| A while back I quit my 9-5 and started working on a number of consulting/projects on a rotating basis. One of the things I did in addition to having dedicated work space and clear boundaries was to assign projects on a per-day basis. Most of my contracts are longer-term grant projects where I'm committed to 10 hr/week or so. Monday = local hardware project
Tues = DirectTrust
Wens = Dignity Health
etc... I make sure the companies I'm working with understand what their dedicated day is, and have a clear time line of deliverables. This gives me enough urgency on a day to day basis to prevent falling into the trap of "taking care of it later." I also have a set time for general email first thing in the morning, in addition to break times where I can cook, clean and work on dinner. I know some would say that's a horrible break, but I'd rather do it mid day that at 9pm (as I would when I commuted). The other thing was removing the tv in the office. I was surprised and how distracting it was, considering I never paid attention to it. I now use use music as background/white noise. And I can't recommend a pet partner enough, just lock them out during concalls least you earn a reputation of being "that cat lady in policy." |