CCS (not an obscure coding language)

One of the downfalls of working from home is that, if my day job doesn't me out of the house, after a few days in my PJ's, I run the risk of CCS -- Cave Creature Syndrome. Symptoms of CCS include: sluggishness, lack of showering for 48 hours, inability to get out of bed, drop in productivity, excess Facebook usage, deterioration of communication skills to grunts and whistles, and finding pretzel crumbs in your bed.

Its a slippery slope, folks. Once you realize you are a cave creature, you've usually been there for at least a day. And once you admit your problem, you still don't want to get out of bed.

Well, here's my proven 5-step program to get human (and therefore, productive) again.

1. Do physical activity. Run, do Wii Fit, have a crazy 10-minute dance party, do jumping jacks, or whatever wakes yourself up.

2. Take a shower. Never underestimate the shower as a goad for productivity. When I pulled all-nighters in college, I'd take a shower at 1-2 am to wake myself up.

3. Put on cute underwear. It just helps.

4. Grab a cup of coffee or tea.

5. Make a list of things to get done that day and use your newfound wakefulness to stick to it.

Gold Star to all the sufferers fighting CCS.

The favorites

I'm not sure how exacly this became a necessity for my work, but it has. It probably has its roots in listening to music while working combined with the constantly relevant, intricate system of film-viewing in my last apartment.

I find that having a movie on while working can be remarkably productive. But it must be of a very specific kind.

It must be one I have watched before, and one that contains nothing which drives me nuts (changed actors in the sequel, gaping plot wounds, high-pitched voices, excessively un-grammatical characters). It must also not be one that requires much thought to process -- no Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, no matter how good a movie it may be. Preferably, it is one I have seen many times before.

While living in my aparment, the list narrowed to approximately this:

--Sherlock Holmes (possibly the one exception to the thinking rule, but only because we had seen it so many times the plot and 89% of the lines are seared into our memories.)
--Tangled
--Enchanted
--Big Bang Theory
--Stardust
--Pride and Prejudice
--Iron Man
--Ever After
--Mulan

and since moving home I have added Dr. Who and Pushing Daisies to the list. And occasionally How I Met Your Mother.

Gold Star to those who can't work in silence.

How to survive the internet

Well, honestly, I don't really know.

I love the internet and all the wonderful joys it can bring me (like the endless inspiration of style and sewing blogs listed in the "Creative Spirits" section). But at the same time, it is the bane of my productivity. You've all heard its siren call, the one that gets louder the more important the task at hand.

In college I used to be able to just close all my browsers when I really needed to work, but my current work requires extensive use of the internet. So I can't just get rid of this productivity suck with a closing of a browser or, in extreme circumstances, the turning off of my wi-fi. And even though, through the wonder of Apple, I can separate my computer's uses into spaces (with a browser solely for work tabs in one corner). However, My problem is not necessarily separating my internet functions, but finding the motivation to get off this wonderland and work.

Here's what I've been able to figure out

1. Close all but the browser you need. This seems self-explanatory, but for one who belongs to the Society of Exponentially Expanding Tabs, closing a browser is a slightly terrifying experience. After so much time of browsing the internet collecting these gems, you don't want to risk losing them. So why not bookmark them all? Because, in this Society, tabs aren't necessarily material you want to save forever -- they may be a recipe you plan to make tomorrow, something you need to share with a friend, a blog you're browsing or a message or artwork kept up for inspiration. It's hard to explain the subtlety of the tabs, but if you belong to the club, you know. So, that is why I like chrome -- in the "recently closed" window, you can pull up whole windows. I always tell myself I'm going to clean out my tabs before I work -- don't believe that inner voice. You'll just spend hours browsing again. Just cold turkey it.

2. Keep work tabs to a minimum. This means take care of the task you need to do with the tab and then close it. I know, especially with my work, there are always things you need to refer between, but the longer you keep a tab open, the greater chance you'll find something in that website to distract you. Also, you'll feel less overwhelmed by your work the simpler your browser.

3. Use a google calendar. I talk about this in schedules, but listing tasks you have to do by hour and setting up pop-up messages can be one way you can use the internet to keep you on track.

4. NO FACEBOOK ALLOWED! or tumblr, or stumbleupon, or twitter, or insert "internet-crack-of-choice here."Also beware of non-work related email accounts -- checking your email is a harmless enough activity until your favorite store sends a notice of a huge online sale that causes you to "just quickly check the site" (because you have to check the sale so you can get rid of the distracting email without losing out on incredible bargains -- that counts as the "checking email," activity, right?). And no, looking up tips on how to stop procrastinating is NOT a legit use of time. Don't even bother rationalizing it.

Once I was on stumbleupon, and it gave me a page that was the sentence "Get off the internet, you're procrastinating!" (or something like that). If I find it I will share -- it made my day, once upon a term paper.

If you've got you own tips, let me know! I need all the help I can get....

Gold Star to the members of the Society of Exponentially Expanding Tabs.

Schedules . . .

. . . are wonderful things. Ask anyone I know, they'll tell you of my long and abiding love of Google calendars. I've been using them for years to remember dates, keep track of classes, and so on. As I transition to working at home, I use them to block out chunks of time to work on my intern duties. 

However, I have learned that it may work for some people to block out the same chunks of time every week and get into a set routine, this by no means works for me. I usually ignore the red chunks, and if a shift of the day job gets scheduled over intern time, i tend to just ignore the intern time and not reschedule. Then I get to the end of the week with a lot of work left and doing crazy college kid-type behaviors to cover for lost time. 

So I have come to the conclusion that I need to spend at least an hour every week scheduling times -- they're fresher in my mind, and even if one does succeed with a set schedule, I think this time could still be valuable. Here's why: because you need time to plan a road map for the week. 

Here's what my scheduling process looks like:

I have a set morning routine I do every (sort of) day. I'm getting meaner with myself on this, as I have been having a horrid time of waking up. It consists of: get up, go take my meds and start coffee, (and since I have to wait    after taking them before I can eat) "work out" -- about five minutes of stretches, crunches and leg excersizes, and one or two dance-y or kickbox-y routines, then eat breakfast, shower, and do the dishes and/or laundry if I forgot the night before.  I will skip the mini-work out if I have the morning shift, and have been really bad about skipping it in general, but it really helps me wake up and start the day productively.

Then for work, I have a master list of tasks and some tentative deadlines set out. I update these every week, and based on conversations with my boss, know what to focus on. I take the high-priority tasks for the week and break them into mini-tasks. I then schedule out my blocks of time on Google, with the tasks I need to complete within each block, including any maintenance-type things I have to do weekly. Knowing what all I can do in what time is becoming easier to me as I go on.  

I really like this system, especially since in my lapse from it I forgot just how much a little time each week can help me really focus myself and make it easier for me to know what to do efficiently. And I know everyone has their own ways for working at home, but I hope others will find this information useful. 

Gold start to the people with the guts to work from home (as you know, it's harder than you'd guess).

My newest motivational tool

Giant maps!

Because, while I like writing and would probably do it in some form even if I wasn't getting paid, it also pays the bills. Or rather, my student loan, since I live with my parents and have no bills. And after a year of working from home I have discovered this factor can be lost, making motivation difficult. So as a reminder, I made giant maps to remind me of all the places I would like to go, given I have the money and have paid off my loan.

They now take up a large chunk of space next to my door, reminding me of what could happen if I work.

The huge one is of Europe, roughly color coded in a way that would make sense for say, an epic backpacking adventure. Follow the rainbow!

And the small one is of a more likely trip in my near future, seeing as my former roommate may very well be living in Korea this spring. And since Korea is so close to Japan, I may as well make use of that big cross-pacific flight....

As I go along, I plan to stick pictures on these maps and note prices of things with Post-Its. Procrastination as motivation is always the best kind. Also, the Canon camera I want so I can take magnificent photos of my travels. Which, I've discovered, was pretty much the only time I took pictures before I got this blog. 

Gold Star to all the people who know it is technically correct to start a sentence with a conjunction, as long as it is the appropriate clause type. No matter what your English teachers said in high school, not doing this is a convention, not a rule.

The day job.

So,I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "don't quit your day job." I've decided I don't like it at all.

A.) It's meant to demean your skills as a writer/actor/dancer/artist/etc.
B.) It implies that if you have a day job, you're not good at what you're passionate about
and
C.) It makes the day job seem like a bad, miserable thing.

Well, I havent had a day job for very long -- only about two weeks or so. But I love it.

A.) I work in a children's clothing store, and am therefore surrounded by cuteness.
B.) It's a block of time that gives my life framework (and makes me leave the house).
C.) Its close by a lot of the errands I have to run.
D.) It makes me get up in the morning, which I almost never do unless I have a reason (and therefore I waste some of the most productive hours of the day.)
and
E.) It's a basic retail job, based on routines and being friendly, and so it's easy to just be busy for a few hours without the need for intense meditation.

Although I love my field, the fact that it is becoming increasingly work-at-home may mean I'll always want a day job. Just something little to get me out of the house and make me be social. There are definitely a lot of benefits to working at home, and it makes my day job easy to schedule, but there are also downsides. While working in your pajamas is nice, I'm such a creature of set -- and crowded -- schedules that the nebulousness of at-home work is a little uncomfortable sometimes. I have to put a lot of effort into scheduling and disciplining myself, otherwise it's very easy to get off track. Even having the schedule of a few shifts a week is already boosting my overall productivity. Someone should research that.

So I'm going to be keeping my day job. And I'll fight (verbally, of course) anyone who says that makes me any less of a writer.

Gold Star to all the lovers of their day jobs.

On the glories of email

So, I'm a big fan of email. I've never been one to talk on the phone much, except to convey necessary information. If its too long or complicated for a text, I'll call, but usually prefer to just leave a message.

I think this has a lot to do with the fact that if your brain checks out when you're on the phone, there's really no way to cover your bum. Just an awkward silence in the airwaves. And when there's not a physical person present when you're communicating, this seems to happen a lot. Someone should research that.

And unless I have a specific business-type reason to call (I can be very professional if I have a clear reason and goal, I promise) this phenomena usually happens. It makes my voice mails a positive treat.

"Hi, its Anna, so I'm making dinner and... its going to be really good, because it smells great in here. But yeahhhhhh, I'm not actually calling you about that *insert the silence of a mental flatline here.* Oh, sorry, I just spaced out a little. Ignore it. Yeah, hmm, oh! I just wanted to tell you I saw a commercial for a T.V show featuring Jim Caviezel, and it reminded me of that Andy Samberg song you like so much, and whenever you listen to it I yell out 'Jim Caviezel.' Oh, this is Anna, I may not have said that. Anyway, that's what I had to tell you, so bye!"

*Note, this is a fictional, but not exaggerated account. Witnesses can be brought forth on request. Also, the song in which I am referring to is "Iran" by Andy Samberg and Adam Levine from Maroon 5, from Saturday Night Live.

And now that my post has completely gone off-topic, I believe my point has been proven. You can't go off topic with email -- or if you do, you can edit. So, I'm going to share some tips to make email much more effective than my telephone skills.

I dealt with a lot of emails in my college career, and as section editor at my Alma Mater's paper, I dealt with everything from communications with writers, press releases, and the occasional hounding someone about deadlines. It was interesting, being the boss, and it means I can share some pet peeves bosses have.

-- Please identify yourself. I don't know who ponydancer5643 is, sorry. Most emails let you set up signatures that contain contact info, which will automatically be included at the end of emails. I had several, one for dealing with newspaper business, one I'd use when talking to my tutees (ie. the people I tutored), and one for emailing my student org. This allows you to give out exactly how much contact information each group needs (for example, my tutees didn't need to know where my office was in the newspaper, and so on).

-- Please spell-check. Especially if you are in the English business. Even if you are not, most emails have built in spell-checkers, so there is no excuse for misspellings. If the email is of a professional nature, have someone else read it (even if you do know your grammar). The second opinion will help make your correspondence polished. Also, make sure you check the email and the subject line. The subject line could be the only thing your recipient reads, so make it correct and accurate -- then they may read the rest of the email.

--If you are contacting someone to ask a favor (like that they consider publishing a press release), make it easy for them. Get right to the point, include files that may help the person in attachments (instead of going on and on in the body of the email), and make it easy and quick to read. Also, make sure you are contacting the right person. I still get press releases, and I haven't been an editor for about six months.

-- Make email concise. This kind of ties into the making things easy for your recipient. Start with a brief introduction of yourself (if you don't know the person), then a one-sentence summary of your subject (which should also be clearly stated in the subject line). This should be the first paragraph. Then go on to put a little more detail behind your subject, and close with a paragraph giving your contact info and a polite "please contact me with any questions." Making yourself and your contact info available also makes things easier for recipients. People really appreciate when you make things easy for them.

-- Please communicate! This may be the biggest one. The most frustrating thing I have faced in email is its lack. If you use email for your job, check it often. Make it the first thing you do when you open your computer. Bosses get anxious when they don't hear from you, especially if there is a deadline involved.  Yes, you may have to admit you're running behind, but most people understand human nature, and can accommodate. But if something is just not there, it's a lot of stress for a lot of people other than yourself.

I hope this was helpful!

Gold star to anyone who already has a professional email account (i.e. not ponydancer5643)

Productivity

I'm going to talk about it a lot here. 

Not just productivity in the fusty, clock-punching, market gains type way, but the productivity we  wage against laziness and procrastination. In my case, this productivity relates to my ever-growing list of projects. 

I'm a notorious project-starter. I get inspired, sketch it down, plan it all out, buy fabric and pattern and notions and bundle it all neatly up in a bag....and then it sits there. This behavior was exacerbated by my busy college lifestyle of one-scant-too-many commitments. The neatly categorized projects got put away, until my idea of creative productivity was tackling the task of organizing and charting them in a way that the time commitment could be measured against the priority and I could, theoretically, get through them. 

And then I had a job. And the job payed! What a novel idea! After years of doing lots of work only for the learning value and because of the rewards of volunteerism, I got measurable compensation. While I love knowledge (and I don't mean that ironically -- yes, I was one of THOSE students), and while I loved working for our school's band program, there is something sweet about the independence a paycheck can give. And the pile stayed, categorized, charted, and listed, there as me and my job embarked on our glorious honeymoon. 

But then, I realized the joy of creative productivity. It started small, with me wrapping up a few details. Then, one day, I started AND finished a project. And it was glorious, and rewarding, and I had a free something nice to add to my closet. 

And I realized I could work and earn my money, but I could also  craft and de-stress -- that it too, was a worthy pursuit. With that in mind, I will not just be charting my job in this blog, but also displaying my projects. Because if I commit to posting projects, I'll get them done -- but more about that later. 

Gold Star to anyone else who has a chart of their crafting projects. Feel free to share your ways of controlling the chaos in the comments!