As we near the end of summer

Summer is one of the slow times in my work. My primary work revolves around the academic year, so I have a lull in the summer and in December/January.

Image source: punsayaporn / freedigitalphotos.net

This year I had mixed feelings about getting to the lull. My workload in spring was quite heavy, and I needed the break once it finally came. At the same time, the void left by a lack of work was a bit frightening, knowing that my work is what our family relies on for survival.

Work picked up a little bit this month, and I know that the levels will return to normal soon. And eventually, I'll be looking forward to the break I get at the end of the year.

Despite the lull in work, I've tried to stay productive. I'm working on a few things that have to stay in the background for now, and this has been a good time to do some administrative work, get some elements lined up, and prepare for the fall season of work.

Each week and month that passes, I'm taking steps to move my career in the direction I want it to go. I'm closer to the career person I want to be, and I'm excited about what's coming.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying my summer lull, the extra time with the kids, and the chance to let myself rest a bit before the chaos of autumn begins.

How's your summer going?

By way of an update

Things have been a little hectic in my life, both personally and professionally.

In addition to Tink's ongoing health concerns, I've had health concerns of my own. My chronic pain has gotten considerably worse, so I've got some upcoming appointments to try and get a diagnosis. My primary care physician referred me to a couple of specialists based on what he thinks it might be, and I'll be going through some diagnostic testing to see if he's right, or if it's something else altogether. It's been a frustrating process, and I don't know how much longer it's going to last. Not only do we have to narrow down what might be the culprit, but we have to simultaneously eliminate other things that it could be. And then, I can get a diagnosis and start a treatment plan and (hopefully) start to feel better.

Work has been busy, too. I'm getting into a busy season for what I do, and am taking steps to expand my work to include new and bigger clients. I haven't had much free time lately, and what little I've managed to scrounge has been spent with the munchkins and the Wifey. And, you know, sleep. I've heard that's important to get from time to time.

Fortunately, things are getting better.

Tink's appointments are slowing down and her health is hinting at getting better. I have appointments lined up so my health will get better. Work is more organized and I'm settling into a routine.

And I hope this means I'll have more time to blog. Because I have some things I think are worth blogging that I want to share. I have stories and experiences that make me feel alone, and I want to tell my story. I want to give voice to what has happened to me and how it has contributed to who I am today.

Here's to blogging.

Renew your spirit with optimism

I'm facing a major obstacle at work that is impacting the rest of this month. It's unexpected, but manageable, and I'm trying to make the best of an awkward situation.

As a result, I'm going to have a lot of free time for the next couple of weeks.

So, in my continued efforts to stay optimistic about life, I'm going to be using this time to sort of let myself recharge mentally and emotionally. I'll be finishing my draft of the coffee house book, catching up on some reading for pleasure, and cleaning the apartment when I have nothing else to do.

The first few days have been strange, but I've been able to focus on Tink's appointments rather than obsessing about what I'm not able to do for work.

In talking with Bo about it, I've realized that, ultimately, it's probably a good thing. I've been working very hard all summer, and was approaching a breaking point. This "forced vacation" (which is what I'm calling it) is giving me the chance to take a step back from work, shift my focus, and then jump back into it with renewed energy and motivation.

I'm anticipating a very busy fall season, so I'm trying to be glad for the time off for now.

Pardon me while I go wander around the apartment and find something to occupy my time.

Getting used to a new phone

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to get a new phone. The one I had was working (mostly) as a phone, but lacked a lot of features I needed in order to work effectively when I was out of the office. Since I take Puck to and pick him up from school when the munchkins are with us, there are about fifteen hours a week that I need to be able to work from outside of the office.

I love my new phone. It has all the features I need for work (and some extra features), and has already proven that I made the right phone choice.

Of course, with the benefits of a new phone comes the challenge of a new phone. Specifically, I am transitioning all my information and contacts and things into the new phone. Since the old phone is still technically active and on a different network, I didn't simply port over all the data from the old phone. Instead, I'm entering it in by hand.

One benefit of this method is that I can drop information I don't need anymore. Like phone numbers of people I probably won't be calling. It's giving me the chance to declutter my phone from the beginning, which is beneficial. There's no reason to keep information I'm not using; it makes room for new, valuable information.

Now if I could just remember that the "back" button is not where it used to be, I'll be in good shape.

On meditative music

I am in the habit of watching/listening to TV when I work. As strange as it sounds, I need some kind of noise in order to work.

But I'm trying to get away from watching TV and movies while I work.

So I'm trying to shift to listening to meditative music while I work. This way I can get the noise I want while I'm writing, but I don't have the distraction of hearing actual words, and I'm not tempted to get drawn into a story of a film or TV episode and end up watching just one more episode of American Horror Story before I get back to working on that project that's due today.

I've added a meditative music channel on Pandora, so now when I'm working, I try to remember to turn that on instead of streaming Netflix in the background. I think it will be better for my productivity, and will help keep me centered and focused. Meditative music is good.

Of course, if I need a little extra motivation, I can always switch to my Harpeth Rising channel.

What do you listen to when you write? Why?

Work flexibility is not always a good thing. Mostly, but not always.

This morning I was talking to a fellow freelance writer I know who told me that she took Columbus Day off. She closed her office on Monday and didn't work. She said she just needed some time away from the screen.

One of the great things about being a freelancer is the ability to work whenever, wherever you want (or need) to. You can work on the road, in the middle of the night, early in the morning, weekends, whatever you need to do to make it happen.

I love the flexibility because I have two munchkins at home. The flexibility I have means I can work when they're gone or sleeping, and when they're awake and with me, my time and energy is devoted to them. It's wonderful.

However, there is a flip side. (There always is, isn't there?) When the kids are gone, it can be hard to tear myself away from work for a break. I often eat lunch at my desk, work late into the night, and work through weekends when I don't have the munchkins. It can be very productive, but I know that it's also important to take breaks once in a while, even when I don't have Puck and Tink around.

Everybody needs time away from work. We need to focus our brains on other things and recharge before jumping back into work.

I've been working hard lately. I've had a lot of projects going on (a lot of them with close deadlines), so it's been hard for me to justify taking real time off. Sure, I'm not actually working when I have the kids, but as soon as they go to bed, I'm trying to move projects forward and gets stuff done so that I don't have to when they wake up the next morning. It's been good because I've gotten a lot done. But I know I need to make sure I take time for myself, too. I need to step away from work when I can and do other things. Or, better yet, nothing at all.

I'm planning on taking a little time off at the end of November to go up north and visit family and friends. It will be a much-needed trip, and a good chance for me to take a real break from writing and marketing and projects and paperwork to just spend time with family. I'm really looking forward to it, actually. A vacation.

It will be wonderful.

My Daily Schedule

When you work from home, no matter the industry or field, finding a balance between your work and home life is imperative. It can be easy to let your work self get distracted by things at home (TV, Internet, laundry, etc.) or let your home self get distracted by work (emails, phone calls, articles, etc.). Many people find they either procrastinate terribly, or they never close their office. Neither is healthy.

Finding balance is something I've been working on for a long time, and I'm finally feeling comfortable in where I am. The key for me has been building a schedule that includes home and work tasks throughout the day. This enables me to get everything done I need to for work, but gives me the breaks I need to get home tasks done, as well. Since that's the way I have my schedule set up, I can be comfortable walking away from work when it's time to clean, and I can be comfortable walking away from house work when it's time to work.

You can see my detailed daily schedule here.

How do you balance your home and work life? Do you find yourself drawn more to one or the other?

"Mom" beats "writer" this week

My poor darling Bean has been sick this week. I think he's on the downward slope of it (thankfully), but for the past few days my time has been spent wiping a snooger nose, distributing doses of Tylenol, wiping a fever-hot body with a cool washcloth, and spending lots of time snuggled in the recliner to "bock-a-bye."

Sick Bean on Tuesday

While I haven't taken Bean in to his pediatrician or the ER (again: thankfully), I've been concerned for the past few days. Bean's temperature is normally about 97.5, and at it's highest it was about 101. It was not a happy afternoon for me.

Because of Bean's cold, I haven't spent much time at my computer this week. My email inbox is overflowing with unread and unresponded-to messages. My poor coffee house characters have been sitting on the sidelines patiently twiddling their as-yet undescribed thumbs.

Now that Bean is starting to (finally) feel better, I'll be spending more time writing again, and getting caught up from the past few days' lack of work.

I am a writer, and I always will be. But I'm a mom first, and this week, I've been a mom.

Is there anything that keeps you from writing sometimes? If so, what is it?

All work and no play....

Has it really been so long since I've updated? Well, it makes sense. There's been a lot going on in my personal life these days, and the writing I do for work has been taking priority over other writing.

Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I love my job. I really, really do. I'm using my degree every day, getting paid well for it, and I even get to be at home with Bean all day!

I just wish I had an extra hour a day to work on non-work writing. I know, I know. I need to make time. And I'm working on that. But with work and the other things going on my life (which you can read about here and here), I've simply had to take a brief break from writing.

I'm going to get back to it just as soon as I can, believe me. I don't like not writing. And I feel it if it's been too long. I'm a writer. I have to write. When I don't, I feel incomplete, no matter what else is going on in my life.

I'm still not planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year (especially if Hubby and I are moving in December rather than October), but I am going to try and make a little time here and there for writing. I have an idea that's keeping me up at night (and invading my dreams when I do sleep), so I know I need to at least brainstorm or outline or something.

I suppose wanting to write and not having time is better than having time to write and not knowing what to say. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Why?

Well, I'm trying to make a deadline, and my work website is down. Ragh! Hopefully it comes back up soon, or I'll have to be up very, very early in the morning scribbling away.

Use your writing time wisely

Many people have a glamorized vision of a full-time writer's life.  They see people who lounge around in their pajamas drinking coffee and staring out the window.  Unfortunately, writers can fall into procrastination traps just as easily as people in traditional jobs, and they don't have managers and supervisors around to check up on them.  Full time writers have to figure out their own ways to use their time wisely and stay productive, even when temptations arise.

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Clutter-free desk, clutter-free mind

Writers are often told to simplify their writing lives to avoid distractions.  If you write on a computer, for example, remove game programs and internet access.  Turn your phone ringer off during your writing time.  Writers even sometimes rent a writing space outside of their homes to get away from home distractions.  But what can you do if your writing space is the distraction?


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Working at home for the holidays

When you have a traditional 9-to-5 job, usually you leave at the end of the day on Dec. 23 or Dec. 24 and you don't have to think about work until you go back after Christmas.  If you're a writer working from home, or if you moonlight as a writer, though, things may be a little different.  So how can you work from home during the holidays and still enjoy time with friends and family?


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Balancing work and family

Most freelance writers work from home.  Sometimes they have a home office, a room or space set aside specifically for work purposes, while other times they use whatever space they can find at home in which to write.  Regardless of the space used, one challenge in working from home is balancing work and family.

It's true that nearly everyone has to find a balance between work and family, but it can be more difficult for those who write from home.  When you work in the same place that you spend time with family, the line between professional and personal can become blurred.

Lots of people have tips about how to keep your work life separate from your personal life if you work at home.  Here are a few that seem to come up often.

Have set work hours.  If you worked outside the home, you would have set hours that would make you generally unavailable.  By setting specific work hours at home, you help reinforce to your family that you are working, so they'll give you time and space to work.  Conversely, setting work hours will give you a stopping time.  That way, you spend time with your family, too.

Have a set work space.  If you sometimes work in an office, other times in the kitchen, and still other times in the living room, family may be confused as to when you're working and when you're not.  By having a space you always use as your work space, even if it's the kitchen table, your family will know that when you're set up there, you're working.

Have flexibility.  Your dream may be to work, for example, from eight in the morning until one in the afternoon, and then again from three in the afternoon until six in the evening.  In reality, though, you may find that you get most of your work done in thirty-minute bursts throughout the day (and night).  As long as you're willing to adapt to your family's needs and still keep up with your work, you'll find a system that works for you.

Happy scribbling!

Making Time to Write

Kell of The Fang Marked Writer put up a post today about needing to readjust her writing schedule to fit around her day gig.

I have the incredible luxury of being able to work full-time from home right now, although I have worked full-time outside of the home, so I understand needing to make time to scribble. When I was working, I wrote during my lunch break and after work (usually before bed). Whenever I had a free moment, I was scribbling.

The key is to find your rhythm. If you prefer to start your day scribbling, get up a few hours before the rest of your family does and get some writing done. If you're a night owl, stay up after everyone else has gone to sleep. Maybe you have a nice break in the middle of your day. Make sure you have a pad of paper and a pen in your bag, and you'll be set.

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to blocks of time, either. As I mentioned, I wrote during lunch. But when I was an admissions counselor and traveling to schools to recruit students, I also scribbled while I was waiting for students to arrive, or while I was eating dinner at restaurants (alone) while on the road. Keeping a little journal in my briefcase was a very, very smart idea for me!

The problem comes when people who have busy schedules use it as an excuse to not write. They claim they can't write because they have work to do, or because they have a family to care for, or because dinner needs to be cooked. Everyone has obligations outside of the craft, but everyone has the same twenty-four hours in a day. If writing is your passion, you won't wait to find time to write. You'll make time to write.

Kell says:

It's harder to write when you have other demands on your time. But if you want it bad enough, or if your characters won't leave you alone, you'll find a way.

Really, that's what it comes down to in the end. If you're a writer, you make time to write. Many, many writers have full-time jobs and write on the side to share their stories. And it works.

So make it work for you.

A Peek at My New Office Space

So it's a bit of a mess right now since I'm still working on getting the nursery organized, but I'm officially working out of my new office space in the nursery now. My laptop, printer, and file box are all there, and I'm slowly getting it organized the way I want.

I do have to say that I like having my office space in a separate room from the bedroom. I liked being in with the fur babies during the day, of course, but they were also a distraction to me, and I'm finding it easier to be in "work mode" when I'm in my new space. I don't know how Bean will play into the equation next month, but for now, my set up is working quite nicely. Now if I can just get the rest of my life to fall into place in the next few weeks, I'll be good!

Scheduling is an Adjustment

I feel like my work schedule is constantly in flux.  I set up a schedule I think will work and after a few days (or weeks...sometimes hours), I find out it's not really working, so I come up wtih something different.

Yesterday, for example, was the first day of a new schedule for me.  It didn't work well, but I think that's because I wasn't feeling well today and ended up quitting early.  (I blame the little java bean.)  So I'm going to stick with it for the next couple of weeks, and decide if I'm going to keep it or readjust it (again).

I'm the type of person who does well in structure, and that's why I create these schedules and task lists for myself.  But I'm also realistic.  I know that I may not always account for everything, that meetings run late, and sometimes I'm just not in the mood to write from 9:00 a.m. until noon without several breaks.

I'll get it.

And then it'll need to be changed again.

Such is the life of a freelancer, I suppose.

Weekend Hours (or Lack Thereof)

As part of the changes I'm implementing in my life, my office is closed on the weekends.

As someone who works from home, sometimes it's difficult to walk away from my office space when I know there's still work to be done, but I think it'll be much better for my sanity (as well as my body as I get closer and closer to my due date) if I have more strictly defined work hours, and take at least one day a week off.  (Two would be better, of course.)  So aside from a very small project that needs completing, I'm not working this weekend.

Part of the reason I'm trying to free up my weekends is to spend time with Hubby.  Because of my crazy schedule, his commute, and how tired we both usually are by the end of the day, weekends are our opportunity to spend quality time together.  (He works a traditional weekday job, so he always has Saturday and Sunday off.)

It's going to be hard, I think, to have a real weekend every week.  And, of course, if there's something that needs to be done over the weekend, it'll get done.  But if I stick to it, I think I can have nice weekends just as those who work traditional jobs do.

What do people do when they're not working on the weekends?

I'm Back!

Good news!  Your favorite coffee-stained writer is back from vacation!  Hooray!  (You can read about my vacation here.)  It was a wonderful, refreshing weekend, and Hubby and I had several really great conversations about our life, both upcoming and long-term.

I'm happy to say that, for most of my vacation, I was able to be away from the office and enjoy spending time with my family.  Now that I'm back, I'm ready to get back to work and implement some of the changes I'm going to make to my writing life that should make things lots better.  I won't go into detail about the decisions we've made since most of them involve our personal life, but they're good decisions, and they're going to really improve lots of areas of our life.

My schedule is shifting a bit, and I'm going to have more time to work on the coffee house book.  I'm sorry to say that, once again, it kind of fell to the side.  I'm glad I've had enough freelancing work to force it to be a lower priority, but neither do I want it to become something I tried once.  So beginning next week, Thursdays are fiction days at Coffee-Stained Writing.

I always come back from vacations with a fresh perspective, and the timing of this particular vacation was wonderful!  Not only did I really need to get away for a few days, but with the upcoming life changing event in my life, the decisions Hubby and I have made are going to make life much better all around.

How was your Memorial Day weekend?

Writing on the Road: Tips for Working while you Travel

As you probably know, I'm going on vacation this week.  (Hooray!)  Hubby and I are leaving as soon as he gets home from work on Wednesday, and we'll be back Tuesday, May 26th.

I'm really excited about our road trip.  It's been way too long since I've seen my family, and this will be the only time I get to see them until August.  So I'm doing everything I can to get my writing/work done by Wednesday so I can enjoy my time out of town rather than needing to spend it working.

However, I'm realistic.  I know it's likely that I'll need to do at least a little work while I'm on the road, so I'm trying to prepare for that.  I'm going to take a little time today to update my active client files to take with me in case I need that information.  (Luckily, most of the information I need is online.)  I've also been trying to think of things I can do to make things easier to work on the road.

Have the information you need.  Just as I'm updating my client files to take on the road with me (which includes scribbling notes about the client or project so I don't forget), you should be sure to have what you need to work on a project.  Basically, anything you'd look up at home should be available to you on the road.  Old project info, client contact information, whatever you think you'll need.  And when in doubt, bring it.  I've learned time and time again that if you leave it at home, you'll need it.

Let your clients know you'll be out of town.  This is important if you have a business phone line you can't take with you (an office or your home number).  Your clients need to know how to get in touch with you, so they need to know if you won't be at your regular number.  If there's a question a client has about a project, or wants to give you more information, or request a change, you need to be available.  (Clients like to be able to get in touch.  Funny how that works.)

Think ahead to your deadlines.  If you know that being out of town will keep you from making a deadline, talk to your client about the project and see what you can work out.  For example, I have a client who needs some newsletter content completed.  She hasn't given me the details yet, but when I told her I'd be out of town, she let me know she didn't need it right away, so I'm going to go ahead and get the information from her.  She knows she won't get it until after vacation, and that's fine.

Going along with thinking ahead to your deadlines, keep your travel days in mind when you're budgeting your vacation time.  If you have an article due on a day you'll be driving and won't have Internet access, you may want to get the article done early so you can get it in before deadline and not have to rush to a library or restaurant with Wi-Fi during a travel day so you can get it done and in on time.

Set yourself up to be on vacation.  Yes, I realize and accept that I'll be spending at least a little time during this vacation working, but I'm still trying to get as much done as I can before Wednesday so I won't be working all day every day when I'm supposed to be spending time with my family.  I'd rather not be stuck in front of my laptop while everyone else is at a picnic.  If you were working a traditional 9-to-5 job with paid vacation time, you'd get projects done before vacation.  In cases like this, you have to think of freelance writing in the same way.  Get what you can done ahead of time.  It'll mean you can enjoy your vacation more, and you won't have as much chaos to come back to afterward.

Keep things in perspective.  When I'm at home working, every project is important.  But in getting ready for vacation, I divide my projects between what I need to get done before I leave, what I need to take with me to finish, and what can wait until I get back.  If something can wait until you get back, let it.  There's no need to stress yourself getting it done if you can use that time to get other, higher priority projects completed instead.  And remember, you have to get your personal life ready for vacation, too!

Stay organized while you're out of town.  If you take files with you on the road, be sure to keep them organized.  I keep different files in clearly labeled manila folders, which I keep in a messenger bag.  I take a file out if I need it, then put it back in the messenger bag when I'm done.  Being out of my office space makes me feel disorganized as it is, so keeping everything in order while I'm out helps somewhat.  Plus, it makes it easier to get back into my office space when I get back.

It's not always fun to work on vacation, but sometimes you have to.  And if you do, there are things you can do ahead of time (and while you're on the road) to make it a little easier, and make sure you can enjoy your vacation, even if you do have to write a few articles.

Ultimately, you have to come up with methods that work for your personal work and writing style, just like everything else in freelancing.  What works for me may not work for you.

What do you do when writing on the road?