This week, as I introduced in my previous blog, is a time for reflections about working at home. If you haven’t read the introduction make sure to click here and catch up. Working outside of the home, after having worked at home, has become detrimental to my ability to get work done. One of the specific problems I face is the abstract nature of my work. I should clarify, at this point, that my “work” includes both school work as a student, an instructor, and as an employee. I am a full-time Ph.D. student who also teaches a college level cinema course to over 400 students (for the current semester) and I am also employed as a graphic designer in my department.
The reason my work is so abstract (other than the fact that it is in the field of art) is because there aren’t necessarily due dates or clear measures of success for a great deal of the work that I do. Graphic design has a deadline, but the measure of success can’t be known until after it has been printed. There is a deadline for writing a term paper but it is generally far into the future. I’m constantly in a struggle to convince myself that an obscure or far off due date is worthy of my time now. I’m also in a struggle to reconcile my own desire for perfection and the worth of that extra bit of work in terms of the time lost working on it.
This is especially difficult now that I am also a father. Sometimes my son requires my undivided attention. When he needs that attention I feel obligated to provide it. How could I turn down that cute cooing and adorable smile? It is important that we spend time together but also important that I do my work, finish my degree, and find a job.
Earlier this week I mentioned a kitchen timer and I’d like to reveal the reason this small tool is so effective. The concept is simple: I pick an amount of time to work on a specific project, set the timer, and work until it dings. This sounds so simple (and I’m certainly not the first person to do something like this) but what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in ease of use and effectiveness. If I’m having trouble getting through a to-do list I simply set a timer and work. It is a small way to use the “free” time I have more effectively so that I’m not stressed when my son wants to honor me with his presence and attention. What do you do to motivate yourself to achieve goals?