In the first part of this series (“How to write around the Busy Part of Part 1”), we explored the possibility of continuing a written career while maintaining full employment, which requires regular daily relocation. This article will focus on those issues that arise from the fact that during the day they are mostly limited to the home environment. For me, the key obstacle to effective work in the home environment is the relative lack of structure compared to the corporate office.
Due to the lack of structure, I mean the freedom to switch randomly from one task to another, combined with a continuous stream of distractions that would not exist in the office. We will look at three important points that need to be addressed if we want to succeed in working in a home environment.
- A lack of structure of a real physical work environment
- Lack of structure in relation to the chain of commands
- Lack of time management structure
These are not new problems for most of us. But my experience shows that at home they become significantly increased. This increase can lead to paralysis, which can lead to the cessation of any productive writing activity.
1. Lack of structure of real physical work environment
Using a self-imposed structured environment to facilitate execution
To write effectively at home, we need our own structured environment that will temporarily tear us away from the rest of the house. What is a “self-tuned structured environment?” As for writing, a structured environment created independently is an environment that actively supports the writing process. A classic example is research. But not everyone can afford the space to conduct a special study, so we sometimes need to improvise.
The more important part of the phrase “self-tuned structured environment” is “imposed”. This is because in a home environment where there is no manager to prevent the structure from being on us, we certainly must take responsibility for imposing the structure on ourselves. It became a disaster for me to find out how powerful it was to work in a structured environment, spending a long time at home.
It was in a sense happy that it happened. This is due to the fact that after we were forced to study the value of the structure, I became more active in working with the structure in the home environment.
When a foot can give a leg up
A few years ago, hurrying to catch the train on my way from work, I slipped and fell pretty badly. The pain in the left ankle was excruciating. It was so bad that I had to be transported to a waiting taxi and drove straight home. Diagnostics later showed a broken leg, which basically placed me on my back for more than 6 months. Now during this time a very interesting event has happened.
While working on my laptop when I was on my back, I was able to do a small piece of software documentation and development advice for charity, which I support. Also in the process, I was able to pick up new skills that greatly contributed to my ensuring better work after I got back on my feet.
And when did both legs work?
Two years before this incident, I was at home for several weeks, looking for another freelance contract. During this time it was almost impossible for me to settle in the educational process. So why was it easier to fall down by breaking your leg? What did this teach me to work at home?
A good example is the bedding environment, but we want it to be voluntary.
In my case, I was a bedroom, as it provided a structured environment. Although I limited myself to this medium, it was easier for me to set up a routine. This routine allowed me to do my work. However, bedding is usually not perfect. Ideally, consciously choose the necessary restriction of a structured environment that will simplify work. Some authors compared the act of writing with the flow of a river, where the banks of a river can be compared with the necessary structure necessary to direct its flow.
Use multiple structural media to create natural breaks.
Fortunately, some people have the opportunity to study at home. But even then he can take a certain discipline to retire and take up this notorious pen. When we enter the study, we significantly impose the structure required for ourselves. Many of us are familiar with how delay can manifest itself, since we find excuses to do anything but go into this study and start writing. I know someone who hates ironing, but sometimes she finds herself ironing, and does not continue to write her latest article.
So how can we overcome this delay?
Principle number one - “ease of access facilitates the execution of the case”,
Principle number one is ease of access. Do not limit yourself to one structured environment, but create it around the house and make sure that your recording tools are available at each station. For example, you could display the following environments around the house:
(a) Your research (if you have one).
(b) Your bed and nightstand.
(c) Your bathroom or toilet.
(d) Your kitchen or dining table.
Having multiple locations gives you flexibility
Having more than one place gives you the flexibility to choose where you are least concerned about depending on what is happening in your home at this point in time. Therefore, if the drilling is in the neighborhood, then go to the kitchen table or dining room.
Having a few places gives you a variety
In the case when I was bedridden with a broken leg, I had a structure, but the lack of diversity turned out to be rather unpleasant. Switching structured environments inside a house can sometimes be just as refreshing as a break. This can serve to extend your actual filing time before you really need a real break with the writing. For example, today I was working on this article in my bedroom upstairs, and when the evening was running, I began to feel tired.
I went downstairs to the dinner table, and the background noise of my children, consoles playing there in combination with this change in the environment, helped me activate and save it. But note that I did not just move to any part of the house. I switched to a previously designated area where I knew that it would be convenient for me, because it meets all my requirements. Therefore, take the time to explore your home and find and check the disk of all the eels and cracks.
You can have access to several working environments, even if you have one-bedroom apartment.
Just to clarify, “your home environment” extends beyond your nearest living space. Suppose you live in a one-room apartment, and you want to use a multi-location approach to stay awake or not to increase your stamina. (The principle of the arrangement of commutation is that a change can be as good as a break or rest).
Depending on where you live, there may be some potential entry points that are within walking distance. A few typical locations may include:
(a) Local Park.
(b) Near the cafe.
c) local library.
d) local shopping center.
(e) A friend’s home that also works from home.
(f) A local work center specifically designed to meet the needs of those who work at home.
As always, the land works to map these locations before you need them.
It is worth taking the time to research and experiment with potential recording sites long before they are really needed. Then, when you really need them as a means to motivate yourself for a difficult time, they are already tried and tested. So please keep your eyes peeled on your way to get some products, because you never know when you can find a good place to write.
Try to go outside, even if you feel there are enough rooms or places to work inside.
In a radio program I listened to recently, a psychologist said that the Internet emotionally forces some people, because they used it as a substitute for interacting with people on a personal basis. I feel that we humans need a company more than we want to admit. For me, the simple act of being among people can give an emotional impulse, even if I do not know them personally. Then this energy can be submitted to the act of committing several more letters.
I also find that the hustle and bustle along with the problem of conversation between others sometimes gives rise to ideas that I normally would not have if they were locked up at home.
2. Lack of structure for chain of command
Referring to the problem of a structured physical environment, we consider in detail the riddle of self-management at home, given that she has nothing more to do.
Cultivate your beginning
As hinted, before I believe that this is still a problem of structure. In the corporate world, we have a well-defined management hierarchy with an appropriate chain of commands. We are told what to do, and we strive to do it in the specified time interval. We are accountable to our bosses, and this in itself (given that they are our treasurers), as a rule, is sufficient motivation to at least try to do something.
Now nobody is looking at my shoulder, how can I motivate myself?
In my experience, it is much easier when I am surrounded by like-minded people with similar or related goals and objectives. Of course, having a boss to motivate us can be very effective, and if the boss has tact and can work with people, this may indeed be the first choice for some of us. But what do we do when none of these options are available, and we find ourselves in our own resources?
Have a portable compliance strategy because it's easier for you to be self-destruct when you feel healthy and healthy.
This moment was raised in the first part of this series, so you should reread it. But, in addition, I would like to add that it would be even more important to have a simple and effective method of regular implementation if you work from home. The reason this may be more important is that the act of going to work can be a natural form of exercise in itself, if we use public transport. This is what I quickly discovered when I spent a lot of time working from home because I did not work. Soon I began to gain weight and feel completely unusable when I began to take quick snacks to ease the boredom of loneliness.
Only when I discovered a simple exercise routine that was portable (can be done anytime, anywhere without the need for any equipment), could I regain control of my weight and also get a general sense of well-being.
Separate the recording process from the planning process
In the first part of this series, I conveyed a few tips drawn from Nick Dow's “Write any book in 28 days.” Nick suggested that the process of writing an article or a book can be greatly facilitated by taking a few minutes to create general content. It’s pretty obvious to many of us, but what’s interesting is that what kind Nick suggests but as he suggests that we go about it.
He suggests a three-step process for creating a book or article:
- Brainstorm keyword list (planning process).
- Using these keywords, formulate a list of questions (the planning process).
- Write your book or article answering these questions (writing process).
What I noticed when I tried this approach was that the structured approach supported my activities in the same way that the skeleton supports the body. The goal of brainstorming a keyword list is much less complex than the goal of writing an article. The key to self-starting is to break a big task into many small tasks and just set one goal at a time. If the three-step process described above is used correctly (as indicated in the course of the letter Nick Dow), the authors often find that by the time they get to step 3, the article, in fact, writes itself.
Use a continuous piece of time to plan.
For me, the act of planning my articles requires a more relaxed, continuous piece of time than the act of writing. But it could be different for you. Here I am usually very careful to block at least a couple of hours of silence when I want to schedule an article. What I have found is that, as soon as the plans are laid out, the actual letter can be made sporadically and in parts.
Use a public place near your home if the presence of other people helps you get started on your own.
This point has already been addressed in the section “Using Multiple Structured Workflows” as a way to create diversity. However, for some of us, this is more than a desire for diversity, which forces us to work in a public place when we have an alternative to the comfort of our homes for work. There is energy there to be around people who help us get started if we feel stuck.
That is why authors find libraries so efficient. It is not just quiet and access to books for reference. It encourages and encourages being among people who are also quietly studying or writing.
3. Lack of time management structure
Finally, let's look at the old time management problem in the home environment. There is a lot of time management documentation out there. However, in this article we will draw a tight ball on those aspects of time management that work when recording in a home environment.
Become a watch watcher
The term “watch observer” is usually used in a somewhat derogatory way in the corporate world to indicate the attitude of simply working the required number of hours, and then of the dashing house. In fact, there is another side for "watching the clock." I have often found that when I carefully track the passage of time while I complete a task, it helps to create a false sense of urgency that helps me meet the deadline.
This is not a new idea, but a principle that has been driven by many time management gurus. Therefore, when performing your recording task, you can, if you want, act as follows:
- Take a few minutes to decide how long your stay will be.
- Start your stopwatch.
- Start your task and continue your task until the specified time expires.
Where I fell on the past, in the continuation of the task. I overcame this without being too ambitious in determining how long I would work. The purpose of writing within 10-15 minutes is much easier for me to stick to and complete than the purpose of writing within 1 hour. After the wait is complete, we hope that you will be asked to set another target time. If you feel outdated or tough, then move to another structured work environment for a change. Then go back to step 1 to determine how long your next recording task will be.
Ultimately, this is really us.
No matter what strategies and methods we use, the ultimate responsibility for achieving success lies with us. There are various methods that will help us, but by themselves they can do nothing. Doing will come from our own actions.
This is what makes it so difficult when working in a home environment, as a writer.
