How many of these do you catch yourself saying? Can you think of more?
My Anti-Creativity Checklist from Youngme Moon on Vimeo.
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There’s nothing like being able to work from home. I’ve been doing it full-time for years. I don’t really miss working in a traditional office. I don’t miss commuting, office gossip, constant interruptions, passive-aggressive office politics and, of course, pantyhose.
I enjoy the freedom I have to work on my own schedule and in my pajamas, if I want to. I like being able to work during my most productive times and stop when I need to. If wake up at 3 in the morning with an idea, it’s great to be able get it down right away. I like being able to mix up my projects and work on them when I am able to give them my best focus and effort. I am more productive and motivated when I’m able to follow my creativity’s ebbs and flows.
You can’t always get your work done from home though. It’s easy to get pulled by unfinished personal projects, interrupted by personal phone calls and knocks on the door, and tempted by lots of cool ways to procrastinate. Home isn’t always just where we live either. Our most vulnerable moments are revealed at home. It’s where we worry that we aren’t doing the right things for our kids, and where we stare in the mirror and call ourselves ugly. It is where we open ourselves up the most and that isn’t always conducive to getting work done.
I also find that working from home instead of in an office setting can be isolating. Working from home often means not having someone right there with me to validate decisions or keep me and my business pointed in the right direction. I have to keep going, doing things while finding the confidence to know I’m on the right path. I am not within earshot of people with whom I can brainstorm, collaborate, vent or laugh with firsthand when I’d like to.
Or there are those times when I want other people around when I’m working but I don’t necessarily want to talk to them either and that’s when Barnes & Noble, Starbucks or Panera Bread can come in handy. No one bothers you much while you work and you can “be’ around other people. Still, there are times I’d like to connect and collaborate with other creative people face to face, and working from home doesn’t give me that interaction.
So after reading about coworking on various sites and blogs every so often, I’m interested in finding other creative, independent workers, freelancer, workshifters and telcommuters like myself. After a revelation of a potential opportunity and a gentle prod from Sue, I got the hint and hit the Internet, digging for some information.
Wikipedia defines coworking as ” work which involves a shared working environment, sometimes an office, yet independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.”
A simpler, more straightforward definition comes from Alex Hillman, co-founder of Indy Hall in Philly and moderator of the Coworking Google Group and the Coworking Wiki. Alex says coworking is “…creating better places to work, coworking spaces are built around the idea of community-building and sustainability. Coworking spaces agree to uphold the values set forth by those who developed the concept in the first place: collaboration, community, sustainability, openness, and accessibility.”
In researching actual coworking spaces in my local area, I found one but it doesn’t look like my cup of tea so I went on searching to see what other, larger cities have in the way of co-working space. In general coworking spaces across the United States provide:
- Inexpensive, quality workspace
- Spacious desks or tables
- High-speed internet access, both wifi and ethernet
- Conference/Phone/Quiet rooms
- A kitchen or kitchenette
- Unlimited network printing and faxing
- Couches and lounging area
- The requisite coffee/espresso/tea machine and water cooler
- Often dog-friendly
- Offer options for virtual office services and private desks with membership.
- Available to everyone from web designers, writers, artists, consultants, students, telecommuters and anyone else who has portable work.
And of course, creative, friendly and talented people to share the space with you.
There is also a fairly new group around called Jelly which takes place in over a hundred cities where people come together (in a person’s home, a coffee shop, or an office) to work for the day. Chairs and sofas, wireless internet, and interesting people to talk to, collaborate with, and bounce ideas off of are all provided. All you need to bring is yourself and a laptop (or whatever you use to get your work done) and a friendly disposition. There’s even a Jelly Wiki that offers suggestions on organizing your own Jelly event. Current Jellies take place around the globe, from to random cities across the United States to Australia, Africa, and Israel to Mexico, China, Canada and the Philippines.
Until now coworking hasn’t actually been an option for me, anyway, so I didn’t have to make a real choice about it. But digging up all the coworking information uncovered a Jelly group for the Richmond, VA area and a Google group devoted to that end and decisions to be made.
For ongoing information about the co-working trend as well as a list of co-working spaces, check out the Coworking Community Blog and keep an eyeball on Creative Wonk as I explore coworking and setting up a local, regular coworking space.
Are there any independent workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, or start-ups in the RVA area out there who want to collaborate and develop a creative, inclusive, open coworking community? Leave a comment or toss me an e-mail and I’ll get back to you!
I don’t know about you but for me, Google is an indispensable search tool. I use it every day, for all facets of my life. From work or personal research, to looking up movies and celebrities to news and gossip, Google is the go-to search engine.
And you know, there are a number of ways to make your searches more efficient and productive instead of just typing in a phrase and wading through page after page of results.
Many of these are obvious ones, that you probably know about. Some are lesser-known, and stillothers are known but not often used. Use this guide to learn more about, or be reminded of, some of the best ways to get exactly what you’re looking for, and quickly.
- Either/or
Google normally searches for pages that contain all the words you type in the search box, but if you want pages that have one term or another (or both), use the OR operator — or use the “|” symbol (pipe symbol) to save you a keystroke. [dumb | little | man]
Quotes
If you want to search for an exact phrase, use quotes. ["dumb little man"] will only find that exact phrase. [dumb " little man"] will find pages that contain the word dumb and the exact phrase ” little man”.- Not
If you don’t want a term or phrase, use the “-” symbol. [-dumb little man] will return pages that contain “little” and “man” but that don’t contain “dumb”. - Similar terms
Use the “~” symbol to return similar terms. [~dumb little man -dumb] will get you pages that contain “funny little man” and “stupid little man” but not “dumb little man”. - Wildcard
The “*” symbol is a wildcard. This is useful if you’re trying to find the lyrics to a song, but can’t remember the exact lyrics. [can't * me love lyrics] will return the Beatles song you’re looking for. It’s also useful for finding stuff only in certain domains, such as
educational information: ["dumb little man" research *.edu]. - Advanced search
If you can’t remember any of these operators, you can always use Google’s advanced search. - Definitions
Use the “define:” operator to get a quick definition. [define:dumb] will give you a whole host of definitions from different sources, with links. - Calculator
One of the handiest uses of Google, type in a quick calculation in the search box and get an answer. It’s faster than calling up your computer’s calculator in most cases. Use the +, -, *, / symbols and parentheses to do a simple equation. - Numrange
This little-known feature searches for a range of numbers. For example, ["best books 2002..2007] will return lists of best books for each of the years from 2002 to 2007 (note the two periods between the two numbers). - Site-specific
Use the “site:” operator to search only within a certain website. [site:dumblittleman.com leo] will search for the term “leo” only within this blog. - Backlinks
The “link:” operator will find pages that link to a specific URL. You can use this not only for a main URL but even to a specific page. Not all links to an URL are listed, however. - Vertical search
Instead of searching for a term across all pages on the web, search within a specialized field. Google has a number of specific searches, allowing you to search within blogs, news, books, and much more: - Movies
Use the “movie:” operator to search for a movie title along with either a zip code or U.S. city and state to get a list of movie theaters in the area and show times. - Music
The “music:” operator returns content related to music only. - Unit converter
Use Google for a quick conversion, from yards to meters for example, or different currency: [12 meters in yards] - Types of numbers
Google algorithms can recognize patterns in numbers you enter, so you can search for:- Telephone area codes
- Vehicle ID number (US only)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) equipment numbers (US only)
- UPC codes
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airplane registration number (US only)
- Patent numbers (US only)
- Even stock
quotes (using the stock symbol) or a weather forecast regarding the next five days
- File types
If you just want to search for .PDF files, or Word documents, or Excel spreadsheets, for example, use the “filetype:” operator. - Location of term
By default, Google searches for your term throughout a web page. But if you just want it to search certain locations, you can use operators such as “inurl:”, “intitle:”, “intext:”, and “inanchor:”. Those search for a term only within the URL, the title,
the body text, and the anchor text (the text used to describe a link). - Cached pages
Looking for a version of a page the Google stores on its own servers? This can help with outdated or update pages. Use the “cached:” operator. - Answer to life, the universe, and everything
Search for that phrase, in lower case, and Google will give you the answer.
For more on Google’s search syntax, see this guide, and this one.
Most of our work happiness comes from our relationship with ourselves. For example, I recently started working on a proposal for a non-profit human services organization. As I’m reading and putting all the research together, roughing out each section and making it all coherent, I hit walls that stalled my progress.
Last week I actually flopped into my recliner, let out a loud groan and sputtered out in frustration. Why did I do this? I hadn’t written a proposal like this in several months. It was no good. I didn’t have the handle on it I wanted. It wasn’t flowing. Fortunately, my boyfriend was home and he listened to my self-deprecating rant and cajoled me back into life with a few hugs, a popsicle, and a couple of well-timed jokes. My creativity was zapped by my own thoughts of inadequacy, fear, and anger. The person from whom I needed the most encouragement was myself, and I was being ugly.
I took a look at the internal problems I was having and how they were affecting my work. By addressing a few weaknesses, I discovered how I can use them to work for me instead of against me.
1. One Project at a Time
Almost always, I have several things that I am trying to do at once. I could be writing an email, in discussion with someone in an instant message client while I am thinking about an upcoming task or project. The distraction puts a strain on my attention and ultimately affects the quality of my work no matter how good I think I might be at multitasking.
From a long line of procrastinators, if I’m not forced to produce I don’t. Often my attention darts from thought to thought and thing to thing because there’s no deadline looming over my head like a black cloud of angst. So when I need to focus, I’ve started setting a timer. A little tension can be good when it brings focus to a person’s life.
Depending on the task, I may set the timer for 30 minutes and try to finish the task within that time frame. If the timer dings and I need more time, I reset it for the appropriate amount of time and go back to work. This allows me to focus on this one task without letting all the other “musts” distract me.
2. Break the Project Down
The length of my list on any given day would give even Gina Tranpani pause. I expect too much and never feel like I’ve gotten anything done.
Instead of getting lots done, there are times when my brain just shuts down in response to my overwhelming list. I needed to figure out a way to reduce those negative thoughts. I have tried bullying and forcing myself but it never works. I only feel worse and do even less.
I’ve created a routine that allows me to handle my work load. When I realize that I have overextended my task list, I stand up, breathe deep, and let the air out with a slow breath. Then, I get comfortable at my desk and whittle my first big task into 20 minute spurts. As the project becomes less unwieldy, I find I’ve let go of the negative thoughts and boosted my confidence. I’m in the moment and enjoying the process. I’m not feeling overwhelmed by a mountain of work and I’m feeling good about my progress and the quality of work I am putting out.
3. Split Your Tasks List
I usually feel overwhelmed as a result of my own expectations. I expect to get too much work done. I’ve never been able to accomplish a massive task in one day. So when my task list gets too big I often split it into two lists.
I create a main list that’s simple to complete. If I have four hours for work, I make the list equal to about two hours. Typically these are the tasks and projects that need my attention first during the day. The second list is the extras list. This list contains the less time sensitive issues and tasks that require my attention that day.
Whenever I get to my extras list, I feel really good about what I’ve been able to complete. Anything on the extras list that doesn’t get done today, is prioritized and put on tomorrow’s main list. Guidance and sense of accomplishment is the main reason for a list, so make your list achievable. And don’t forget to roll those unfinished extras items over to your main tasks list for the following day!
4. Take a Break
I can get stalled because I get tired and can’t focus on what is right before me. There are too many options. If I have to write an email, create a blog post, and work on a newsletter then I start to feel over-anxious and foggy. My overwhelmed brain simply wants to shut down. So I usually get up and take a break to clear my head and let things simmer.
Since I work from home, there always some mindless household task that needs to be done. If negative thoughts are mucking up my progress, I take out the trash. If worry is hounding me, I do the dishes and think about those worries running down the drain with the soapy water. Maybe I’ll pop over to some favorite blogs that have nothing to do with work for some laughter and gratitude. If the weather is okay, I might sit out on the backs steps and listen to the birds and watch my dog snore in the grass for awhile. Almost always after one of these breaks, I come back renewed and refreshed; my creativity is moving again.
There are so many ways we can pull ourselves out of a stressful state if we just take a break and let go of what’s bugging us.
5. Check Out the Positive
Like many of us, I get preoccupied in how the present moment makes me feel. I create mountains out of molehills. I can create a torturous thought process by magnifying the bad things that are happening to me instead of focusing on all the good things that are there if I just take the time to see them.
If I’m feeling particularly ugly about a project, I write down of all the things that I’m learning from the project in my Good Things journal. I keep this by my desk and whenever I am gloomy about work, I haul it out and take a peek.
Big projects and unexpected demands on my time almost always push me outside of my comfort zone. By meeting these challenges as they come, with as positive an attitude as I can muster, I can manage stress properly, compose clearer, better emails, and continue to develop more meaningful working relationships with my clients and bosses.
The bonus is I am getting paid to learn these lessons. That’s s a gift.
By working at shifting my perspective to the positive, I’m better able to let go of my negative thinking more quickly and realign myself with the good things in and around me.
What do you do to stay happy during a stressful project or day?
Via BitchPhD, via Eric Whitacre’s blog, via Chris Clarke on twitter.
My sweet cat is slowly fading. Her kidneys are failing, and she has almost entirely stopped eating. She’s been part of my being for 16 years and now I am watching as she slowly fades away.
Last night on Twitter, my friend Christine Egger wondered aloud, “If you hadn’t been taught you had dominion, how would you treat other species? If we hadn’t been taught that, would we be less likely to think we had dominion over other people? Their lives, their choices? What does “dominion over others” mean to you? How do you play it out? I think there’d be a huge part of me that would relax and celebrate more, if I could let that dominion stuff go…”
This event exists to provide an environment for community members to help steer each other in the right direction during these trying times — whether that direction is looking for a new job, starting a company, finding freelance work or becoming an independent consultant.”
NOTE: General admission is $12. You do not need to be unemployed to attend + all ticket types Alcohol and Non Alcoholic Beverages, hors d’ouevres, coffee, etc. between 5PM – 8PM
Host: The Dominion Club, 6000 Dominion Club Drive, Glen Allen, VA 23059
To find out more go to
http://wiki.laidoffcamp.com/RichmondVA
Follow us on Twitter @LaidOffCampRVA
or visit our website at http://www.laidoffcamprva.com
One response is to look for beauty in its other and more everyday forms—the beauty of settled streets and cheerful faces, of natural objects and genial landscapes. It is possible to throw dirt on these things, too, and it is the mark of a second-rate artist to take such a path to our attention—the via negativa of desecration. But it is also possible to return to ordinary things in the spirit of Wallace Stevens and Samuel Barber—to show that we are at home with them and that they magnify and vindicate our life. Such is the overgrown path that the early modernists once cleared for us—the via positiva of beauty. There is no reason yet to think that we must abandon it.
via city-journal.org
