I took the last three days off of the day job to test out working from home on Mark the Occasion Designs stuff. Here are some lessons learned.
1. This is going to be a lot of work!
As I’ve talked about ad nauseum, I’m going to be in a craft show November 19th. That was the real reason for the time off; I’m so afraid I’m not going to have enough pieces to sell! To that end, I worked, worked, worked on flowers. I’m still not where I hoped to be even though I sat down and worked for at least 8.5 hours each day. That’s not a little work here, a little Facebooking there…that was straight work. This included no marketing time or administrative work. I’m going to have to prepare for long days if I make this a thing.
2. I can take breaks whenever I want!
I was much more strategic about my time away from my “desk”. Truly, I only stopped to exercise, make dinner, and shower. There was one coffee date in there, but that was a networking activity. So bonus – I may have to start at 6:45 am or go until 9 pm, but if I want to hit up 9am pilates, I can!
On the flip-side, I didn’t have as much time to focus on dinner, throwing in the laundry, or other tasks I thought I might. This could be a function of a looming deadline or it could be reality. This is one for the “con” column as it was an expectation of working from home.
3. I might go stir-crazy.
By Friday I was guilty of taking pictures of the dog and texting Randy a bunch of times. Being in the house without any true people interaction will make for long days. I think this can easily be remedied though. Folks in my classes at the gym seemed chatty and I wasn’t with my normal internet connections. Add in a couple of coffee or lunch dates per week and I think I’d be ok.
4. Make-up might become a weekend-only thing.
The fanciest I dressed the last few days was jeans and a sweater. And, oh was it glorious. In my current life, I change into pjs the second I come home. (Noah hair is a close second to warm and cozy in the list of reasons.) I did make a conscious effort to shower and put on real clothes each day. I made no promises when it came to blow-drying my hair or putting on the full ‘war paint’, but Randy said I was still pretty. Guess that permanent smile made up for the lack of under-eye concealer.
5. I love it. I want it. I need it now.
Bloggy friends, I can’t tell you how much I loved picking what I would work on next. Even as I sewed the 8,000th (ok, the 150th) flower, I still was excited about what I was working on. I loved having Noah as my co-worker. I loved the responsibility for the task at hand and knowing that what I was working on would bring happiness to someone. I loved working in slippers. Just like Mitch in City Slickers, I found my thing. And I didn’t even have to go to the Rockies to find it.
Yeh!
