PadawanOfHappiness

When I began working from home one of the hardest things to adjust too was one of the things that I loved most about working from home:  I did not have a commute.  That commute did a lot for me even though I did not like it.  It helped mark the time, week day vrs weekend day and facilitated mindset transitions, which I believe help mange the idea of burn out. The Morning Commute Yes, I really did not like the commute because I saw it as a waste of time and generally a frustrating experience.  It had its good moments, I was able to call friends and family during the commute time and that is an obvious good point.  However, I overlooked how much I mentally prepared myself for work during that commute.  I don't mean a gird my loins I will get through it mindset but more going over what I knew I needed to do, what I wanted to do, it was simply an exercise that I didn't realize I did until I was no longer doing it. When I began working from home I would walk a f...

I have found that to work well, I need a space that is set up to actually allow me to do my work. And yes, that does mean that part of that set up helps me to minimize distractions. And over the course of the past 2+ years my workspace has changed, morphed, and transitioned as my needs changed. The most dangerous phrase in the language is, "We've always done it this way." Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, computer programming pioneer   Just because something worked at one time does not mean that it will always work. Last year brought on some additional challenges that were not previously in play so that required the biggest change in my work space. As I was brain storming ways to make my workspace work for me I kept thinking about something my Dad has told me often. 'Using the right tool for the job makes the job easier.’ One previous work space  The set up below is one that I hav...

This may not be a popular topic but when I look at the experiences that I have had from working from home before and during the pandemic, combined with the experiences my kids had doing remote learning during the pandemic, I will whole heartily recommend getting dressed every work/school day. Before anyone panics, please read this.  I will tell you right now that I am not advocating doing a full face of make up and fancy hair style, business dress (i.e. suit and tie or female equivalent) unless you are comfortable doing that. For full disclosure I have never been one to do my make up on most days, just special occasion days or when the mood struck me.  I don't see that as necessary to presenting a professional business image. What I do mean, is get out of your pjs, workout gear, yoga pants, etc.  Get dressed in something that would qualify as business casual there is a lot of that out there and more than likely you have been wearing it to your office at least one day a we...

As I am writing this mini series, I am having fun going back and looking at articles and posts that have helped me in the past.  One benefit I am getting by writing this mini series is that it helps me renew my focus and make tweaks to my current situation so that I don't become too comfortable. Earlier this week I wrote about keeping a schedule and I just rediscovered this article from Laura Vanderkam talking about a 50-50 split for a 30 hour work week .  As I re-read it there were certain points that still resonated with me, there were some points that now seem more reasonable.  Revisiting things can be a great way to help you make tweaks to your schedule because life changes and your schedules should too.  They don't have to be huge changes, but making small changes can make a big impact. I love the creativity with the way that Ms. Vanderkam has created that schedule, but I am not a huge fan of doing my work outside of what I consider traditional working hours....

I effectively have been working from home since 2017, even though not all of that time was spent working.  Part of that time I was completing my second degree online from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. To really succeed at creating a balance between your work life and your home life when you don't have to leave your home to work is something that many consider a dirty word. SCHEDULE I am well aware that not everyone finds a schedule brings them joy like they bring me, but just because something doesn't bring you joy doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.   Just keep in mind if you are not a lover of schedules, you probably have them and keep them already, and you don't need to have an overly detailed schedule if that makes you break out in hives.  Think of this schedule as guardrails, while they are sturdy they can change as necessary. Ultimately you have to find something that works for you and that means being honest with yourself when you create your schedule...

I have been doing a lot of thinking about jobs, work, and careers lately and one thing that came to mind is a concept that many people that crochet or knit known and understand well. And that is identifying what about the craft they enjoy, are they a process or product person .  I realized that can very easily apply to a job/career as well.   All of my corporate work experience is in some area of financial data or banking.  As I looked at job postings I would often see a phrase that was similar to "must be passionate about XYZ industry".  On one level I completely understand how that would be a benefit for the employee and even the employer, however that doesn't always mean that passion can mean the person is the best for the job. What is Process vs. Product? I am going to define what I mean in terms of process vrs product as an employee. Process : A person that is a process employee probably doesn't have love or hate for the industry they just like the pro...

I have been pondering the different chapters of my life.  What I wanted when I was a teen is different than what I wanted in my 20s and so on.  I am very happy that what I wanted and pursued then worked for me then and I have very few regrets, however I don't want relive those years nor do I want those things now. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time ...

My kids finally started school again, and due to HVAC issues we are starting out fully remote until we can begin our hybrid option in October. This is a schedule of zoom meetings for my Padawans, and some work stuff for me tossed in there too.  Honestly I am going to re-think my work day schedule. With that listing because I will be proctoring (basically monitoring to make sure they are doing what they need to do and helping where they need it) it will make things extremely difficult to get stuff done. Today has been a craptastic day but I expected that, and it will be a while before we get our rhythm down just right. I am pondering taking my 'free time' right now and do the things I would do after the boys go to bed, which means watch TV, read, craft projects.  And then do the bulk of my work at night and possibly on the weekends. I will have to schedule meetings as necessary during the day but the actual work stuff, I am going to have to do when my attention is not divided t...

March is the week that we focus on Work in the Happiness Project. I need to expand my business to make money, not huge money mind you but enough to supplement the family income so that I feel financially secure. What I need to do is move out of my comfort zone which means growth. William Butler Yeats, "Happiness, is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that, but simply growth.  We are happy when we are growing." I need to grow and personal and professional growth is combined really when you think about out, our lives are not siloed, they are not insular no matter how much we like to try to compartmentalize.  The whole idea of starting a business is crazy and there are so many ideas and things that need to be done but I am going follow the advice that an advisor to Gretchen gave her. "...keep it simple - you can add features later, as you figure out what you're doing." (pg 72 kindle location 1484) With that thought in mind, I am creating a lis...

Many people if not all people want to have financial security but I would venture to guess that not everyone knows what it is.  Additionally I don't think that "Financial Security" means the same thing to everyone. I have started to read a book  The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don't Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living and it started to give me some clarity and about what "Financial Security" is for me and is giving me a lot to think about both personally and professionally which makes sense since personal and professional lives are intertwined. Even though the book is not explicitly designed to craft a mission statement or business philosophy, she certainly talks a bit about it as she defines a Tiny Business which is in terms of "focus" not on revenue, sales, or profits.  And I started to have a bunch of ideas to make some changes to my business website and inspired some topics that I can create business blog posts on. So what does this h...