Getting More Work Done at Home

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A particularly challenging time of year is quickly approaching for those of us with a writing habit. There’s often extra members afoot, parties and get-togethers, and children at home from school. Sometimes it can be hard to try and squeeze in a little time for writing.

You can always dial back your writing for the holidays. Or you can try to fit it in, perhaps on a more-limited basis.

Here are a few tips I use to squeeze in writing during the holidays (or other busy times during the year):

Writing early, writing late. This applies during the holidays, but also applies to just everyday life. Writing early or late in the day when no one is calling you or needing you for other things can really help build up your wordcount. I especially love writing in the early morning hours before anyone else is up. I get so much done then and love having “a win” at the start of the day.

Readjust goals. This is the time of year when we need to reevaluate our goals to make sure they’re attainable.

Ask your family for help/fill them in on the plan.  This might look like getting more help from the kids with chores, from your spouse with watching the kids, or even just letting them know you need thirty free minutes to get some work done. They won’t know if you don’t ask.

When you’re not writing, be present with your family and friends. I just close my laptop so I won’t be tempted. :)

Try to gain more time by cutting back on doing other things.  Now is the time to consider meal prep or pulling out the crockpot or the air fryer or asking your spouse to cook.

And finally, consider jumping ship altogether. Know when to leave home to get work done. Libraries are great places to get work done, either at a quiet study area or in the hustle and bustle of the periodicals. When my kids were little, I’d take them over to the library, too. We’d pick out books and then I’d settle them on the library’s computer, which always had different computer games than we had at home (often educational ones). I’d sit at a table near them and get some words in while they were happily entertained. There are other renditions of this approach, if you have children. The roller skating rink (I brought friends for them, too, to prolong the outing), or the playground worked well, too. Playgrounds might even be best because of the lack of internet there (usually).

Do you sometimes have a hard time working from home? What are some of your ways of getting it done?

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay