Goals for Today, aka, LoCTPWGD*
May 12th, 2009 | by TJ |Internet, working at home is awesome, I’m not going to lie about that. Making enough money to actually be a valuable contributor to our household expenses relieves me of the freeloader feeling I had for the first month I was here, as well as giving me a way to fill my days aside from trying Phil’s t-shirts on the dog.
(Note to Phil: I don’t really do that.)
(Note to Phil: Don’t read the next note, it’s not for you.)
(Note to Internet: Yes, I do.)
But working at home is not the same thing as going to an office every day. Here, I sit in the same chair that I use for recreational purposes, in the same room where Phil and I play video games and watch television at night. It’s not always easy to get things done – the luxury of working in your own place, at your own pace is often a huge stumbling block. It’s hard to get into work mode when you’re occupying the same space used for Guitar Hero mode and rattle your boyfriend’s chair with your foot because he hasn’t paid attention to you in four solid minutes mode.
One of the ways around this, of course, is planning and list making. I can’t get through a day without a good four and a half hours of list making. I mean, seriously, who can?
So here’s my list for today. I’ve included some items I’ve already completed because everyone knows that when you’re making a list, you write some things down specifically to cross them off. Fact.
- Wander around the house in a blanket in place of pants – CHECK
- Read entire feed reader – CHECK… wait, hold on…. okay, CHECK… oops, 2 more, just a sec… ok, CHECK… man I am on a ROLL today
- Shift all scheduled work for the week into Tuesday and Wednesday, as my favorite client has just given me $500 worth of new work to get done by Monday. And I will do it, for at this point, this one client accounts for more than half my monthly income.
- Find an office chair that is reasonably priced, not leather, and will cater to the fact that I like to lounge backwards to stretch out my legs. With an old knee injury, I need to alternate between indian style and legs out & propped up all day. **
- Consider eating breakfast, eat Pocky instead – CHECK
- Catch up on all writing related forums – CHECK, but must be repeated in the evening
- Get around to ordering the Uncalendar. How did I manage to NOT do that yesterday? It would have taken 14 seconds!
- Try the Superman t-shirt on the dog.
- Specific projects to be done today – two 500 word articles, one tech blog post, one beauty tips blog post, one article on Runescape, 80 pre-fab tweets.
- Spend some time staring blankly at the projects to be done today – CHECK
- Ask internet how they plan their days when left to their own devices, whether at work or home**
*List of Crap That Probably Won’t Get Done
**Psst, this is where you’re supposed to help.
By Liz on May 12, 2009
It’s so comfy. I have back pain, but I don’t feel it sitting in this chair long periods of time. http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/690690/Realspace-PRO-9000-Series-Recycled-Mid/#reviewTa
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By Awlbiste on May 12, 2009
I make lists. I also do all my work before reading blogs or talking to anyone online or watching my shows. I take scheduled breaks to check twitter because I have a problem (as in, okay x amount of work then I will check for x amount of minutes). I guess I am just highly self-motivated, which I promise you I never ever used to be.
I keep my lists in notepad format on my desktop (as in laptop desktop, not actual desk) and they’re the only thing on there so I basically have to look at them. Instead of procrastinating I just start right away and take a few small breaks once I’ve done a predetermined x amount of work.
As to how not to procrastinate? Well I failed hugely before (because of my procrastination and inability to care about things) and had to jump through so many hoops to get back into school and find a good job that it scared me into being highly self-motivated.
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By Tuna on May 12, 2009
For working at home:
1. Check your deadlines for the day- this will determine how late you can sleep in before you actually have to wake up.
2. Set your IM so that it doesn’t show when you go idle.
3. Turn on IM sounds so you can respond in a timely fashion, which lets them know that you aren’t just sleeping, but at the computer doing work.
4. Set alarm to wake you up at the time set in step 1.
5. Nap
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By Amy on May 12, 2009
I swear to God, are you my soul twin? This all rang SO familiar… I’m so glad it’s not just me!!
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By Ellie on May 12, 2009
http://www.officechairstation.com/
chair wooooorrrrllllld!!
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By teh Khol Abides on May 12, 2009
I work in a call center, planning isn’t necessary.
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By Marylin/Softi on May 12, 2009
I think about making lists… I don’t usually get around to it though. The odd time I do make a list I either do it all, or end up feeling guilty for not doing it all. It’s usually the latter. ;)
PS: Tag! http://alittlewowforme.com/2009/05/12/yet-another-meme/
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By Sass on May 12, 2009
Most of what Tuna has listed is what I do for days I actually go in to the office.
For work from home days… once I get my email polling and my blackberry where I can hear it if it goes off in case something blows up, I go do something household related so I can feel like I actually did something with my day.
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By HolyWarrior on May 13, 2009
Article on Runescape??? Cool, my brother is lead animator on that, link article plox, kkthxbai!!
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By BlueTiger on May 13, 2009
Lists, Lists and more lists!! But only for personal stuff (right now I’m working on two lits, one what to buy tonight so that we’ll survive until friday noon, and one what to buy at friday noon to let us survive til sunday afternoon..erm….there’s a trip in there somewhere..perhaps I need a list of what to pack as well). Other than that, I plan out my days on my one hour drive to work – then everything changes when I actually do get into work. alternatively (when at home) I don’t plan.
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By KeptWench on May 13, 2009
Medium sized el cheapo whiteboard next to my desk has the daily to-do list on it. Used to keep it on the PC but it’s too damn easy to ignore when you can open up a full screen app on top of it and leave said app open for hours. *coughWoWorSLcough* I need that list visible at all times.. it serves as a nagging reminder that I need to do something besides goof off all day on teh intarwebz.
You might try a similar setup, maybe use one list for the daily stuff, the other for income producing job$ that need to be done.
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By Steven on May 26, 2009
the uncalendar looks interesting. Is it actually as cool as it sounds?
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