Working from Home? Six Strategies to Make Writing Happen
As academics, writers, and editors we are often working from home. This can be lovely. You can wear your softest pants, listen to your loudest music, and drink a hot beverage hourly (if you’re me anyway!).
But being at home can also be challenging. It’s so easy to get distracted from work—whether by watching another video, feeling the sudden urge to reorganize your bookshelf, or raiding your kitchen for a tasty snack. I don’t think this is always (or maybe even often) a bad thing. Work can be way too demanding in capitalist United States. But, that aside, most of us do need to get work done.
I was thinking about this topic this past week because I participated in a research study that is examining freelancers and others who work in the gig economy. Part of the research is exploring the isolation that many freelance workers face and analyzing how this impacts their well-being. In the study, I was grouped with six other freelancers who also work in writing and editing. We met several times over two weeks for hour-long Zoom sessions. At the start of each session, we would share our goals, then we would work independently for two 25-minute periods with a five-minute break in-between each session. We were instructed to leave our cameras on. I got a lot done during those meetings, and I also felt connected to these strangers whom I had never met. I felt a bit sad saying goodbye to them at the end of the study.
The experience made me think about some of my editing clients who have talked about how it is difficult to get writing done. This can be due to many factors, including the intensive demands of teaching and service (see my earlier post on some ideas for how to make more time for writing). But the study also made me think about how feelings of isolation and not feeling accountable to others can make accomplishing writing (or other work) difficult, especially when you are isolated at home. So below I share some tips (in a list – I love lists!) about how to get writing or other work done when you are out of the office. Though these ideas are geared towards writers, many of them would also work well for people in other fields.
1
Work with friends. This sounds obvious, but it’s something I feel like I’ve forgotten about since graduate school. In grad school I frequently met up with friends in coffee shops or a university library to work together. We’d chat a bit, but spend most of the session on our laptops. Sometimes we’d ask each other to help think of a word or brainstorm an idea. This can be more difficult during COVID, but can you set up weekly meetings (via Zoom or in-person) with friends or colleagues? Another benefit of this practice is that other people become more familiar with your work (and you with theirs). This not only builds community, but can help with professional opportunities down the road. (I’m going to Zoom monthly with a woman I met during the research study to check in on how our work is going and to work together). If this idea appeals to you, consider one of my upcoming writing groups!
2
Work with people who aren’t your friends. It can be difficult to coordinate schedules with friends or sometimes you might want to work with someone at a time when people you know aren’t available. I recently learned about Focusmate, a website that will connect you with other users for fifty-minute work sessions. You book an appointment and are matched with another user. After you both log on, you quickly share your goals for your session and then get to work. I’m using it right now (my partner, Chris, is in New York and is writing code). I’ve found this really helpful as a freelancer, especially in the late afternoon when my energy lags (I’m writing this at 3 p.m. on a Friday). I feel better able to work seriously knowing that my partner is doing so as well. While most people don’t talk much, it’s also interesting to connect with people in different industries. Focusmate is also affordable. You can do three free sessions a month or subscribe for unlimited sessions for $5/month. Here’s an article about a writer’s experience using it.
3
Set reasonable, attainable goals. It’s good to do this for work in general, but I think it’s even more important when you’re home. Identifying manageable goals helps us feel satisfied with our work and helps us avoid feeling down. One problem with being discouraged at home is that there is so much you can do to avoid working. So not being overly ambitious in your goals can actually help you to get more done.
4
Hold yourself accountable in some way. This might mean, as I suggested above, working with someone else. But there are plenty of other ways to do this. Many of my clients say that they hire me as a developmental editor partly to help hold them accountable for finishing writing projects; having an external deadline provides them with important motivation to complete the work. But there are lots of free ways to do this as well! You might have a friend with whom you exchange periodic writing and/or work goals, whether on a Google Doc or in a quick email. Knowing that someone out there has a sense of what you hope to accomplish can make a big difference. Or try writing your goal on a sticky note and post it somewhere near your desk to remind yourself of what you are hoping to get done.
5
Work in small chunks. This is the idea behind the Pomodoro technique, which encourages people to break their work time up into 25 minute blocks with five minute breaks in-between (and longer breaks after every four sessions or so). There are all sorts of apps that can help with the timing; some of them are free. The idea behind this method is that it helps you break your work up into reasonable chunks, but also allows breaks to help you sustain your energy and focus. It also helps you to cut down on distractions like email (which you can check during breaks) as well as making it just get easier to get started.
While 25 minute chunks might not work for everyone, I think one takeaway from this technique is to try and figure out what intervals of time do work for you and then try to stick to those as much as you can. I happen to like 50 minutes chunks, so I will rarely schedule meetings in such a way that would leave me 30 minute breaks between them because I find it difficult to get work done in that period of time. Experiment to find out what time periods work best for your writing.
6
Listen to your brain and body. Some days you aren’t going to be as productive as others. Maybe you had a crummy sleep because your kid had nightmares or you were up in the night with crazy night brain (a common problem for me!). Maybe you just feel especially sluggish. Maybe you are supporting an ill family member. Whatever the reason, it’s important to try and listen to what your brain and body are telling you. You can probably recognize moments when your brain isn’t going to be able to do critical analysis. So, if you can, take a break during times like those. If you can’t, try to tackle tasks that are not very difficult for you. I am usually less sharp in the afternoon so I try to avoid working on difficult editing projects during that time of day. Try to stay away from work that you know you aren’t going to be good at because that will just compound your frustration and distress. Not every day is going to go well and that’s ok.
I don’t intend this advice to imply that you should be productive all the time when working at home or elsewhere. Far from it! But I do think that one way to maintain a healthy work-life balance is to try to get work done efficiently. This helps leave more time free for other pursuits. Good luck and I’d love to hear other suggestions you have that work for you in the comments below or by email at katherine@goldenrodeditorial.com.
*****
Like this post? Consider subscribing to my blog below to receive updates on new posts!
