The Right Way to Work at Writing from Home – Guest Post
The right way to work at writing from home
I work from home; I love my job; I consider myself very lucky – the three preceding statements are all interconnected because I’m a writer who works from the comfort of my home. I’m doing what I love the most, penning my thoughts and getting paid to do so, at hours that are convenient to me. So now you see where luck plays a part in the above story?
So far, so good – the article reads like a fairy tale, but here;s the part where the wicked witch makes an appearance, in the form of wasted time. Believe me when I tell you that even the best intentions to stick to a schedule and never waste a moment of your time go awry more often than not. I should know better than most – I try to keep dedicate work hours like a 9 to 5 job would demand, but I.ve never been able to keep up this resolution 99 percent of the time. Of course, I do meet my daily target, but then I often find that I have to stay up late in order to do so.
Here.s the thing- I do know what needs to be done in order to achieve a perfect work schedule even when you work from home, but I’m just not that dedicated to making it work for me. However, I’m willing to share my thoughts with you, in the hope that you’ll gain something positive from the experience. So here goes, a list of pointers to improve your efficiency if you’re a writer who works from home:
- Switch off the ringer on your phone. I know it sounds a bit extreme, but I know from experience that this communication device is the biggest time stealer ever. Make people understand that you’re working during those particular hours and that they should respect this and not expect you to answer their calls. You can always return calls during your designated lunch hour as you munch on a sandwich.
- Provide an emergency number where your close family members can reach you if there’s a pressing need.
- I know you’re always connected to the Internet, but do your best to control yourself from checking your email, Twitter account and blog comment section every five minutes. Do not encourage friends who send you instant messages and expect you to engage in idle chitchat.
- Don’t wear out the floor between your workspace and your kitchen by refilling your coffee cup or munching on a snack every few minutes. It’s not only fattening, but also a concentration killer. If you have kids at home, make them understand that you need to work and that you must not be disturbed.
- It’s best to hire a babysitter if you end up spending most of your time running behind your rambunctious children instead of writing as you’re supposed to do.
- Discourage people from visiting, especially those neighbors who drop in for casual visits because you’re at home.
- And last, but not the least, treat your home-based job with all the seriousness you would give to one that’s office-based.
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of distance learning universities. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com
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12 Responses to “The Right Way to Work at Writing from Home – Guest Post”
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Get Paid To Write Online by Sharon Hurley Hall is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Copyright for posts written by guest authors remains with them.Useful info
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Great advice!
Friends and family also need to be “trained” to understand that working at home doesn’t mean one is available for chatting on the phone or taking long lunches. Some people think it’s the same as just goofing off until we get “real jobs” and/or come to our senses.
Malcolm
Excellent recommendations, both in the article and in Malcolm’s comment. I work from home, and find that I have to give DBF the stone-faced “Is this VITALLY important?” look when he wanders into my office while I’m working. Roughly 99.5 percent of the time, whatever he has to tell me is not vitally important. Now if I could just train him to not get his boxers in a pouty bunch because I’ve had to inflict the stone-faced “ITVI?” look upon him….
Sharon, how funny that I came accross this post while goofing off in Twitter when I am behind on a project. Thanks for the friendly kick in the pants.
Kimberly Ben’s last blog post..The Art of Pulling an All-Nighter
This is very helpful! Unfortunately I have a TV in the same room as me as I love “background noise”. Of course…it usually distracts me just a tad.
Susan’s last blog post..Meg 4
Thanks for your comments, everyone. I think Kelly makes some great points in this guest post.
Malcolm, you are right about ‘training’ our families. I’ve been working on that with my six year old. She now thinks I write millions of things.
Kimberly, I’m not against goofing off, just against being thought to goof off when I am working.
Susan, I couldn’t work with the TV on. You must be excellent at multi-tasking.
I try to do most of my work when my husband is at work, but it doesn’t always happen. There’s always something to do! But when it comes to my business, the dishes can wait. At least that’s what I tell myself! Don’t know if I’ll listen…
Some rules I find helpful (even if I struggle to follow them at times…) are:
1) If the door to our second bedroom is shut, it’s the office and I’m at work. In that situation, my wife treats me as if I’m out of the house and only knocks on the door if there’s a situation where she’d call me at a ‘normal’ workplace.
2) No non-work internet use during work time. (Great in theory, not a chance in reality!)
3) While my working hours are fluid, I try as much as possible to avoid working before breakfast or after dinner.
4) Breaks are taken in a different room (and most importantly, away from the computer). Internet surfing does not make for an effective break.
Thanks for the great reminders Kelly. I’m starting to write full time starting in January so I hope I can keep these things in mind!
Sound advice, Kelly! I rarely do the chat thing anymore. I do have a Twitter account but I try to just drop when I really need a break and I don’t even try to read all the tweets.
People don’t realize how distracting all the little things can be and how much wasted time it can add up to. Not that they’re not worthy of our time… but you know what I mean. One day, someone said to me: Why can’t you just spend a couple hours a day on that computer and just be done with it? I’m like, what???!!!
Some people just don’t get it…
*sighs*
Michele
Michele’s last blog post..5 Tips for Writing a Quality Article That Will Leave Editors and Clients Salivating for More!
Great tips; thanks so much!
My problems is the Internet, without a doubt. I love to do research, and once I get off on a tangent, I can waste 30 minutes to an hour shopping or chatting. I’d love to see more tips on how to stick to a 9 to 6 schedule every day!
Here’s a tip: Sometimes I get out of my house and go to the university library, where it’s quiet and I can have a laptop and no distractions.
Lisa T.’s last blog post..She walks in beauty
Seriously? The kitchen thing? Have you been watching me or soemthing?
Spooky, isn’t it, how Kelly seems to have peeked inside our lives?