In the Dailies

Two Saturdays past I attended an event for local Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. I’ve been selling their products and teaching stamping and scrapbooking classes for seven years. It started out as a hobby and then became a business and now it’s back to being little more than a hobby. But recently a friend decided to start her own SU! business by becoming a demonstrator too. I attended this “Spring Fling” to support her and help her get off to a good start.

The day was a blast. We made some great projects and, of course, heard some very inspiring words by career demonstrators. They talked about the most productive ways to maintain a consistently successful business. Because I no longer plan to take over the world as Creative Stampin’ Queen, much of it went in one ear and out the other with a generous “if only” roll of the eyes. But some of it I found very applicable to writing. Or actually any career that has you working at home.

Leave home to work. This doesn’t mean get a different job or rent an office. Simply find a way to differentiate between home time and work time.

The problem with working at home is that we’re surrounded by all of our at-home chores. It’s difficult to turn off the “gotta do” pager when you pass a stack of dirty dishes while grabbing a glass of water or an overflowing hamper on your way to the bathroom. If I went away to work, I wouldn’t be able to do the dishes or throw in some laundry, but because I’m home all day, I feel like I have to. The result? All my work (read: writing, editing, market research, etc.) gets put off. The speaker on Saturday encouraged us to make sure we’re treating our work like a real job (duh!) by leaving home to do it (ah-ha!) Maybe that means literally leaving the house; going for coffee before returning home to start work. Or maybe you can just flip a mental switch. Maybe a timer would be helpful. Whatever it takes. But make sure you’re not using your work time for household chores.

Stop multi-tasking. I’ve decided multi-tasking is a fancy way to procrastinate without feeling guilty about it. One of the speakers asserted that doing one thing at a time ensures you’ll finish it quicker with better results than if you divide your efforts among several tasks. She’s right. This is why lists work for me. I see what needs to be done and cross them off one at a time. Without my list, I meander from room to room doing a little of this and a little of that consistently forgetting why I entered the room in the first place. I used to be labeled ADD; now it’s called Momnesia.

Great tips – right? Only I can’t do it.

My work IS my home. I’m a stay-at-home mom! My kids and the home where they live, they are my work, and I can’t leave them. I’ve tried. They follow. (The kids, not the house.) So, I set up designated work times when they’ll leave me alone, but that doesn’t work either. Take today for example. Rest time is not optional. It happens every day at one o’clock. For at least one hour, I have quiet to work. In theory, anyway. But today Zach didn’t want to play in his room and he didn’t want to take a nap. Instead he chose to stand just inside his door and scream for an entire hour. Did I mention my workspace is about ten feet from his door? After several visits to calm hm down and remind him who is in charge, he finally quit screaming (I think he passed out from the exertion.) at 2:08. That’s when Ellie came down the stairs thrilled that rest time was over. I popped in a video for her, hoping it would keep her occupied for a while. Instead of being content with Cinderella, she begged me to sit with her (cue the mom guilt) and has been talking to me nonstop since.

As for multi-tasking, well, that’s my life too. I need to be able to fill juice cups, make dinner, clean the kitchen and listen to one kid singing while praising another’s latest drawing for Grandma. Sure, a list keeps me directed, but actually being able to focus on one thing at a time? Well, that would only be possible if I woke up hours before the rest of my family. I’ve tried working after the kids go to bed, but by then I’m exhausted and my brain barely functions.

And so, as my friend Dale would say, it’s another day of Tanya’s whining and complaining. *grin* I’m not complaining! Or at least I dont mean to be. Just sharing thoughts. Maybe I’m too ambitious, my goals too lofty. Perhaps my expectations for this time in my life are completely unrealistic. Or maybe I’ve just done enough already today. But I did want to share these tips with you! If they don’t work for me now, maybe they’ll work for you. And I can get them back later.