On working from home.

Love this clean, simple sewing room.

Lately, I've been working many more hours from home than outside the home, and I've picked up a few tips along the way that have made my work so much more efficient. I know I'll need these when I take maternity leave and am only working from home, so hopefully I'm creating some good habits now. Here they are, in no particular order... I hope it encourages some of you who are in the same shoes!

1. Schedule the day the night before. I love doing this. I typically write out my day in 30 minute to one hour increments and I find that if I'm able to cross off the to-do's as I go, I am so productive. My work feels purposeful, not aimless. I also add in little to-do's (like scheduling a dentist appointment) when I know I'll be in the car and have a few minutes to make the call. As a loose example:

7:00 to 8:00am: Eat breakfast, read the Word, get ready for the day.
8:00 to 8:30am: Return Etsy convos from overnight.
8:30 to 9:00am: Make Joann's & grocery list.
9:00 to 10:30am: Errands (Joann's, grocery). Schedule dentist appointment.
10:30 to 11:30am: Finish 1 Etsy order and package.  

2. Wake up at a decent hour, make the bed, and get dressed and ready for the day. This is highly important for me. If I stay in my pajamas all day, I'm not likely to get much done.

3. If you have errands to run, do them first thing. This is purely a personal preference, but I find that if I get out of the house early in the morning, I am generally more motivated to be productive the rest of the day.

4. Schedule time for rest. And people. If I don't have time for either of these, I feel exhausted and sad. I have to make sure I get a good dose of both somewhere in my day/week.

5. Take a Sabbath. This has been one of the hardest things for me, and yet so valuable. Sundays are our days to rest, and we don't work on orders or do anything work related for the entire day. It's difficult - especially when lots of customers are writing in with questions that could be easily answered. But we believe that honoring the Lord by not working is not only commanded in Scripture, but it goes rewarded. It's incredible how refreshed Shawn and I both feel on Monday mornings when Sundays have not involved work.