Author: Carmen M. (PenMarketer)
a place of productivity
a place of productivity
Change of environment makes all the difference
The clock ticks away as the minutes pass down. As soundless as it may be normally, it is a nuisance – an annoyance on this particular day. The mind is in a fog and a morning coffee won’t do the job in getting things into gear. The cursor on your computer hasn’t moved an inch and the page you’re on is either blank or the content is just sitting there.
Why does it feel impossible to focus?
It's normal, even expected, to go through times like this. If you spend most of your time working your business from home then you can be sure you will run into days when you feel like you can't get anything done. That doesn't mean those days should be discounted as simply unproductive.
Perhaps you might say "I'll try again tomorrow." but if there's still some hours left before the clock rolls over into a new calendar day, I advise you try some of the following techniques mentioned in this article before calling it a day.
Home sweet home.
That's the problem. It's too comfortable and often times it is the reason why you may find yourself easily distracted. You might also feel a bit confined between the walls of your home and you desire to have some place new to work to refresh your mind.
One of the main reasons we get so much done when we work for someone else is because our comfort levels are taken away from us. We are forced to adapt to inconvenient environments and we pressure ourselves to get things done regardless.
Whether you have worked in a noisy department store, a crammed office space or inside a congested delivery van - it wasn't anything like being at home. It's a relief when first starting your business from home, but too much of anything becomes unhealthy.
Consider some new ideas.
Plan Mealtimes Away From Home
It might be just the boost you need to get back into the right mindset by simply having a break from being at the house. You can eat breakfast, lunch or both at a restaurant you favor or a simple cafe nearby. By the time you return home, you might feel much better than if you opted to have breakfast or lunch in your own kitchen.
Sitting down in a public space and enjoying the comforts and pleasures of having a meal with other people might jumpstart your day.
It can be a breath of fresh air, literally!
If you get up first thing and decide to walk or go for a jog around the block or through the neighborhood, you might feel much better.
You can use this time to think about how you will plan your time and manage your day. It might even get your creativity flowing and you will come up with some good ideas for any endeavors you’re working on.
Visit a Quiet Place That Has WiFi or Computers
Find a space to study and work from that isn’t loud and crowded. At times, you might even feel that anywhere is better than home but this isn’t always the case. You don’t want to go somewhere that sets your work progress back even further.
Thinking about visiting a friend or family member? Think it over a bit more.
While it depends on the friend or family member, often times, I’ve noticed when someone tries to work from the house of a friend or a relative they generally won’t get anything done.
That’s because you find yourself in long discussions with that person instead of actually working. They might even try to convince you to take a break and share in a fun activity with them such as watching a movie.
If your friend or family member isn’t a business owner that works from home, they may not understand the importance of this time and the productivity that is jeopardized when you can’t focus.
Instead, you might want to pick a place where no one knows you to avoid distractions, such as one of the following:
• College Campuses
• Public Libraries
• Hotel Lobbies
You can be sure that the chances of having your workflow disrupted are fewer. I have personally conducted some of my best work in both a college campus and a public library. They're filled with students and businesspeople all with the same goal in mind: get work done.
There are policies as well for keeping the noise level down and being courteous in that environment (no food or drink by the computers, etc.,) all things that will keep you from being sidetracked from your work duties.
A hotel lobby (especially during the hours when most guests are away) gives you the opportunity to work in an open space free of disturbances. Most of the guests will either be utilizing one of the public room amenities or in their assigned room.
This will be the most ideal time for you to work on your business.
Don't let your environment get you down. If it's working against instead of for you, change it. Don't concern yourself with fears that you won't get anything done because you lack the ability to focus at this time.
It's only temporary.
There are plenty of ways to remedy your situation. If you feel that your work progress is suffering as a result of having an idle environment to work from, try to take a creative approach and I am almost certain you will find the right solution that works for you.
Everyone is different in what they require to have in order to be focused. Some people thrive better in an environment with a lot of people and others thrive in an environment where they’re completely alone.
You know best about your productivity ideals that need to be met in order to get things done. As a fellow freelancer, I understand what you're going through. In fact, all freelancers do. It's a problem we'll either experience or have already faced at some point.
“One of the great challenges of our age, in which the tools of our productivity are also the tools of our leisure, is to figure out how to make more useful those moments of procrastination when we’re idling in front of our computer screens.” ― Joshua Foer
Make the most of your day and seize the moment!
Carpe Diem!
The end of the pen.
Till next time,
Carmen
Carmen
