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Abstract

.com/@p.defraia/write-two-crappy-pages-every-morning-266d92795f45">here</a>.</p><h1 id="c30f">Morning Routine</h1><p id="6014">When you’re working from home, it is very important to have a morning routine and to be intentional about it. The simpler, the better.</p><p id="54b6">I usually wake up between 6 and 7 am, I grab my notebook and I practice some mindfulness with my morning pages. After that, I can either go for a short run or do some exercises, if I feel so, or spend some time reading.</p><p id="6d08">I do all my writing work after that, so I feel like I’ve accomplished something ever before starting my workday.</p><p id="80c5">I take a shower and get ready as if I was going to work in a normal office. That’s really important, as you prime your brain into thinking you’re actually going to work.</p><p id="03d0">I then prepare breakfast and take my time to nourish my body and listen to a podcast or some light energizing music. For me, it’s important to leave my smartphone and distracting devices out of the equation, but I like to read Medium or a book while having my espresso.</p><h1 id="6f4e">My Desk is My Temple</h1><p id="2e83">I used to do a lot on my desk: my writing, working, playing videogames, watching movies, etc. That was WRONG.</p><p id="dc49">Now, I only use my desk for work-related tasks and I wouldn’t change my decision for anything in the world. I am more productive and focused, and I have engineered my environment to be that way.</p><p id="02d7">Every evening, I wrap up work and tidy my desk, so that the following morning I’m ready to start doing and I don’t have to worry about a messy desk. It is very important, as I’m freeing mind space that I can use to focus.</p><p id="bb03"

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On my desk, I only have my agenda, my PC, my water bottle, and a plant. Her name’s Patty.</p><p id="84cc">I used to have pens and markers, they’re now on a shelf above my desk.</p><p id="939f">Since I’m not that lucky to have a dedicated room for my job, I use some noise-canceling headphones and a lo-fi music playlist to get into the vibe. Also, on my PC I’ve installed a website blocker because I’m not very disciplined myself.</p><h1 id="b713">Lunch and coffee breaks</h1><p id="7b2c">Never, and I say NEVER, eat at your desk.</p><p id="efc2">If you can, try even to not drink coffee at your desk. If you can, take all your breaks in the kitchen or somewhere else.</p><p id="1b75">I do that to tell my brain to make a big distinction between work time and leisure time. When I take my lunch break, I go to the kitchen and eat at my dining table.</p><p id="ed64">There are mainly three reasons:</p><ol><li>my brain now knows that at my desk I only work, and so I optimize my focus on that;</li><li>I take some real time off the screen and from my work;</li><li>food on the keyboard? Ugh!</li></ol><p id="41f5">I use this time to rest my mind, nourish my body with some real and tasty food, and hydrate myself.</p><h1 id="6673">Let’s Summarize</h1><p id="a7f7">When you work at home, you need to optimize your behavior and environment in order to stay focus and get work done.</p><p id="bb57">Having a dedicated space just for work is an essential thing to have if you don’t want to succumb to every distraction possible. You need to train your brain to reach a different kind of focus in different kinds of contexts.</p><p id="bc3e">To do so, a morning routine and a few simple habits can make the cut.</p></article></body>

How I Stay Sane and Productive While Being a Work-At-Home Freelancer

Tips for being productive and keeping a work-life balance

This 2020 more than ever has taught us how difficult it is to work from home if we’re not ready for it.

Housekeeping, things to do, children, and the couch are distractions that aren’t usually there when we work in an office. And they’re difficult to deal with when we have no system in place.

I usually work from home and I’m not that lucky to have a dedicated room as an office. That’s why I’m giving you a few tips to stay sane and productive that I’ve learned through my personal experience.

Morning Pages

It’s a tool I use to capture all my worries and thoughts before starting my day. It allows me to “free” some head-space and to better focus while I’m working.

Basically, I pick up my notebook first thing in the morning while sipping a cup of tea or coffee, and I write two full pages of everything that comes to mind, focusing especially on what pains and worries me and on negative thoughts that could influence my day.

Once on paper, they can’t bother me anymore and I can be more productive and focused.

I’ve written how Morning Pages work and how I use them, here.

Morning Routine

When you’re working from home, it is very important to have a morning routine and to be intentional about it. The simpler, the better.

I usually wake up between 6 and 7 am, I grab my notebook and I practice some mindfulness with my morning pages. After that, I can either go for a short run or do some exercises, if I feel so, or spend some time reading.

I do all my writing work after that, so I feel like I’ve accomplished something ever before starting my workday.

I take a shower and get ready as if I was going to work in a normal office. That’s really important, as you prime your brain into thinking you’re actually going to work.

I then prepare breakfast and take my time to nourish my body and listen to a podcast or some light energizing music. For me, it’s important to leave my smartphone and distracting devices out of the equation, but I like to read Medium or a book while having my espresso.

My Desk is My Temple

I used to do a lot on my desk: my writing, working, playing videogames, watching movies, etc. That was WRONG.

Now, I only use my desk for work-related tasks and I wouldn’t change my decision for anything in the world. I am more productive and focused, and I have engineered my environment to be that way.

Every evening, I wrap up work and tidy my desk, so that the following morning I’m ready to start doing and I don’t have to worry about a messy desk. It is very important, as I’m freeing mind space that I can use to focus.

On my desk, I only have my agenda, my PC, my water bottle, and a plant. Her name’s Patty.

I used to have pens and markers, they’re now on a shelf above my desk.

Since I’m not that lucky to have a dedicated room for my job, I use some noise-canceling headphones and a lo-fi music playlist to get into the vibe. Also, on my PC I’ve installed a website blocker because I’m not very disciplined myself.

Lunch and coffee breaks

Never, and I say NEVER, eat at your desk.

If you can, try even to not drink coffee at your desk. If you can, take all your breaks in the kitchen or somewhere else.

I do that to tell my brain to make a big distinction between work time and leisure time. When I take my lunch break, I go to the kitchen and eat at my dining table.

There are mainly three reasons:

my brain now knows that at my desk I only work, and so I optimize my focus on that;
I take some real time off the screen and from my work;
food on the keyboard? Ugh!

I use this time to rest my mind, nourish my body with some real and tasty food, and hydrate myself.

Let’s Summarize

When you work at home, you need to optimize your behavior and environment in order to stay focus and get work done.

Having a dedicated space just for work is an essential thing to have if you don’t want to succumb to every distraction possible. You need to train your brain to reach a different kind of focus in different kinds of contexts.

To do so, a morning routine and a few simple habits can make the cut.