Comments on: This Self-Employed Life: Paging Ms. Productivity

By: My @ tha Hotness

My @ tha Hotness — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:24:29 +0000

I looovvvveee all of your ideas. I am guilty of not leaving the house for days and working naked or in pjs. :) I think on the days when I do actually get out of the house to work I really enjoy it. I was just saying that for the spring Im going to get my balcony all beautiful so that I can work outside and enjoy the fresh air.

As someone else said I also need to learn how to step away from the computer more often and twitter and facebook.

By: modernemotive: eco-friendly paper goods » Blog Archive » Dear February,

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:52:50 +0000

[...] per the memo received from January, I’m sure you are aware this is a big month for modernemotive. With a very tight budget and [...]

By: Candy @ Candied Fabrics

Candy @ Candied Fabrics — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:37:32 +0000

You have an awesome sounding plan – I’m realizing that I need to step AWAY from the computer more and am trying right now to figure out the best way to do that yet still stay connected to the blog-o-sphere!

By: allison cecil

allison cecil — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:29:48 +0000

Even though I am a multi-tasker through and though I find that focusing on one task start to finish helps me work faster and more efficiently. As much as I love to jump around and do many things at once (since it keep it more interesting) when crunch time comes I try to do one thing at a time.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:56:43 +0000

I live by my to-do list and my weekly schedule.

Each workday (Monday to Friday – I do work weekends but that is just solid studio time, when my husband can look after our little one for a few hours at a time) I have a list of standing items to do, both work related and household related. For example, every Friday I have the following on my to-do list: clean bathroom, dust, clean floors, laundry, emails to zero, write production list for weekend, package/send orders, buyer contact and blog. Then, if there’s anything else project related that needs doing, I’ll add it to the list. I keep a day-to-a-page diary next to my computer with my list, which seems to keep me on track (most of the time).

It seems quite pedantic now that I’m reading it back but it’s the only thing that works for me with any measure of success. I obviously don’t always get everything done, but I accepted that long ago and prioritising really helps in reducing the angst!

Doing that and getting up at 6am, stretching, dressing, having a coffee and getting on top of my emails before the little one wakes up help tremendously.

By: nichole

nichole — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:51:53 +0000

You are so in the right frame of mind. I need to do the same things, for the very same reasons you do. I find that being online 17 hours a day is less productive than focusing for three. And even though I know this, I still seem to fall into the same old traps.

Good luck, all of the self-employed and unbalanced are rooting for you!

By: PAWLING | print studio

PAWLING | print studio — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:55:57 +0000

Amen to that! I think I should print this post out and tape it to my desk. Somehow everything on the computer seems so urgent and suddenly the day is gone. Thanks for sharing =)

By: Stephanie Fizer

Stephanie Fizer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:56:58 +0000

I find it helpful to just shut down my computer whenever possible. Granted, it’s not possible very often, because I illustrate digitally. But when I have a big pile of orders to cut/sign/package, I find that I get a lot more done when I remove the distraction of email/Twitter/Facebook.

I’ve tried setting hours for myself but that never seems to work out. Something always comes up or I just end up on a roll and don’t want to quit. Instead of setting hours, I just make sure to take short breaks every couple of hours to read a book, have some tea or take the pup for a walk. I also try to make sure I take at least one weekend day or one evening off completely. I always feel so refreshed and creative afterwards!

Enjoy your break!