I really enjoy working from home. It’s very liberating. There’s no one breathing down my neck to monitor my productivity. There’s no one to judge me when I have crazy hair. There’s no one to give me the stink eye when I’m late or write me passive aggressive emails explaining why “jeans is not an appropriate dress code for work”. And there’s no one to tell me I can’t take a nap when I damn well feel like taking one.
I get judged on one thing alone – which is the quality of work that I deliver. Nobody cares how I do it as long as it’s done.
But I’ve come to realize that this sort of arrangement only works with folks who are self-motivated and organized and responsible and non-procrastinating. All the qualities I don’t seem to possess.
Instead, here’s how my typical day goes down.
Every morning, I prep the kids for school, pack their bags, drop them off and send the husband to work.
Then I get back and turn on my laptop to make a list of all the things I’m supposed to do for the day.
Great, list completed – this level of productivity deserves a cup of coffee. So I take my time to pull a beautiful shot of nespresso and froth the milk to perfection.
Wait, a Facebook alert. Must. Resist.
Ok, since I’m enjoying my coffee anyway, I might as well browse Facebook for 15 minutes.
Time check, where did the last hour go? And how did I end up with 13 opened tabs on my browser? Just let me finish watching this baby panda youtube video and then I’ll get to work.
10.52 am. I should probably start with the easy emails frist.
- “68% off authentic Italian cuisine” – 68%? Blistering barnacles, buy now!
- “Boost Your Stiffness” – Reply “Dear Maribel, my stiffness does not need boosting, stop sending me spam. Also, I’m not David.”
- “ASOS Sale Now up to 70% off” – I’m going to be disciplined here but just in case, *bookmark for later browsing.
Clear a bunch of work emails. Look at how prolific I am today. Hi-5 self.
12.30 pm. Time to pick up the kids.
Bring the kids home, put them to bed, fix my lunch, read a couple of blogs and squeeze in a second cup of coffee before the kids wake up.
Finally get down to writing. Struggle to write a paragraph then realize I haven’t showered the whole day. Go take a shower to freshen up and clear my head.
Reread previously written paragraph – hate it. DELETE.
Maybe I should blog instead. Stare at blank screen while grabbing my face for 5 minutes. My brain seems to be broken. Screw this, I’m going to watch Alicia Florrick kick ass at her job for motivation.
“Mommy, can we go to the playground?” Why of course, sweetheart.
Come back, fix dinner, play with toys, feed the kids dinner, read stories and put them to bed before getting back to more empty screen staring. Decide to finish the work tomorrow instead.
But of course the same thing happens tomorrow and the tomorrow after, until my deadline approaches and I realize that I’m suddenly able to finish in 24 hours what I couldn’t in a week. Apparently, there’s nothing like a client breathing down my neck to maximize my productivity.
26 Comments
This happens to me all the time. Also, my Twitter icon in my status bar turns blue every time there’s an unread tweet. And I just CANNOT seem to leave it alone until it turns grey for every tweet read! Which means every minute or so I’m like “TWEET!”
kirsten´s last post ..Misrepresented, Misquoted, Misunderstood – Tips to stop the self-pwn.
Haha Twitter is like an abyss. It’s like every time I go in, I lose like 20 minutes of my life.
And I do understand the “since I’m having a coffee, let’s just…” feeling. I have “since I’m having tea”, “since I’m having lunch”, “since I’m having a cookie…”
I have all of the above on any given day. And with CNY approaching, I have designated breaks for pineapple tarts, bak kwa and hae bi hiam throughout the day. It’s very bad for productivity.
Good one Daphne. Haha! After reading your post, it makes me think.. what should you have been doing now instead of writing this blog post :P
Just kidding!
Yeah, that’s like a whole bunch of youtube videos I didn’t watch. BTW, that reminds me that the ASOS 70% sale is still on. Time to shop!
Well, if u think about it… you *didn’t* waste all that week on the work, when you finished it in 24 hours anyways! Haha! Here’s to more coffee breaks and online shopping to make you more productive. ;)
San´s last post ..All grown up, all too soon
LOL amen to that!
Hey! I am just like you! I only work last minute and I need someone giving me a deadline, otherwise I will dawdle and be distracted!!
I think it’s a condition. Back in uni, the husband would finish all his assignments and study for exams way in advance and I’d start to freak out 2 days before they’re due.
Doesn’t just happen when you work from home, happens even when you work out of home, minus the having to fetch kids, make lunch, go to playground part. Perhaps double the sip coffee part and double the time taken since a walk to starbucks if typically involved.
So true!
Love this. It absolutely sound familiar to me. ;)
Hahahah how about a procrastinator’s hi-5
The trick I find is to create an image in your head where the thought of doing the job later is so bad that you are motivated to do it now. Every time I think, “I’ll start later” I then consider starting later in my head but imagine all the pain it would cause compared to just getting on with it. Works for me anyway.
Pauline´s last post ..What Goes Into a Nespresso Capsule
Excellent point! Until I get distracted 5 minutes in and start watching youtube videos again. I think it’s a sign of masochism
Love this article you just wrote! This would be me for sure If I were self-employed! It’s hard to stay motivated and on task, especially if you’ve got family to take care of. Love your writing! You’re stories are fun to read!
M. Velez
http://www.foodnewsandreviews.com
I don’t know how you do it, mothering 2 , managing the household and working from home!
lilsnooze´s last post ..And so this was 2011
It does help that they both go to school and they’re pretty much manageable in the afternoons.
totally can identify with u! Working from home… pjs are best working clothes. :P
Oh yes, definitely!
That is why I cannot work from home :(
Too much distraction (must have strong will power)
SengkangBabies´s last post ..Famous Malaysian Food in Singapore
Which is why sometimes when I know the work is urgent, I’ll force myself to get a spot in Starbucks rather than work from home.
I feel like I’m reading about myself! Maybe the adrenaline rush of doing last min work is the key to great productivity?
Right about the adrenaline rush. Plus I think we’re a little masochistic.
Hahaha.. I think we are!