5 Ways I Stay Inspired When Working From Home
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Working from home is both a blessing and a curse. I love being able to walk around in my slippers all day and be home with Rosie, but I can get distracted easily by the dishes or Netflix (more so Netflix, let’s be real). I was really struggling for a while to get into a good routine that helped me stay focused and productive while working from home, and after a lot of failed attempts at working from my couch, I decided to take myself and my blog more seriously and get into a routine. You can read all about that here (and get a free social media strategy checklist while you’re at it).
Dustin and I spent a good portion of one evening organizing our second bedroom and converting it into a home office/beauty room for me to work from. Since moving my toosh from the couch and Netflix to my office and a desk, I’ve seen a huge increase in my motivation and productivity. Who would have thought?! Clearly not me. I love working at a desk and getting stuff done, but I’ve realized that it can still be easy to get distracted or daze off even when working in my office. Staring at a computer screen for 5-8 hours can do that to a person. I’ve had to come up with some strategies to keep me focused and to stay inspired when working from home.
1. Burn Candles/Scentsy
I moved one of my Scentsy burners into my office and have been burning “pinecones & fir” for the last few weeks and it has been a huge game changer. I don’t know what it is exactly, but having an outdoorsy scent in my office helps me stay awake. I am consistently inspired by the outdoors, so it’s nice to bring the smells into my office where I can dream about the New England woods and streams and remember how inspired I am by this beautiful world that I live in.
2. No Blank Walls
Having blank walls drives me CRAZY! I walk into a room with blank walls and I feel so bored and uninspired. The whole “feel” of the room is off, and it’s impossible to stay inspired when the room has no character. I decorated my walls with these amazing Harry Potter posters to add some whimsy and magic to my office and it does the trick. Harry Potter is the one collection of books I could read over and over again and never get tired of it. Ever since I was little, the magic of my buddy Harry has inspired me and bringing this fantastic artwork into my office brings that magic into my workspace!
3. Blog Napkin
Okay, this is a little weird, but when I first decided to start blogging seriously, Dustin made me pitch my blog to him a la “shark tank” to get some funding from him. At the time, he was donating plasma and was willing to share that extra income to get hosting for my site if I pitched him my blog and my business plan. This is what happens when you marry an entrepreneur. I digress.
I ended up writing down all the numbers immediately on a napkin while talking to him about it over dinner and the pitched him my idea later that night. That napkin has stayed on my desk since that night back in January because it reminds me of how amazing my husband was to believe in me and to provide the initial funds for my blog! It inspires me to continue working hard so that I can make him proud!
4. Keep Blog Pals On Hand
I help admin for a blogging community called Blog Passion Project and the 5 other girls who run it with me have become my blogging tribe. We talk every day, sometimes throughout the day, sometimes just to say hello or goodnight. Regardless, if I’m ever in a rut, need some help sifting through a topic, a second pair of eyes on a post I wrote or just someone to bounce ideas off of, I immediately open up our chat on Facebook and have 5 extremely talented and kind bloggers at my disposal. They keep me inspired and keep me company during my work day.
5. Create an Inspiring Laptop Skin with CaseApp
CaseApp reached out to me a couple weeks ago and asked if I would be interesting in designing my own laptop skin for my Macbook Pro. After clicking around their website (and reading about them on Shannon’s blog), I knew that creating a custom laptop skin for my computer would be the perfect way to add inspiration to my work space!
CaseApp is super easy to use and such a cool service. You go to their website, choose what type of device you have and it automatically pulls up the designing system for that type of device. You can upload your own photos, add text or graphics and when you are happy with it, send it off to be printed. I was a little concerned at first that my skin would come out distorted and pixelated because I blew up the photo I used so much, but the skin came out super clear and beautiful! The quality of my skin was fantastic, the photo doesn’t look grainy at all.
The photo I choose to use was one Dustin snapped (without me knowing) of Rosie and I exploring the Redwood forest in California this summer. It was so fun to take Roo on this adventure and to enjoy such a beautiful part of the country with her and Dustin. I always feel so inspired when I look at it because I remember how incredibly small I felt in that forest, but how I knew I counted for something anyway.
These five tricks help me stay focused and inspired in my home office and I’ve seen my productivity shoot way up since making these small but simple changes in my work day. My CaseApp custom Laptop Skin is easily my favorite source of inspiration in my office, however, so friends, CaseApp is offering everyone who frequents LWR a 20% off coupon on all orders! And no, this isn’t an affiliate link, this is just to help bring some inspiration into your life. Use the code LIFEWITHROSIE20 at checkout to get 20% off your order. Not only do these skins and cases make awesome sources of inspiration for you, but they would make FANTASTIC Christmas gifts for people who you just have no idea what to get! Remember, this is time sensitive (will not work after Dec 14th) so get those orders in asap!
And, to sweeten the deal, CaseApp is offering one LWR friend a $40 dollar credit to their store! Most skins range from 25-29 dollars and phone cases are $34, so you’ll be able to order anything you want with this credit! Make sure you enter below. The winner will be announced on Sunday at noon, giving everyone who doesn’t win still time to take advantage of the discount code.
How do you stay focused when you are working on your blog? What are your sources of inspiration? What would you put on your custom laptop skin?
