separation of work space and private space is crucial. Fantastic ideas, brilliant solutions and helpful questions come when you allow yourself to rest and recharge.