I work from home. Mainly for time of life reasons – school and pre school children, EU guilt mountain at the very idea of all day childcare and procrastination about the idea of getting a ‘proper job’. Fair enough I do run my own business, complete with tax and VAT returns, but I’m fitting it in jigsaw-like or rather shoe-horn like to make it work with our family life. It was my birthday this week, not a significant zero-type number, but another year passing that I’m not out there focusing on world domination rather than making failing attempts to be a domestic goddess. It’s got me thinking about choices and motivation and whether my choices are more to do with my lack of it.
I mostly revel in being on the periphery of a business, looking in with eyes unfettered by politics and gossip and withdrawing to write clear, uncomplicated copy on the issues of the day. I return to my home office after a day spent interviewing and researching full of enthusiasm and ideas that charge around my head desperate to be committed to the hard drive and, if I manage to avoid the twin perils of Twitter and Facebook, that first hour in front of the mac is amazingly productive.. but if the motivation to work on after a long day out wanes…..
I’ve always been a ‘works best under pressure’ kind of girl; I need a deadline to motivate me. Self-imposed deadlines aren’t so effective – it’s too easy to push for an extension – but they provide some parameters, which helps. Are there people out there who just get on and do the work then have it sat there ready to go on deadline day? If I did that I know I wouldn’t be able to leave it alone, I’d end up tweaking and tampering, trying to make it perfect, adjusting the flow to get the perfect rhythm and, in the process, ridiculing the time estimate I’d placed on the original job.
Take today – I have a piece of work screaming at me to be finished, first draft’s done, follow up questions have been answered and second draft is embryonic in a virtual sense, just needs a mental download, and I’m sat here talking about getting it done. Time to sign-off… and put the kettle on, and update my twitter status (x2 – I’m greedy) and check facebook.. then I’ll get right on with it!