• I would eat fresh, delicious and nutritious lunch everyday (instead of wet microwaved leftover);
• I would also take time to cook great dinners every night (since I wouldn’t be so tired after a 30 minutes commute);
• I would have the time and motivation to wash the dishes and keep the house clean (since I’d be living AND working there);
• I would be more efficient at work (because I’d be able to work whenever I’m more effective, instead of the usual 9 to 5);
• I would have time to exercise at home (another use for this commuting time I would save everyday…);
• I would have the energy to entertain friends during the week nights;
• I would enjoy being with my cat;
• I would, I would, I would….

Until I lent a great contract and my “work at home” dream came true…

My so called perfect life

Fast-forward 2 years later and there I was, working in my (messy) home, (barely) living  at work. Miserable (unwashed, in pajamas). With my cat (the only thing that didn’t disappoint).

• I was not eating leftover much anymore, because I didn’t cook dinner at all anymore (too absorbed in my work or too… whatever).
• I was not doing much cleaning, because I was too depressed living AND working in a messy house.
• My productivity had decreased while my interest for Youtube’s videos increased.
• My friends (who, incidentally, don’t work at home) didn’t have time to come over on the week nights (too busy commuting… or gathering with colleagues for happy hours).

Working in an office is not easy, but the challenges home workers face are different, and there’s not much support for those struggling with this lifestyle. Tired of feeling like a failure, I decided to take matter into my hands and tweak my routine until I achieved something remotely similar to my fantasy. Here’s what I discovered.

Right out of bed

I tried it all: waking up at 5 a.m., waking up at the same time my boyfriend gets up for his work, waking up naturally without any external help. It didn’t matter that much which hour or how I woke up… as long as I was productive right out of bed.

Starting the day by lounging in the living room or indulging in blog reading is the perfect recipe for a very lazy rest of the day. Because when exactly do you stop and start working? And when you do, doesn’t it feel like a chore and like you’d rather continue lounging in front of the TV to see if there isn’t something better after that crappy show or eat ice cream (yeah, it’s good in the morning too) while reading this week’s Gala Darling’s carousel?

In my experience, the first hour in the morning set the tone for the rest of the day, so I try my best to make it an energetic, positive one. I do that by:

• taking a shower;
• exercising;
• getting dressed;
• cooking breakfast (a healthy one, with proteins);
• planning the day’s work;
• listening to good music.

I don’t necessarily do all of them everyday, but ALL of my good days of work have been preceded by at least 3 of these activities.

Pareto principle

We all have a time period in which we do our best work. The 20% of your time in which you produce 80% of your work. Once you have figured when it is, you have to organize your life to make sure you’re actually using that small window of time to work. No dentist appointments, no grocery shopping… no phone if possible!

My most productive time is between 8 a.m. and 10 h 30 a.m. When I do things right, I can clear up most of my workload in that small window of time. What do I do the remaining 80% of my working time? Well, mostly I feel guilty about not working as hard as I do between 8h and 10h30. But when I’m wise, I stay available for emergency and otherwise allow myself to work on what I want. Less important tasks, personal projects that could bring me new clients (or not), organizing my desk, automating repetitive tasks, polishing some work, petting my cat, etc.

Not only do I get more things done during these specific hours, it’s also never as tedious than at any other time. Knowing my cycle, I can be more efficient in my work, less stressed, and less bummed about all I have to do. Leaving me with enough energy to cook a nice meal, or simply enjoy life.

After all, what’s the point of working from home if we can’t manage our time and efficiency any better than in an office?

Disrupting that holy routine

I’m a big advocate of building a nice routine to ease your work flow. But I also find there’s nothing better than breaking it from time to time just because YOU CAN. I get such a high kick from:

• meeting with other freelancers (or my grand-mother) for lunch or coffee;
• taking an afternoon off to buy Christmas gifts while the stores are empty (I should say “less packed”, because there always seem to be an awful lot of “freelancers” who got the same idea);
• avoiding line ups and noisy crowds by going to the movie (or to a museum or any special event, for that matter) during the day;
• stopping work to take a walk when the weather is too fabulous to ignore;
• playing my music very loud;
• opening my window when the lilac tree in my yard is blooming;
• acting on a whim;
• surrendering to my cat and playing with her;
• surrounding myself with things I love.

My home office’s must-have (highlight: comfy slippers, design and comfortable office chairs,
laptop to take out with you, whimsical office accessories). Click on the image for a detailed listing.