I keep getting stuck.
I work from home, for a company. I come up to my office every morning and sit at my desk, looking at my computer; but just lately I have found that my brain really doesn't want to kick into gear until about 3pm. I need to leave to pick up The Boy at 4:30. This does not leave a whole lot of productive time!
Clearly, something needs to change.
There is a lot going on at the moment, STUFF that eats up head space even when it doesn't take up a huge number of hours. I think this is the underlying problem but, until the STUFF is resolved (not imminent) I need to find a way to focus my mind for 8 hours at my desk. Apart from being a boon to my colleagues and bosses (!), I know this will make me feel a whole lot better in and about myself.
So. What to do?
I have followed the blog and work of Sandra Juto for several years now, and never fail to be inspired by her aesthetic and approach to work and life in general. Sandra, it seems to me, is all about quality: finding or creating moments of beauty in the everyday. She wrote a recent post outlining how she goes about structuring her working day which resonated with me, so I'm going to try a few of her tips:
* start every day with a walk (/run. Generally leaving the house so I can 'arrive' at work.)
* Dress properly for work. I tend to wear my mum-uniform day in, day out. It is practical and comfy but doesn't make me feel great. I'm going to start dressing as though I'm going to the office or to meetings.
* stick to a timetable - basically, behave as though I'm still in an office. Get to my desk on time. Take a proper lunch break. Go outside for 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to get some air.
I'm hoping that once work is back in its box, my non-work time will also start to feel a bit less amorphous. Just at the moment I seem to be wrapped up in a big cloud of 'should' with very little progress on any front. And that is just boring.
Time for a change.