I have an excellent productivity system when I'm working at home: after producing a certain quantity of work (the quantity depends on the nature of the work) I take a break. I use these breaks to do things on my non-work to-do list for the day, like reading the newspaper or cleaning the bathtub or putting on makeup. Because the things I do in my break are closed-ended (e.g. I read the
newspaper until I'm done reading the newspaper, and I know I'm done
because there are no more pages of newspaper) I don't end up
procrastinating. I do my designated quantity of work, I do my defined
break task, and then I go straight back to the next designated quantity
of work so I can get to my next break.
I respond really well to quantitative objectives tied to rewards like that (i.e. "When you finish X you get to Y"), so I most often stay absolutely on task, briskly and efficiently knocking off my work to-do list and my personal to-do list with no stress.
But, as you've probably noticed, it affects my blogging.
When I was working in the office, I couldn't take productive breaks like that, so I often found myself at my computer trying to get myself to focus again. I'd allow myself a break, but I'd fall down an internet rabbit hole and read something and think of ideas and then my mind would be spinning through all these ideas and they'd produce blog entries. I'd be trying to buckle down and get myself back to work, but the ideas would just keep spinning through my head so I'd end up having to write them down to copy into my blog when I get home, just to get them out of my head so I'd have room for my work.
Now that I'm working at home and I can effortlessly stay focused and on task, these ideas are no longer in the way. They're still present (often in the form of bookmarks in my "to blog" folder and half-written notes to self in my blogger drafts), but they sit quietly in the background while I'm working rather than getting in the way and forcing me to get them out of my brain when I really should be doing something else.
3 comments:
I relate! You've discovered the hidden problem of working at home for super disciplined people.
If you want to blog more, it sounds like you would need to set up another routine for it, like blogging x number of times a week at x time of day. But only if you want to, not as a chore.
I actually have blogging on my non-work to-do list, but it isn't near the top and I don't make it all the way through the list most days. I also have a system where I write for a certain amount of time every day, but that doesn't always result in a complete post. When the material isn't begging for me to let it out like a zit that's ready to be popped even though I'm not supposed to pop it, it takes a lot longer!
I'm impressed with your daily writing system. I've been writing all my life and have never found a daily system - time, word count, page count - nothing. I've always heard that writers should or must write every day, so I always thought there was something wrong with me that I couldn't do that. I don't think that anymore... but I'm still impressed by people who have such systems.
Post a Comment