Friends, you’ll know today’s guest author, Gretchen Rubin, from her best-selling books on happiness, habits, and human nature, her inspiring talks, and her popular daily blog GretchenRubin.com. Gretchen also shares practical, manageable tips on her podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin. We’re excited to have Gretchen on ProBlogger today, giving us her top tips on how good habits can help keep you sane and on track when your workplace is also your home.
If you’re a blogger and work from home, it can be difficult to stay productive and creative. You can still do some household chores – or take a nap on the couch!
5 Ways I Use My Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From Home
In Better than beforemy book on how to master habits, I identify 21 strategies we can use to make or break our habits. I use many of these strategies on myself, to stay on track as a blogger.
1. I use the Backup Strategy to put myself out of reach of temptation.
To do the serious work of original writing—my hardest kind of work—I take my laptop to a library a block from my apartment, and there I don’t connect to the Internet. It is physically easier to remove myself from the pull of my three monitors than to use self-control. Many people accomplish the same thing by using software to cut off the Internet at certain intervals each day. Look for stumbling blocks, plan for failure!
2. I use the scheduling strategy to complete certain tasks at certain times.
It turns out that functioning is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. So when I tell myself “at 10 a.m. I’m going to write this blog post,” at 10 a.m. I don’t allow myself to think that while I’m writing I can also clean my desk, check my emails, post on Twitter, browse my timeline or indulge in my personal favorite, do some “searching”. At the appointed time, I do the task I identified, or I look at the ceiling. Even when I don’t feel like working, I get attached quickly, out of sheer boredom.
3. I use the foundation strategy to make sure I move a lot during the day.
Some days I go to the gym, take a yoga class, or do a weight training session. We also just got a new puppy, so I still take lots of short walks during the day. Research shows that exercise helps me stay energized and focused — and for me, it also helps me keep my back in the chair when I’m working. because otherwise I’m very agitated. Furthermore, as Nietzsche wrote: “All great thoughts are conceived while walking. I often find that I gain an important insight or make an important connection when I’m walking around.
4. I use the monitoring strategy to track what I post.
How many messages do I have Really do every week? We do a better job with just about everything (exercise, diet, spending, etc.) when we closely track what we’re doing.
Strangely, I found, it’s easier to post roughly each day than posting a few days. I usually post 5-6 times a week, so it’s part of my regular day. I don’t worry, “Should I write something?” I wrote yesterday and the day before, shouldn’t I take today off? I have a good idea for tomorrow, so should I take today off? I didn’t sleep well last night, I’ll write better tomorrow,” etc. But if I posted, say, three times a week, I’d see this every time, I’m sure.
As it stands, I just have to post. If you would like a daily time log to help you monitor how you spend your time each day, download it here.
5. I use the treat strategy to dedicate enough time to reading.
The treat strategy is the most amusing We should nourish ourselves with healthy treats, because when we give more for ourselves we can ask more of ourselves. Reading is my favorite thing to do, and when I give myself enough time to read for fun, I feel energized and cared for. Plus, my reading gives me new ideas, illustrations and perspectives, which also makes blogging easier. But I spend a lot of time each week reading exactly what I want to read, not what I think I “should” read.
PRIME
Here’s a strategy I don’t need, but many people do: the accountability strategy. In Better than beforeI divide people into four categories: Defenders, questioners, obliged and rebels. (Take the quiz here.) For people who are “Obligators» (which is by the way the largest category), the accountability strategy is crucial. Key. Essential!
If you’re really good at meeting other people’s expectations, but have trouble meeting your own expectations, you must give yourself external responsibility. Create an Accountability Group (starter kit hereif you want to create one) where people hold each other accountable. Work with a coach. Find a customer. Report to a friend. Do whatever it takes, because for many people, blogging regularly is something that just won’t happen, no matter how much they want to do it, if there is no accountability external. Know yourself and plan accordingly!
If you want to learn more about how to use your habits to make your life happier, healthier and more productive, check out my book, Better than before. It turns out it’s not too difficult to change your habits…when you know what to do.