It’s different, this structuring of my day. When you work full-time, even if you work at a hip, cool place that is fairly felxible, there’s still a level of expectation and accountability that is lacking when you work for yourself. And as of yet it’s still hard for me to call what I’m doing working. When I don’t know what things need to be done each day to inch the needle toward my goals, and when I can’t articulate at the end of the day what I’ve accomplished, that label feels overblown. But I’m working on it, a system, a plan.
These little guys are with me as I type:
I’ve always been inspired by Erin’s “My Week in Objects (Mostly)” posts over at Reading My Tea Leaves
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my trusty Nalgene
I drink a lot of water, folks. I’ve never once had to make a resolution to get 8 glasses a day because I actually drink more than that already. Even when I’m working at home and could refill my glass, it’s more efficient to fill up the bottle and have a larger volume on hand. It’s always within reach. -
my beloved slippers
My feet are always cold. I don’t know why. In the summers when I would wear sandals to work I always regretted it when the arctic blast of air conditioning wreaked its havoc. The worst part of my morning is when I had to switch from slippers to shoes. And now that I’m at home all day I don’t have to! It’s so easy to be distracted, and keeping my feet warm removes one possible interference. -
my portable office
This is my work environment these days. Obviously, my computer, a 13-inch MacBook Air, which I love. It’s light and sleek and I just feel like a badass typing away on it. My Kindle–I’m reading a lot this year so it’s sort of part of my job. My notebook and pens. My approximation of a planner (Passion Planner pages stapled into a cute file folder I got from the dollar bin at Target). And my table. My beautiful table. I have a desk at home, but now that I’m actually working here I’ve realized it’s too small for me to type comfortably for very long. It’s cute, and has good storage cubbies, but for longer periods of writing I’ve been sitting at our dining room table. I like having plenty of space to spread out (my notebook, my coffee cup, my snacks), so it’s great. Just a big flat expanse all for me. And don’t tell me it’s weird that sometimes I run my hands over the wood just to appreciate how it feels, okay? -
my pink headphones
I like things to be pink, especially utilitarian things, because why not? A little splash of color. These headphones were the second best on my spirit website The Sweet Home. They have a built-in microphone for calls, which is nice. I don’t feel picky about my headphones, but having music on helps me go inside my own head and focus.
And a bonus perk of working from home?
I get to pet this gal whenever I want. She sure sleeps a lot! I find having a little creature in the house to be so relaxing. Just knowing she’s there makes me happy. And I’m really not sorry if I sound like a crazy cat lady. So there.
I’m supposed to be writing this year, and so far so good. I’ll be mixing in some coffee shop days as I progress, but my home environment serves me well for now.
What practical objects help you focus on your work? How do you minimize distractions?
