One of the oft-touted perks of working from home is the fact that I can work in my beloved Levis, sweats, or even my PJs if I prefer. Lately, the work flow has slowed to a trickle, and I was doing some thinking earlier this morning about how I can give myself a little motivational shot in the arm. I was reminded of a coffee date I had a short time ago with another freelancer. I arrived in my standard writer’s uniform of jeans and a button-down shirt and the woman I was meeting (you may recognize yourself!) came in wearing a suit. I was pretty embarrassed and hoped she didn’t think my casual attire reflected how I valued her time, and said as much. She replied that even on days when she’s not seeing clients, she makes it a habit to dress professionally because it makes her feel more professional; reminds her that she has a job to do.
So, on this cloudy Monday morning, I bypassed my cozy denim and reached into the closet for a pair of dressy tweed pants and a sweater; donned my pearls and even treated myself to a couple squirts of perfume. I did, however, draw the line at heels–even in my last corporate job, I usually kicked off my shoes under my desk. I have to run an errand in town in a little bit and instead of my trusty North Face fleece that needs to spend some time with Mr. and Mrs. Kenmore, I will make it a point to put on my wool coat and a scarf. I may just be going to the grocery store for bread and cold cuts, but we ladies (and maybe the men too) know that when you are dressed well, you carry yourself differently, you face the day a little bit differently, take yourself a little bit more seriously, and, hopefully, that attitude will be communicated to clients, contacts, editors, and readers alike.
Did it work? Well, I wrote this post didn’t I?
Until Next Time,
Joan
(c) 2009 Joan McCue All Rights Reserved
As a fellow freelancer working from home I’m always interested to read what others in my shoes (or slippers as the case may be) do to up their motivation when the going gets slow.
I’m always trying new ways to shake things up and be more productive and here’s one that helped me recently: Identify one thing that’s stopping you from doing more work. For me, it was not having clips in a email ready and available form. I’m comfortable with the publications I write for but would like to branch out. Many times I’d get an idea but what would stop me is having my clips in the magazine, not on my computer where I could easily attach one to send with the story idea. Finally, I spent one whole work day scanning my clips in PDF format and putting them in a file on the computer. Now I find I’m sending out many more ideas than I was and feeling way more productive. So whatever it is that’s stopping you from moving forward in your work from home mode, try to zero in and eradicate it!
I’d love to hear what other ways work at homers have found to up their productivity and motivation.
Susan
Comment by Susan — February 9, 2009 @ 3:11 pm |